Are you feeling overwhelmed and having difficulty keeping up with the demands of everyday life? Would you like to be able to simplify your life? If you’re answer is “Yes”, congratulations! You are perfectly normal and everyday life is not normal. The way our culture has set up our work lives, our school system, our government, and businesses makes it impossible for anyone to keep up. The whole system is completely out of whack and nothing is set up to enhance and simplify people’s lives.

Our entire culture is set up to work against, not with, our desire to live a simple and satisfying life. You can’t change it and you shouldn’t even try to keep up.  So, what can you do?

You can choose to make the best out of situations that you have no control over and choose not to add to an already chaotic system.

Here are 5 ways you can simplify your life:

1. Create your own system You may not be able to do anything about outside systems but you can create a system that works for you and your lifestyle. Instead of thinking of it as work, have fun creating your own lifestyle system. Buy a calendar or planner and mark down time for the things that must be done such as grocery shopping day and bill paying. When you know that you have set aside time in your week to get these things accomplished it will give you peace of mind. Make sure you write in the fun things also, such as movie night or dance class. You are less likely to become overwhelmed when you have a system and it will create more time and freedom for you to do what you want in your life.

2. Leave some white space Rather than making your schedule so tight that you have just enough time to get from one place to another or from one task to another, leave some “white” or open space. One example of this would be if you have to pick your children up from school or you have to be at a class at a certain time, rather than only allowing the 20 minutes that it usually takes to get there, allow yourself 40 minutes. If something comes up, as things tend to do in life, you will not become stressed out. If you have to take a detour because there is a road shut down due to construction you won’t be in panic mode. When you don’t schedule yourself so tightly and put unnecessary pressure on yourself you will enjoy your day more. Allowing 15 minutes between phone calls or clients is another way to help you slow down and manage your day. Leave a few evenings a week and another half or whole day with nothing scheduled, but mark it as “free time” in your calendar so you don’t schedule anything else.

3. Learn to say NO If you have a difficult time saying no, then you’re life is being controlled by others. How much do you value your own time? If you always say yes, then you need to start practicing saying no. It will feel uncomfortable at first, but like anything else, keep practicing and you will get the hang of it. Say it out loud in front of a mirror or shout it out in your car or in the shower. Get used to the sound of the word coming out of your mouth and embrace it. We grow up thinking that saying no is a bad thing, but it is one of the first word a child learns to say after mommy. Why? It’s because the word is necessary for our self-preservation. Learn to embrace the word No.

4. Let go of perfectionism A desire for perfection complicates your life and takes you away from your center. Some people spend more time trying to make everything perfect than they do actually living. One of the fastest ways to inner peace is to let go of control and perfectionism. If you want to simplify your life you are going to have to drop “perfect” like a rock.

5. Follow your intuition You may not have related this to simplifying your life but it is the key to peace and contentment. When you follow your intuition you won’t be making commitments you can’t keep or poor decisions that complicate your life. Your interior guide knows what’s best for you, all you need to do is learn how to tap into it and turn it on.

If you are feeling completely overwhelmed in your life right now, stop and take a deep breath. Ask yourself “What is the one thing I could eliminate in my life right now that would reduce my stress level?”

When you have your answer, begin there and take the action needed to begin simplifying your life.

If you would like to schedule a 30 minute complimentary Life Coaching consultation with me to learn more about my Life Coaching services please contact me at info@TonyaSheridan.com

Not ready for private Coaching at this time? I have a downloadable 8 week step-by-step  Life Coaching program that you can do at home Interior Design Life Coaching System