Apr 8, 2009: Simplify for a Healthier Life

The more complicated our lives are, the more stressful. The more stressful, the less healthy. Here are a few easy ways to simplify your life.

Trade away activities that don’t contribute to your joy. I like washing dishes, warm water, squishy suds, so I wash while my daughter sweeps the kitchen, something I’d avoid forever if I could. Trade off so everybody gets to do more of what they like, and less of what they don’t. You get rid of the roaches; I’ll clean the toilet. You can trade with friends, too. A container of homemade soup may be a great trade both ways for a little yard work. Think outside the box. Do what you enjoy in exchange for what you don’t.

Create a simple system for bills. Set aside a particular spot on a desk with envelopes, stamps, return address labels, and a box for receipts. Write paid and the date on each stub, toss it in the box, and forget it. I empty my wallet about once a week and toss other important receipts in the same box. No stress if I need to return something to the hardware store. The receipt’s right there. And there’ll be less stress at tax time with all the receipts in one place.

Touch junk mail once. Put it straight into the shredder or recycling bin. The same holds for all paper. You may not be able to only touch a bill or a coupon once, but avoid organizing and reorganizing the same papers over and over.

Throw away before you organize. Get rid of the junk on your desk, then organize what’s left. Same for your purse, ladies. Clear out the empty lipstick tube and the inkless pen. Same for the refrigerator. Out with the expired, the dare-I-mention green, slimy, moldy? Straighten up the rest, and get a little burst of happy each time you open the fridge door.

Make lists. This may not work for everyone, but it does for me. Be sure to put “make a list” at the top, so you have something to cross off right away. For me, having a list on paper relieves the anxiety of wondering if I’m remembering everything. On a super-busy day, a list of things to do feels more do-able.

Best advice of all—listen to your own wisdom. You already have the solutions to create your simple, healthy life.