I’ve been striving to simplify my life for many years now, and recently, through my writing, have been advising others how to do the same.In the process, I’ve learned that making little changes in our attitudes, habits, and environment can have a big impact.So today, I thought I’d compile a list of 100 ways to simplify your life – from the practical to the philosophical, and everything in between.Note: not every item on the list will work for every person reading it.

Background

1. Ditch the TV (or at least turn if off). If you’re an average viewer, you’ll save over a hundred precious hours each month. An added bonus: less exposure to commercials means less desire to buy stuff, and more money in your pocket.2. Cancel magazine subscriptions. Read the content online instead, and avoid accumulating a pile of reading material.3. Read news online, instead of on paper. You’ll save plenty of time, and plenty of trees, by reading only the articles that interest you.4. Get rid of excessive furniture, so there’s less to walk around, trip over, or move when you have to clean.

Around The House

5. Opt for multi-functional furniture , so you can satisfy your needs with fewer pieces.6. Get rid of excessive décor , so you’ll spend less time and effort cleaning around stuff.7. Digitize your music. You’ll eliminate the clutter of CDs, and have easier access to your music library.8. Download movies instead of renting DVDs. You’ll avoid the hassle of picking them up, dropping them off, or mailing them back.

9. Put items away immediately after use. It takes a lot less effort than cleaning up piles of stuff later on.10. Have a place for everything. It makes it much easier to find things, and put them away.11. Clean as you go. Wipe up spills, and take care of little messes before they become big ones.12. Devise a cleaning routine. Streamline your chores into an ordered set of tasks for maximum efficiency.

13. Do laundry in large batches, instead of small ones. It’ll save you time, and reduce your energy (and water) consumption.14. Buy enough socks and underwear to make it through a full laundry cycle, to avoid doing small “emergency” loads.15. Wash towels less often. They don’t need laundering on a daily basis; you’re clean when you use them, after all!16. Consolidate hobby items in designated containers. That way, all your supplies will be on hand when you need them.

17. If you start a new hobby, drop an out-of-favor one (along with its equipment and supplies).18. Adopt the “one in, one out” rule: when you purchase something new, get rid of something old.19. Don’t start collections. Avoid the clutter, and save your money, by channeling your energy and creativity into something more productive.20. Get rid of one item every day. At the end of the year, you’ll have 365 less things to worry about!

21. Hang up clothes, or put them in a hamper, as soon as you take them off. Avoid starting a “floordrobe” or piling them on a chair, and you’ll have less straightening up to do later.22. Organize your clothes by category. For example, hang all your pants, skirts, or shirts together so you can quickly find what you need.23. Use containers to corral accessories like jewelry, watches, or scarves, instead of scattering them about.24. Choose versatile clothing. The more ways you can wear something, the fewer items you’ll need.

Wardrobe And Style

25. Don’t be a fashion victim. Chasing trends is a waste of time and money.26. Know what flatters you. You’ll avoid accumulating a closet full of wardrobe “mistakes.”27. Don’t buy “fantasy” clothes. In other words, if you’re not a social diva, skip the cocktail dresses – reserve your closet space for the stuff you’ll actually wear.28. Get a simple, no-fuss haircut ; it’ll save tons of time in the morning.

29. Embrace your natural hair. Don’t make it straight if it’s curly, curly if it’s straight, or brown if it’s gray.30. Keep makeup as minimal as possible, or go without. Most of us don’t need to look like supermodels on a daily basis!31. Use multi-purpose products (like a shampoo/body wash, or moisturizer plus sunscreen) to save time and eliminate bathroom clutter.

32. Standardize your grooming routine , so you can get ready each morning with a minimum amount of fuss.33. Don’t buy hope in a bottle , and clutter your cabinets with half-used “miracle” lotions and potions.34. Avoid unhealthy habits , like smoking, drugs, or drinking in excess. You’ll look better now, and avoid a boatload of health problems down the road.35. Let your inner beauty shine. A pleasant countenance and radiant smile will make you more beautiful than any cosmetics.

