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TastefullyMinimalist.com

15 Steps to Simplify your Life TODAY

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"Be as simple as you can be; you will be astonished to see how uncomplicated and happy your life can become."

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Welcome to the 15 Steps!

We are so glad you have taken the first step towards simplifying. Our goal is to help you create more freedom, intention, balance and control.

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Krissy

TastefullyMinimalist.com



We know firsthand how incredibly freeing it can be to take back your control, clarity and intention by implementing systems, organizing, simplifying and making choices with mindful awareness.


Because of this, we’ve compiled a list of 15 steps that we have tested and found to work for ourselves, in hopes that these steps will act as a guide for you along your journey towards a simpler, more meaningful life.

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1. Start So​mewhere: Just Take The First Step

Oftentimes the first step is the most difficult. Make a commitment to just start somewhere, and you are already well on your way towards improvement. Keep in mind small actions compound into big results over time.​

Check out The Slight Edge​ if you need help with this step.

2. Pause and Reflect: Practice Self-Awareness

Set aside some time where you can just be, without distractions or obligations. I would suggest finding a quiet moment in your day where you can sit with a journal​ and explore your thoughts. This is a chance for you to gain clarity and see what areas of your life might feel the most chaotic or out of balance.

3. Define Your Values: What’s Important to You

Taking the time upfront to clearly define your values, and what is a priority to you, will help to ensure those things don’t get neglected in the busyness of life. It’s about staying connected to what's important, not necessarily what’s urgent.

4. Examine Your Intentions: What is Your ‘Why’

This is about getting clear on what it is you are looking to gain. Are you after a sense of balance and control? A feeling of ease, peace and contentment in your life? Getting clarity on your intentions and keeping that in your focus will help guide you towards making the best choices along the way.

5. Eliminate Distractions: Cut the Unnecessary

Now that you have established what is a priority for you, we can now cut out/eliminate all the excess that does not align with your core values. This could be anything from what is bogging you down, causing unnecessary stress, or taking attention away from the things that matter most.

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6. Choose a Life Area: Where To Begin

You know best what area of your life could benefit most from simplifying. A few areas to consider would be: your living space​, your personal finances​, your health & wellness​, your work-life balance​, etc. Choose an area to begin with, and make that your focus for now.

7. Set an Objective: What is Your Goal

Now that you have a place to start, decide what it is you’d like to achieve. For example, if you are working on simplifying your living space, maybe make it your objective to organize & declutter two specific rooms by week's end.

Read ​Setting Attainable Goals: A Step-By-Step Guide​ for help with this step.

8. Use a Formula: Keep it Simple​

By using a formula to accomplish your goals you drastically simplify things by taking the guesswork out of the process. Following a consistent formula is just about taking action, the next step, rather than getting bogged down with choices. With that, the 4 step formula we found to work best when simplifying is: Inventory, Group, Organize and Decultter.

9. Take Inventory: See Things as They Are

This is where we get a clear picture of what we own and where we're at. It’s about taking an inventory of not only our physical possessions, but also how we spend/allocate our time, money, energy and focus.

10. Group 'Like with Like': Batching/Categorizing

Grouping involves sorting and categorizing. For instance, once you have taken inventory of your schedule, you can begin grouping similar tasks together, such as errands, house chores, calls/emails, etc. Once things are grouped properly, you are now in a much better position to efficiently organize.

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11. Organize: Prioritize and Assign

Once we have categorized our items, tasks, time and so forth, we can now start to organize them in a way that makes sense. We can begin to assign a designated space for certain items, a block of time for specific tasks. We can prioritize what is important and what’s not.

12. Declutter: Downsize and Eliminate

We have already taken inventory of clutter that may have accumulated, or wasteful time/money spending habits we may have overlooked. We have grouped and organized as needed, now is where we begin the process of ‘cleaning it up​’. This is where we delegate, donate, or eliminate the excess.

13. Check In: Measure Your Results

In step 7, we set up a goal, or objective, that we're aiming for. Now is when we check in and ‘measure up’ what we’ve achieved in relation to that previously established goal.

14. Make Adjustments: Shift Where Necessary

Based upon how we measured up to the objective we were hoping to achieve, this is when we adjust and shift our actions as needed to more effectively line up to where we want to be.

15. Make It A Lifestyle: Build New Habits

Throughout this simplifying process, I’m sure you have begun to see what works best for you and your specific life situation. You have seen what gets results and what doesn’t. Now is the time to integrate those habits into your overall lifestyle. Turn what worked into a system. Build it into a lifestyle.

Check out Atomic Habits​ if you need help with this step.​

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Additional Resources

Books

  • The Slight Edge​ - Create powerful results from simple daily actions.
  • Atomic Habits​ - How to build good habits and break bad ones
  • Top-to-Bottom Home Organization​ - A complete guide to organizing

Articles

  • Embracing Minimalism? Start Here.​
  • 7 Keys to Living a Simple Life [A Lifestyle Guide]​
  • ​The Definitive Guide To Decluttering​
  • ​Try These 6 Tweaks For Turning A House Into A Home​​
  • Setting Attainable Goals: A Step-By-Step Guide​
  • Journaling: How To Start & Stay Consistent In 6 Easy Steps​​

Simplify Your Life in 7 Days

Gain more freedom and mental clarity with our free 7 day email course.​​ Over the span of 7 days, we will cover a variety of topics that will allow you to find ways to slow down, reset, and simplify.

Simplify Your Life in 7 Days​​​

A Meditation​ Expert's 14-Day Guide

It's hard to understate the benefits of meditation. For this guide specifically, it will help with Steps 2-4, when you are developing more self-awareness, and defining your values & intentions.​ If you're ready to learn how to develop a daily meditation practice, I highly recommend this 14-day course.

A Meditation Expert's 14-Day Guide​​

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More Ways to Simplify

Visit the Tastefully Minimalist​ blog for more tips and insight on how to simplify all areas of your life.​​

"Here at Tastefully Minimalist we share what we've learned along our journey towards a simpler, more meaningful life.

Our hope is to offer some tips and advice, pulled from lessons we’ve learned and discoveries we’ve made, that will help you create more freedom, intention and control in your life."

Visit Tastefully Minimalist

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