15 Hacks to Simplify Your Life

Posted on November 14, 2014 by Mark Jones, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

1. Limit yourself to one task at a time. Although some individuals like to brag about their great multi-tasking skills, science has proven they may be incorrect. You can be much more efficient if you stick to one task at a time until completion, and then move on.

2. Do something peaceful in the morning. If your morning is peaceful, the rest of your day is likely to follow suit. You could meditate, play the guitar, or take a walk, but do something you find soothing before you start your day.

3. Eliminate paper from your life. Bills and other records create clutter and chaos. They’re also prone to getting lost. Paying your bills online keeps things neat and orderly. It’s also a lot easier to see if you remembered to pay.

4. Make a list of the things you want to purchase and wait 30 days before acting on it. Impulse purchases create clutter and waste money. If it’s really an impulse item, you’re likely to lose that impulse within a month. Put the item on the list and see if you still want it next month.

5. Limit your email. Allow yourself to send 5 emails a day, 5 sentences each. This way, you’ll only answer the most important emails and only say what truly needs to be said.

6. Get rid of twice as much as you bring into your house. If you buy something new, get rid of 2 items. Your life will get simpler over time.

7. Take 5 minutes each day for the most chaotic area of the house. Every home has that one area that doesn’t seem to stay clean and clutter free. Vow to spend just 5 minutes each day focusing on cleaning up that targeted area. This will keep that area from getting out of control.

8. Have a media-free day each week. There will be no TV, computer, or radio permitted. Turn off the iPad and iPod. Do something outside or read a great work of literature, without your Kindle.

9. Say “no” more often than you say “yes.” Control your time in order to simplify your life.

10. Pay your bills on the same day and time each week. Pick a day and make it bill day. You’ll avoid forgetting about the bill and being late with your payments. It’s less financially stressful. Paying all the bills at once requires a significant chunk of money and time. Paying a few bills each week is much easier.

11. Read your news online. Newspapers are wasteful and seem to get spread all over the house. An online subscription is usually less expensive and doesn’t add to your clutter.

12. Sort your mail each day. Avoid letting it sit in a pile. Toss the junk. File what needs to be filed. Open everything and give it a quick glance. If your electric bill is triple what it ought to be, now is the time to start dealing with it.

13. Think before you speak. Many relationship issues can be avoided by holding your tongue for a few minutes. Words are hard to take back. It’s like minimizing relationship clutter.

14. Put things away when you’re done using them. If you hate to clean and de-clutter, avoid making a mess in the first place. If everyone in the house follows this tip, the amount of housework is greatly minimized.

15. Create routines. Laundry on Saturday. Vacuum on Tuesdays. Bills on Friday. The less time you have to think about what to do, the more you can get done. And the more free time you’ll have.

Can you think of any additional hacks that would apply to your life? Target the areas that seem to have the most chaos. Focusing on the rough areas will reap greater rewards than worrying about the small details in areas that are already good.