36. Love those leftovers. Cook extra for dinner, and have it for lunch the next day.37. Cook a week’s worth of meals at a time , and freeze for later (Google “batch cooking” for recipes and instructions).38. Plan your meals in advance. You’ll spend less time staring into your refrigerator, wondering what to make.

Kitchen And Dining

39. Shop with a grocery list. You’ll avoid making extra trips for forgotten items.40. Make one-pot meals , and drastically reduce your after-dinner cleanup.41. Pare down your dishes, cups, and utensils to what you regularly use . It’ll limit the amount of dishwashing that piles up in the sink.42. Purge unnecessary gadgets and seldom-used equipment. A large variety of meals can be made with basic pots and implements.

43. Eat healthy foods (like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables), and you’ll avoid a wide variety of medical problems.44. Keep your countertops clutter-free. Cooking is so much easier when you’re not moving stuff out of the way to do it.45. Develop a set of standard dishes (like a pasta, chicken, or tofu dish), and vary the sauces. That way, you won’t have to reinvent the wheel each night.

46. Stop as much incoming paperwork as possible. Get off mailing lists, cancel catalogs, and sign up for online billing and statements. The less physical mail you have to deal with, the better!47. Print as little as possible. Don’t give yourself more stuff to file. Instead, print to a PDF file using free software like cutePDF or pdf995.48. Digitize your paperwork. It’ll take up less space, and give you easier access to it.49. Backup to the cloud. Use an online storage service, as an alternative to DVDs or an external hard drive.

Office And Tech

50. Pay bills online. It takes much less time than writing and mailing a check, and no need to buy envelopes and stamps.51. Bank online. Transfer money without going to the bank, or standing in line waiting.52. Automate recurring transactions- a great way to pay your rent, mortgage, or insurance payments without lifting a finger.53. Automate investments. Set up your brokerage account to buy a fixed dollar amount of a certain investment (like an index fund) on a regular schedule. It’ll smooth out the effects of market volatility on your portfolio, and keep you from making emotional decisions.

54. Stay out of debt. Life is much simpler when you don’t have to worry about interest charges and minimum payments.55. Purchase bundled services. Buying telephone, tv, and internet services from the same company reduces your number of bills (and likely the amount you have to pay).56. Telecommute. Arrange to work from home at least once or twice a week, to save time and commuting costs.57. Don’t let junk mail enter your office. Keep a recycling bin by your front door, and dump junk mail and solicitations (without personal information) straight in.

58. Sort incoming paperwork immediately. Separate it into “file,” “act on,” and “dispose of” piles for efficient handling.59. Organize your digital files. Develop a logical system of folders, so you won’t have to wade through 100s of random files to find what you’re looking for.60. Purge your bookmarks regularly. The stuff you found interesting last month, or last week, may be of no use to you today. Don’t waste time scrolling through irrelevant stuff.61. Quit Facebook (or don’t join). It can be a huge digital commitment, and a major time sink. At the very least, limit the time you spend on it

62. Limit the number of blogs you read. When you subscribe to a new one, drop an old one, so as not to increase your time commitment.63. Reduce your Twitter time. Constant digital “chatter” can significantly reduce your productivity.64. Check and answer email during defined periods. When you’re distracted by constant incoming messages, it takes longer to complete the task at hand.65. Take digital sabbaticals. Disconnecting for a period of time – be it an hour, a day, or a weekend – can be quite liberating!

66. Learn to say no. It can be difficult, but will ensure you have enough time and energy for the stuff that really matters.67. Delegate. Give up trying to do everything yourself; get employees to help with projects, and children to help with chores.68. Limit your commitments. Don’t increase your number of obligations; drop old ones to make way for the new.69. Right-size your expectations. When you expect too much of yourself and others, disappointment and stress are often the result.

Time Management 

70. Choose your battles. There are thousands of little things that just aren’t worth fighting for – let them go.71. Go with the flow. Instead of trying to control things, let them happen as they may.72. Be flexible. Adapt to the situation at hand, rather than insisting on doing things “your way.”73. Forget about perfection. For the vast majority of tasks, good enough is good enough.

