Simplify Your Life Week! - Jellyfish & Stone

This week is National Simplify Your Life Week. (I don’t make this shit up, I just run with it!)
There are lots of ways to simplify your life.
There are lots of ways to be tidy.
No one way is right.

The only thing that really matters is that it works for you, and that you are satisfied with it.

I’m going to offer a few suggestions on each weekday, categorized into Small, Medium, and Large actions.

Small – you can do this in 10min or less
Medium – this may take you 30min or so, and a little bit of effort
Large – this will likely take you an hour or more and will require some effort on your part.

Take what you need, and leave the rest.
Perfection is not necessary.

Again, the only thing that matters is that it works for you, and that you are satisfied with it.

Disclaimer: I know and love some folks who have diagnosable conditions that interfere with executive function (among other things). If this is you, take what you need, adapt it if you need to, and leave what doesn’t fit.

Day 1 – General Living Space

This isn’t specific to a room. Rather this is an overall action that will make an immediate impact on your living spaces.

✅ Small – Go around your spaces and collect all trash and recycling, put them in the trash, and/or recycling. It may help to take the trash can, or another vessel around with you.
⭐️ Bonus points for emptying the trash and recycling.

✅ Medium – Go around your spaces and pick up all clothing that may be on the floor or furniture (anything that isn’t in a closet, dresser, or designated clothing area) and put it in the laundry.
⭐️ Bonus points if you do a load of laundry.

✅ Large – Go around your spaces and take out-of-place things back to their homes (i.e. dishes to the kitchen, books to the bookshelf, pens and notebooks to their homes, etc.)
⭐️ Bonus points if you sweep/dust some of the newly revealed surfaces.

Here’s my living room after just a few minutes of tidying up.

Day 2 – Workspace

This is likely where you spend most of your waking hours. Whether it’s a home office, a workplace desk, a studio, etc. If you’re here a lot, things will pile up. And if you’re here a lot, you deserve some breathing room.

✅ Small – Clear off your working space. Remove trash/recycling, return things that have homes, and make neat piles of things you need to address (which may include finding them homes).
⭐️ Bonus points for wiping down your now clear desk.

✅ Medium – Sort through the things that don’t have a home. Make one pile for Action Needed (e.g. prescriptions to fill, appointments to make), another for To File (e.g. tax bill, medical records), another for Donate (e.g. books you don’t need anymore, supplies you don’t use anymore). You can have a Miscellaneous pile if you must.
⭐️ Bonus points for taking action on one of these piles. Even if it’s only a few items.

✅ Large – Take action on one of your piles (Action Needed, To File, Donate). Work through it item by item. If you’re not sure where to start, I suggest packing up the donation items and putting them by the front door. Then move on to the Action Needed pile. Then finally the To File pile. You may run out of steam and not get through all the piles in an hour. That’s ok. If that happens, set a date in your calendar for the next time you can spend an hour working through them.
⭐️ Bonus points for updating your filing system; or getting one!

My desk is regularly overtaken. Spending 10min clearing it off makes a difference.

Day 3 – Kitchen

The kitchen is a high-traffic place. Everyone who lives in the home will come there several times a day. Things accumulate. It’s also where you prepare your food, and likely where you socialize with your family/roommates. You deserve to have it be functional and reasonably clean.

✅ Small – Clear off the counters/table. Remove trash/recycling, put dirty dishes in the sink, and return any out-of-place items to their home.
⭐️ Bonus points for wiping down the counters/table with warm, soapy water.
If you’re looking for a new habit, this Small action is a worthy one to do each evening.

✅ Medium – Do the dishes.
⭐️ Bonus points for rinsing the sink clean and drying the counter around the sink when you’re finished.

✅ Large – Wipe down your stovetop and the outside of your fridge, especially the handles/high-touch areas. Warm, soapy water is fine for this. If you feel called to use a disinfectant, go for it.
⭐️ Bonus points for cleaning one, or both, your oven or your fridge!

Kitchen counters are a magnet for random items. Clearing them off feels like letting out a sigh.

Day 4 – Bedroom

I like my bedroom to be a haven. A place where I can relax at the end of the day and be at ease. Personally, I can’t relax around an unmade bed or clothing strewn on the floor (thanks to generations of women in my family!). I want your bedroom to be relaxing too.

✅ Small – Make your bed.
⭐️ Bonus points if you wash your sheets first.

✅Medium – Put away clothing that isn’t on your body.
⭐️ Bonus points if you fold or hang them. Extra bonus points if this prompts you to do a load of laundry.

✅ Large – Clear off nightstands and dresser tops as needed. Remove trash/recycling, and take things back to their homes.
⭐️ Bonus points for dusting the now clear surfaces.

I find a made bed much more relaxing and welcoming.

Day 5 – Digital Declutter

Many of us spend our days on our computers, in our inboxes. And many of us are dodging and weaving between loads of emails we’ll never read. It doesn’t have to be this way. Inbox Zero is a real thing. It’s not easy, but it’s real. That said, you don’t need to get to Inbox Zero. You can take small steps to make your inbox more manageable.

✅ Small – Choose 5 emails in your inbox to unsubscribe from.
⭐️ Bonus points if you do 10.
Here are some criteria you can use to decide which ones go:

2 weeks have passed and you haven’t opened it yet
Emails from a particular person/organization are piling up (e.g. they send emails every day) and it causes you anxiety
You signed up for a discount, but never used it and probably won’t

✅ Medium – Create filters for the email you do want to keep.
⭐️ Bonus points if you set up labels/folders for your most important categories.
Here are examples of filters I have:

Email newsletters that I do want to read: these are labeled “newsletters” and skip my inbox entirely. When I have time, or am in the mood, I peruse the folder. Most of the emails I receive are subscription newsletters, having them out of my inbox keeps it clear so I can easily see emails from clients and customers.
Client emails: these are labeled with the client’s name and stay in my inbox until I handle them; at which point I archive them to an appropriate folder.
Messages from my bank/internet provider/mobile provider: these are labeled appropriately and stay in my inbox until I handle them; at which point I archive them to an appropriate folder.

✅ Large – Clear off your digital desktop. This takes some thought about your digital filing system. If you don’t already have one, you can start one by categorizing the files on your desktop into folders. If you do already have one, put the loose files on your desktop where they belong. Add new folders where appropriate.
⭐️ Bonus points for deleting files and folders that are outdated/redundant.

Lots of unread emails cause low level anxiety in me.

Look at that cute little ham, now that you can see her!

Truthfully, my desktop won’t stay clear. But now only folders I use every day will make it back onto the desktop.

If you need help with digital decluttering, send me an email at alisa@alisasingh.com. This is a service I offer as part of my VA business!

Once again, I want to reiterate that the steps above are not one size fits all, although I tried to make them as general as I could. Not everything I suggest will be right for you. Take what you need.

I hope you were able to use some of these prompts to take action and simplify parts of your life. If so, I would love to hear how that went for you. Please share in the comments!