10 Ways to Simplify Your Life and Live More Purposefully

It was 2001, right after the world trade center fell and the world changed suddenly. My Aunt had gone to donate blood like so many other Americans and found out she had terminal leukemia. Just a few weeks later, she was gone leaving behind two young children (ages 1 and 3). I remember sitting on the cold hard tile floor of the hotel bathroom the night of her funeral, weeping.

Nothing seemed sure in this life and that’s when I realized the hard truth that none of us is guaranteed a certain amount of years. That was the night I started to ask questions about what it meant to live a life of purpose which ultimately led me to my faith in the Lord but also to striving to live a more intentional life. I founded the Simple Purposeful Living community to encourage others to live a more fulfilling life by taking small steps to create a beautiful life they love.

So, where do you start on an intentional living journal? Let’s start here with my top 10 ways to simplify your life and live more purposefully. We all want that right?

10 Ways to Simplify Your Life and Live More Purposefully

Prioritize What Matters to You

Life moves so fast often times we don’t even have time to pause and reflect on why we are making the choices we are making. Every choice we make means we are prioritizing something. The question remains, is your choice you say yes to what actually matters to you? I can get caught up in the social media rat race as much as the next person but it’s important to occasionally step back and determines what matters to you. What makes you come alive? What brings you joy? What sucks the life out of you? What is important in this season? A great way to to do this is take a few minutes and jot down those questions and answer them.

When a new season comes, it’s important to revisit those questions because the right things in one season may not be the right things in a different season. Make a list of the most important things in your life right now and focus on them. Let go of things that don’t matter.

For example, getting around the table matters to me with 4 children at home. It’s hard to do so I simplify the act of getting around the table by meal planning and making simple meals. The meal brings us to the table but the people and connection is what matters most to me in this season of my life. Knowing why I serve simple meals and meal plan motivates me to keep making those choices.

It’s also important to remember what matters to you might not matter to everyone else. For example, for years I felt guilty that I liked having a tidy house. A quick nightly reset became part of my daily rhythm and set us up for success. My sister and I differ on that, I am not right and she’s not wrong, we just have different needs and priorities. So, make sure you understand the most important thing to you and focus on that even if it looks different from others. We aren’t living anyone else’s life. A better life begins when you start living out your daily decisions based on your priorities.

Organize

I am not talking about cute baskets and color-coded food. If that’s your jam, you do that but organization really means keeping your physical and digital spaces clutter-free and for everything you own to have a home. This will help you stay focused and productive.

Do you have clutter that drives you crazy? Suddenly negative thoughts pop into your head about this pile of clutter. The next day, a little bit has turned into quite a lot. Clutter is like a magnet. It adds up in a hurry. I have found physical clutter on counters and surfaces can add to your mind clutter and overwhelm.

When you bring new things into your home, it’s important to know where that item will belong, make it easy to get out and put away and communicate that to everyone in your home. Complicated systems will fail you, keep it simple to store away so you can follow the 1-minute rule. What is the 1-minute rule you ask? If you see clutter with your own eyes and it takes less than a minute to put it away, do it now. Once you get in a daily routine of putting things away in their designated & simple home, you won’t spend as much time managing your things and you will have more time to focus on what matters to you.

Brain Dump & Start Small

We all wake-up somedays and just feel overwhelmed. The best way I have found to fight that overwhelm and move forward is by dumping everything out of my brain on to my brain dump notepad and then looking at the list to determine a small step to start with. Learn more about brain dumping here and grab our brain dump notepad here.

Simplify your Schedule & Learn to Say No

This is a hard one but hear me out. No one and I mean no one is going to guard your schedule like you. Saying no to things that don’t align with your priorities and goals can help you simplify your life.

Someone once told me a “yes” to one thing is a “no” to something else so make sure your “yes” is the right yes. Don’t say yes out of guilt, let me repeat that again for my fellow people pleasers out there, don’t say yes out of guilt. Just as I said before, we make time for what matters either intentionally or unintentionally based on what we say yes to. Are you saying yes to areas of priority for you?

Take a look at your schedule and cut down on unnecessary activities and commitments to free up more time for the things that matter to you.

Start small and choose one single event you can say no to. When we start with the little things and flex that “no” muscle, it will get stronger and we can build up to saying no to bigger things. A rule of thumb I use when someone asks is to say “let me look at my schedule and talk to my husband.” Both are true and give me a moment to consider what my yes would mean for my priorities. So, often we say yes out of impulse without considering what this will mean for my own life.

Practice Being Present & Gratitude

Focus on the present moment and let go of worrying about the past or future. This is so hard for me but the first thing I do when I want to be present is to put my phone away. It’s ok to take pictures in your heart instead of your camera. It’s so easy to get distracted by a phone notification. Often times I need to remember the purpose of life is not to share every little thing we do. Sometimes, reserving special moments for my loved one’s hearts and mine alone is the best gift we can give and helps to give our life purpose and to be fully present in the here and now.