74. Fix little problems before they become big ones. A little effort now can save a lot of headaches later.75. Consolidate your tasks. It’s more efficient to do your ironing, pay your bills, and answer your emails in one sitting than in bits and pieces.76. Consolidate your errands. Plan your visits to the grocery store, dry cleaners, post office, etc., so you can take care of all of it in one trip.77. Declutter your To Do list. Purge any unimportant, unnecessary, or unfulfilling activities.

78. Ask for help or advice. Reaching out to someone with more expertise can often save you hours (or days) of muddling through on your own.79. Share your expertise with others. An open exchange of information makes things easier for everyone.80. Make it a goal to do less, not more. Increase your productivity to free up your schedule, rather than jam more stuff into it.

81. Keep an open mind. Life is infinitely more interesting and pleasant when you’re willing to consider opinions and viewpoints that differ from your own.82. Accept others for who they are. Live and let live, and you’ll have much less to worry about.83. Live in the present. Don’t spend excessive hours pining for the past, or fretting about the future. Be here now.84. Don’t meddle in other people’s business. Concentrate on keeping your own life in order, and don’t worry about everyone else’s.

Attitude

85. Forget about the Joneses. Conspicuous consumption benefits nobody but the companies selling the goods. We’d be happier, more relaxed, and more satisfied if we disengaged from it entirely.86. March to your own drummer. Don’t feel obligated to follow the crowd, or live according to others’ expectations.87. Think before you act. We can often save ourselves a lot of trouble if we think about the consequences before acting on impulse.

88. Think before you speak. Once you let some ill-considered words out of your mouth, you can’t get them back. Better to hold your tongue than have to deal with the fallout.89. Don’t be overly sensitive. Sometimes others don’t think before they speak. Let careless remarks roll off your back, not ruin your day.90. Don’t hold grudges. Forgiveness eases your stress and tension, and frees up your time and energy for more positive pursuits.91. Don’t be a drama queen. Making mountains out of molehills unduly complicates life.

92. Have an attitude of gratitude. Be grateful for what you do have, instead of stressing over what you don’t.93. Realize that you’re not living in the spotlight. Most people are too wrapped up in their own lives to care (or notice) what you own, what you’re wearing, or how you look.

94. Embrace the concept of enough. Once our needs are met, there’s usually little utility (or happiness) in acquiring more – by contrast, it often leads to cluttered homes and empty bank accounts.95. Enjoy without owning. Admire the objects in a shop window, the art in a gallery, the plants in a garden, without acquiring them for yourself. You’ll often get more pleasure from things when you don’t have the responsibility of ownership.

96. Downsize your digs. A smaller home means less to maintain, less to clean, and less to pay in mortgage, utilities, and rent.97. Go car-free. If you can walk, bike, or take public transit where you need to go, consider ditching your car. If you’re in a multi-car household, consider whether you can get by with one less car.98. Avoid advertising like the plague. When you don’t know an item exists, you won’t stress over desiring, acquiring, or paying for it.

Miscellaneous 

99. Don’t shop unless you need something. In other words, don’t browse stores, catalogs, or websites looking for something to need.100. Make your own definition of “success.” Raising a happy family or excelling at your job are better measures of success than status symbols and material accumulation.

Now that I have finished my final exams, I am taking this summer as the opportunity to declutter my life and for a fresh restart. This article has helped me realise that decluttering shouldn't only be a one time activity but a continuous mindset.

My stuff

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life (and Make Yourself Happier)

When you rethink a room, start with bringing natural light into darker spaces. <ul><li>Placing mirrors close to windows at a perpendicular angle will reflect light deeper into a room while bringing a reflection of the outdoors inside.</li><li>Placing a mirror on the opposite wall creates the illusion of an extra window.</li><li>Using a mixture of tints and styles creates a soulful atmosphere.</li></ul>

A mirror brightens every room

The secret to a feel-good front room is always having a handy place to set your G&T down. Invest in some additional side tables, which doubles as a place for books, bijoux objets d’art, an extra lamp or a handy spot for your own dedicated, mood-lifting minibar.

