Looking to simplify your life? You aren’t alone. But it’s important to remember that life will never be easy. Stress won’t magically slip from existence. The hardships you face may never diminish entirely. The terror of failure you feel right now may take its sweet time to leave your body.

Our journey may never slow down – not entirely. We can work towards simplicity with vigor, but it will take time before it morphs into a lifestyle. You may not see its benefits right away. But we can make progress. We can work towards simplifying our lives. We can start to implement changes and tips to make a life that feels chaotic become less trying.

Simplicity, Minimalism, Essentialism – these concepts may make you feel uneasy. And that, folks, is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s unsettling to even consider ridding your life of excess. Why? Well, answer this: How do I know what to keep?

Ah – not so easy to answer, is it?

How do you take inventory of your life? How do you decide who or what deserves to stay? This isn’t an easy process. It can make you feel a sadness you haven’t felt in a long while. It can sway your reasoning for tackling this project in the first place. It can make you believe that in simplifying your life, you’re actually causing yourself more stress.

But this simply isn’t true.

The first step towards the simplicity you crave may be overwhelming. But folks, the efforts you make now will only lead to long-term happiness. Here are a few easy ways you can start simplifying your life today.

1) Take inventory of one single room or closet.

You thought I was going to ask you to organize your entire house? No such luck. The first step towards welcoming simplicity into your life is recognizing that it takes time. It’s realizing that you cannot do everything at once.

For this step, pick a closet or room in your house. Organize everything into piles. Some examples are love it, like it, and hate it. But keep in mind – you can create whatever process works best for you. Once you’ve got everything in piles, begin sorting what should be kept. Be honest as you go through this process. Don’t hold onto something if you haven’t used or looked at it in years. After you’ve done this you should have a clearer opinion on what really matters to you.

As for the items you chose to get rid of – you can either donate, give to an interested friend, or sell. But just know that by giving up only one item you’re doing yourself a favor: you’re taking control of what matters to you.

2) Spend time with the right people.

This will differ for everyone. The qualities that make up a good friend for me won’t be identical to yours. The point here is to decide who makes your life better.

Folks who bring about toxicity and carry drama in their wake aren’t making your life easy. In truth, they’re making it more difficult to live than you might realize.

Simplicity is more than just your personal lifestyle. It’s also about who and what influences your journey. The more chaos your circle embeds into your life, the more difficult it will be to find the solace in simplicity that you crave. I’m not saying you can’t be friends with these personalities, but it wouldn’t hurt to lessen your communications with them.

Stop spending time with those who carry dark clouds of toxicity around like a security blanket. Living a simple life starts with you. If your focus on that goal is rocked because someone in your circle can’t find any light in life, your journey towards this new lifestyle will take longer than you’d like.

3) Learn to say no.

Working towards simplifying your life rests on your shoulders. It should come as no surprise that this journey mandates personal time. Now, this doesn’t mean you must always stay in on a Friday night. What it means is this: there is strength in giving yourself time to rejuvenate. There is power in allowing yourself the opportunity to rest.

Learn to say no if you need to relax after a tough day at the office. Know that spending a Saturday morning taking care of your needs doesn’t make you selfish. If you can’t give your body, spirit, and mind the opportunity to rest, forming a simpler life will feel especially daunting.

The less you have to focus on all the time, the better you’ll feel. And, in the end, the happier you’ll be.

Simplify your life today!

Working towards a simpler life style doesn’t have to be an exhausting process. It doesn’t have to be led with toxic thoughts like – “If I don’t get rid of my old diaries I’m not doing it right!”

Leading a simple life is different for each of us. The path we take to get there will never be the same. This post outlined only 3 of the many ways you can begin working towards simplifying your life. Use them or create your own!

But whatever you do, don’t discount a simpler lifestyle if it makes you nervous, anxious, or upset. Try it, if only for a month. Base your opinion on how that month makes you feel. Remember – the strength of achieving this is in your hands.

How will you use that power?