Another way I practice mindfulness is by reflecting and giving thanks regularly. It’s easy to fall out of this habit but the good news is you can pick this habit right back up. I have heard it said to give thanks for what you have before you ask for what you want. It’s like when a child has a birthday and they get all these lovely gifts and before they even say thank you, they are asking for the next thing. We guffaw at that behavior but we do the same thing. In this busy life, everyday is a special gift and being mindful and grateful will make a positive difference in your everyday life.

Get Rid of Things That You Don’t Need

Go through your possessions and get rid of anything you haven’t used in a while or no longer need. If you need more help in this area, check out this post on different common decluttering excuses and how to overcome them. If you are overwhelmed by all you have to get rid of, grab a to-do list and break down large areas in need of decluttering into bite size projects.

For example, break down the kitchen into the junk drawer, under the sink, pantry, kitchen cabinets, fridge, stove, etc. Then, the next step is to set a timer for a set amount of time, I usually 20 minutes (read more about that technique here) and get to work. This little planning session will set you on the right path to getting rid of excess in your life.

Just because an item served you in one season doesn’t mean it gets to take up valuable room in your home now. Plus, this item could bless someone else. So, give it away with gratitude knowing it served you and can now serve someone else. All the excess you have is distracting you from what matters and what you need. You are busy managing all the excess. If you need help with a fresh start ask a best friend who is gifted in this area to help you.

Delegate

Ask for help or delegate tasks to others to lighten your load. This is so hard for us moms, isn’t it? The other day my husband started a load of laundry and instantly I thought he did because he thought I was failing. That wasn’t his intention at all, he wanted to help out. We have to ask and accept help with grace. No one is doing it all on their own.

One of the biggest offenders is meal planning, meal planning and cooking falls heavily on your shoulders but how can you delegate this task? One of the simple things I do is grab my meal planner (get yours here) and ask my family during dinner what they would like to have next week. I told you it was simple but I have just delegated the task of coming up with all the meals.

You might fold the laundry but can your kids put it away? Can you ask your family to unload the dishwasher? We don’t call these to do items “chores”, they are just responsibilities that come with being part of a family and it’s our joint responsibility to do them. Yes they still grumble but that doesn’t make me not delegate :).

Take care of You

Prioritize self-care including your mental, spiritual and physical health. Just this week, I felt the anxiety creeping in. It’s the middle of winter as I type this and we live in the northern hemisphere and I am missing that bright sunshine. I knew a good sweat session at the gym would help so I prioritized that. Our bodies have needs and just like a car can’t run on fumes for long, either can you. What fills you up? I am not talking about manicures and pampering, per se, those are fine but on a daily basis there a lot of things vying for our attention, if you don’t prioritize things that fill you up, your body will be on empty stat.

Set Boundaries

Determine the limits of what you are willing to do, and communicate them clearly to others. We have covered this but it bares repeating. No one and I mean no one will setup boundaries for you. Even your well-meaning family can’t because no one knows what you need better than God and you. So, take a deep breath and determine those boundaries. It’s ok to say no even if you have nothing else going on. Simple living sometimes means a little white space in the calendar. We don’t need jam-packed schedules to give us a sense of purpose.

Eliminate Time-wasters

Be mindful of how you spend your time, and eliminate activities that are not productive or important to you. We underestimate the time we spend on these sorts of things. There’s not a week that goes by that I am not shocked at my screen time stats when it pops up on Sunday morning. No way I spent 4+ hours on my phone a day last week. Meanwhile, I think folding the laundry feels like 4+ hours and it takes under 15 minutes. Evaluate how you are spending your days and determine if that’s what matters most to you. Hello, I am on social media so I am not saying give it up all together but determine if those time-wasters are the first place you go to instead of what really matters to you.

Just Remember…

Pursuing your own purpose must be decided on your own terms, you aren’t living someone else’s life, you are living yours and you only get one shot so lets live our life on purpose. Your life needs to match what matters to you. It’s ok to say no and guard your calendar like a momma bear guards her cub, no one else will do it for you. Start evaluating how you spend the moments of the day. Are your choices reflecting the life you want to live? Could you implement even one of these practical tips to lead to a more simple and purposeful life?

Someone once told me this story and it stuck, while its a bit morbid, it caused me to stop and think. Each tombstone has a birthdate then a dash and then a death date. That dash is actually relatively small so living a life of purpose means living out the dash in the best way you can. What will you do with the dash you have been given? I hope you live out your true purpose by simplifying what doesn’t matter so you can focus on what does.

Join our online community here as we focus on living our best life and share intentional living tips and a whole lot of encouragement along the way. We also sell a variety of paper products that help you simplify what doesn’t matter so you can focus on what does! Check out our shop here.