Display your drinks in style

You only need to tweak, rearrange or add a new addition to change your space. With shelves, imagine you're creating a collection. Start with your most-loved item, then build from there, connecting through colour, textile or print. Things don't need to be valuable. See what you're drawn to at markets, car boots, or secondhand.

See what you are drawn to

Good storage makes working life more serene and seamlessly productive. Instead of choosing bland or beige, choose something with a decorative flair.

Box clever with better storage

Scour Facebook Marketplace for small glass-fronted cabinets that you can tart up with some paint, and line the shelves with colourful wallpaper, or a bobbin-detail wooden shelf that can be wall-hung to display both unguents and ornaments.  Invest in a portable light in a pretty colour so that you can switch off the harsh spotlights in your bathroom before bed.

Give your bathroom an upgrade

<ul><li>Combine stones and essential oils to relax.</li><li>Give your hallway an easy refresh with a bright and breezy design that signals the fashionability of stripes.</li><li>Bedlinen could resemble the night sky with velvety comforters in midnight hues.</li><li>The bathroom is where most of us start and end our day. Indulging in a feel-good set of towels for everyday use is an indulgent mood booster.</li><li>Good art tells a story, reminding us of the place we bought it and who we were with. Treat the frame as you would fabric on a chair – it should enhance the work of art.</li></ul>

Small touches

Introduce more upbeat colours to your interiors along with colours that connect you directly to nature.  <ul><li>Painting your windows in a colour like the lively yellow Babouche will create an instant impact. </li><li>Interior doors leading to an outside space work particularly well if painted in cheerful colours such as Breakfast Room Green, a botanic shade that invites you into the garden before you have got there. </li></ul>

Choose upbeat colours

Smell is strongly tied to our emotions. Choose a scent to reflect how you want to feel in each room. <ul><li>In the kitchen, fresh and light scents such as Ssage, Llemongrass or Eechinacea work well.</li><li>For bedrooms, hints of patchouli, amber or sandalwood are sexy and mysterious, and when blended with jasmine or rose they become sensual.</li><li>Bergamot and orange blossom are the perfect scents for making guests feel welcome.</li><li>healing and uplifting scents are in demand this year, including sage</li></ul>

Reflect how you want to feel

Storage can be incorporated into your interior design. <ul><li>Go for brightly coloured bookshelves to match upholstery and freestanding box shelves that help divide areas in a room.</li><li>Repurpose your old furniture into storage solutions.</li><li>Transform that old rustic wardrobe into a secret library brimming with books.</li><li>Wall hooks can show off your scarves.</li></ul>

Make storage a display feature

Make time in your own schedule to tidy. Tidy up in one shot rather than little by little. Choose a designated home for each item and get in the habit of putting them back. When you spring clean, always work from the top. Start with dry dust and cobwebs on the ceiling and work downwards. Set yourself a few tasks over a specific time. When the time is up, call it a day.

Develop a tidying routine

Banish the gloom from every room with these 25 tips to give your house a mood-boosting makeover

Stashed ideas

Wake up to a happy home: how to design a feelgood house

In the book atomic habits specifically in chapter 6 James Clear explains to us the importance of relating places or objects of our spaces at the time of making a habit, for example, use the bed only to sleep or a chair in your room to read, in this way we associate an action to a certain place.

Context Map

Based on the above, my proposal is to make a context map, let me explain, the first step to create one would be to have a sketch of our own house, room or any place that we want to have the information, it is important to put all furniture armchairs etc ...

Step 1

To continue, we do not need more than a little introspection, that is, we will analyze what actions are related to each of the places or furniture in our room in this way we will be able to realize that we do things automatically, for example I get up from myself bed I take my phone and start to see tiktoks, how can we see I am attributing a bad message to the objective for which my bed is, which is to sleep and rest, we will repeat this process, it should be clarified that it changes over time even in the same day at a different time each space can be used for different purposes.

