I recently shared this simplicity article: 12 tiny steps to help you simplify in 2024. I was going to share 24 tiny steps for 2024 but in the spirit of being gentle, I shared 12 and promised 12 more tiny steps. Here they are.
12 more tiny steps to help you simplify your life this year
Take these tiny steps as they are or use them for inspiration to create tiny steps that work better for you. Keep in mind that consistency is more important than intensity. If you notice your simplicity efforts are exhausting you, make your steps smaller.
1. Surround yourself with simplicity support.
Join the Simplicity Space and work with me and other wonderful people who are simplifying everything from clutter and debt to health and money. With a self-guided email version called “Less” and the “More” plan including live calls, community and robust video library, there is something for everyone. Learn more and join here.
2. Get inspired to take more tiny steps.
Tune into this free workshop I hosted this weekend and learn more about tiny steps, The Gentle Way and how to simplify simplicity. Definitely watch if you’d tried to simplify your life more than once.
3. Let go of something that makes you feel sad.
If you want to live a happier life, let go of something that makes you feel sad. From clothes that don’t fit to some sentimental items, releasing the things that weigh us down can make us feel lighter. Maybe the things that make you feel sad aren’t physical things. Let go of things like regret, guilt and unmet expectations too (especially other people’s expectations). This may not feel like a tiny task but sometimes letting go of something is just a decision. Haven’t you suffered enough?
4. Trade shopping for self-care.
I used to shop for every event and emotion. Now, when I feel myself getting stressed, tired, sick, frustrated, or bored, I take better care of myself. My body and brain is telling me it’s time to make a change, not that it’s time to “add to cart” or add to my wardrobe. When I’m not feeling my best, I know my body isn’t saying, “let’s go shopping” it is saying, “Please take care of me.”
If you shop for every event and emotion too, make a list of other things that make you feel good. When you feel like shopping, check your list and trade shopping for self-care. My list includes:
- Take a walk
- Call a friend
- Make a smoothie
- Sleep for an extra hour
- Journal
- Take a bath
- Meditate
- Write a thank you note
5. Take back your inbox
If checking your email turns into information overload, consider a different approach. Check email twice a day and when you open your inbox, click “select all” and then uncheck anything you want to read. Delete the rest. This will free up time you spend on your desktop or device and get you out of your inbox and into your life.
6. Box up anything that doesn’t fit your body or your lifestyle.
You don’t have to give it away, just get it out of your closet and hide it for awhile. You aren’t wearing them anyway, so why face the questions about why they don’t fit or why you bought them in the first place. Eliminate the physical clutter, and the mental clutter goes with it. Tiny wardrobe beginners notice a big difference when they hide the things that aren’t important to them.
7. Try a weekly simplicity reset.
Every day, or at least once a week, take a few minutes and reset your home. Start with your surfaces and enjoy a clear desk, kitchen table and countertops. Put away things you aren’t using. As you pare down, declutter and embrace simple living, resets will take less and less time. If it feels too overwhelming, focus on one small space per week to start.
8. Do absolutely nothing to simplify your life.
You might be surprised that this is one of the ways to simplify your life. You may want to do nothing for a couple of reasons. First, if you are very content with the way things are for you right now, you may want to ignore the other recommendations and simply do nothing. Or, if you’ve been doing too many things or trying to change in too many ways, doing nothing may be the thing that simplifies your life the most. If seeking is overshadowing your seeing, choose nothing today. Sometimes your soul needs time to just hang out with your heart, and your truth.
9. Honor your bedtime.
This habit is surprisingly tinier than you think. If you struggle to sleep well, start with your bedtime. Are you going to bed at a reasonable hour or are you staying up in the name of doing, “one more thing” because it’s never only one more thing and it always takes longer than just a sec.
Start by setting a reasonable bedtime. I like 9:30 but if you are used to staying up later, choose something before midnight, and something that will allow you to sleep for 7 or 8 hours. Once you commit to a bed time, honor it. Even if you aren’t falling asleep right away, create the gentle practice of putting yourself to bed at the time you choose. Read or do something else that doesn’t require a phone, tv, or tablet/computer if possible. If you want to listen to a meditation or sleep sounds on your phone, that’s ok but no checking the weather or social media or anything else. Each morning, jot down a couple of words about what it felt like to go to bed on time and how you slept.
10. Say, “no” more often to simplify life.
I don’t know who needs to hear this but you are allowed to say no or no thank you even when you aren’t busy. I don’t say “no” because I’m so busy, I say “no” because I don’t want to be so busy. Just because you have time or availability for something doesn’t mean you are obligated to say yes. You are the only one who can protect your time. Don’t create space so you can do more things (especially things you have no interest in). Create space for more life, for more being you.
11. Start with a space you can declutter in 10 minutes or less.
Instead of starting with the garage or your closet, start with one drawer in your kitchen or one shelf in your living room. Even a window sill is a great place to start. The reason this is so powerful is that you can complete the whole project quickly and start to experience the benefits of a decluttered space. It’s kind of like paying off your smallest debts first to build momentum and confidence for paying off the bigger debts.
12. Simply place a box by the front door.
Use the box as a reminder that you want to let go and drop things in as you pass by that aren’t useful or meaningful. When the box is full, give it away and replace it with a new empty box.
I hope you enjoy these 12 (more) tiny steps to help you simplify. Don’t feel pressured to do them all at once. Slow progress is still progress especially when you protect your time and energy along the way. You are allowed to simplify in a way that feels good to you.
P.S. It would be an honor to work with you in The Simplicity Space.