Step 2

This step is the simplest and we will only take each idea related to objects and spaces with it we will have the necessary information to carry our sketch drawn in step 1, at this point we are already able to understand how we work what you do every day to be able to change or better, some specific aspect of our life, thank you very much for reading and I hope you like this little contribution ❤️

Step 3 - Final

The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 2 million copies sold! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights. Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field. Learn how to: • make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy); • overcome a lack of motivation and willpower; • design your environment to make success easier; • get back on track when you fall off course; ...and much more. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

Welcome to Deepstash

Atomic Habits

Paper piles up easily most especially if you have a habit of leaving mail on the counter or the entryway table, and it's something that we just unconsciously do because we could be tired and the last thing we'd want to do is to sort out bills.
What we can do about this is to place a small wastepaper basket on the counter or the entryway so we can toss out the unnecessary subscriptions right away. If possible, go for online billing.

Tossing Mail on the Kitchen Counter

Most of us have the habit of throwing everything into the closet and pretend that everything's been nicely cleaned up, but you can't forever ignore the fact that this won't make it easier for you to clean later.
What we can do about this is to install shelves that reach down to the floor so that we'll be forced to store and find a home for it in the shelves.

Throwing Everything in the Closet

Most of us have a chair just for the pile of clothes we throw around due to convenience, however, having a chair clothes pile can discourage us from being organized.
What we can do about this is to invest in a laundry hamper that has a lid. We can hide the dirty clothes when we need to, while saving the "this still smells clean" for later.

Piling Clothes on a Chair in Your Bedroom

If you have kids or a big family, you're probably used to seeing shoes scattered all around the house, and while it might be convenient, it's all around messy and no one is not distressed in the middle of a mess.
What we can do about this is to add a shoe storage to the entryway or the mud room and get into the habit of taking your shoes off before entering the house.

Leaving Shoes Around the House

If you're running out of room in your closet, kitche, or other rooms in your house, maybe it's time to follow the folden rule of organizing: "One in-one out"
The one in-one out rule means that if you're adding something to your collection, donate one you no longer need. May it be a book or a dress, it's a simple habit that will make sure you have enough storage at home.

Buying More Than You Can Store

Most of us likely have some habits and routines that undo our best organizing efforts. Here are some habits to change for a tidier home.

5 Habits to Break If You Want a More Organized Home

Before you move on to clothes, shoes, and other stuff, double-check your documents, such as:<ul><li>Passport</li><li>Driver’s license</li><li>Visas</li><li>Diploma</li><li>Birth and marriage certificates</li><li>Medical records and health insurance documents.</li></ul>

Moving Abroad: Packing Documents

Bring some medicines, just in case you'll need any of them during your international relocation or right upon arrival to your new home.You need to be prepared even for the worst-case scenario, so do pack some medicines that might come in handy in case you catch a cold or have a headache. If you take some medication regularly, bring at least a two months’ supply in case you can’t find those particular drugs in the new country.

Make Sure You Pack Some Essential Medicines

Maybe you have some preferred cosmetic products, and you want to take a large supply of those to your new country in case you can’t find them there. However, that’s not a good idea. These products take a lot of space, space you’ll need for more essential items. Plus, most of the toiletries are temperature-sensitive, so they are likely to be ruined during your travel.

Bring Only Basic Toiletries

<ul><li>Only the stuff that is essential or those that have special meaning for you should find a place in your suitcases when relocating overseas. </li><li>When it comes to clothes and shoes, you should bring enough for the first couple of weeks or months. Once you settle in and explore the area, you’ll be able to buy everything you need there, too.</li><li>The golden rule is to leave everything you haven’t used in over a year.</li></ul>

Bring Only the Things That You Can’t Do Without

Consider these questions:<ul><li>How long are you going to stay in your future home?</li><li>What is the weather like there?</li><li>Are you relocating to a smaller home?</li><li>How are you going to ship your stuff?</li></ul>

How to Decide What to Pack when Moving Abroad

You can’t seem to figure out what to pack when moving abroad? This can be a tricky task, but with this list of most essential things to bring, there should be no problem.

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life (and Make Yourself Happier)

Wake up to a happy home: how to design a feelgood house

Atomic Habits

5 Habits to Break If You Want a More Organized Home

What to Pack When Moving Abroad

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