Simplifying Life Just a Little

Wishing you all a Happy New Year 2024!

Though I had written an extensive post months ago about how to live a life of balance, and I can still consider my current life to be more or less ‘balanced’, I had been very busy recently with different needs that I feel it is high time to simplify even further than what I normally consider simplified. For past several months, since the time of my surgery, God had been inspiring me a lot on simplifying and streamlining processes even further. Though I was able to execute most of those inspirations, there are still areas that I need to work on. 

Last academic year, though I was very busy preparing all the homeschool records for college application, I had a lot of help with driving, as Anita used to take the younger kids for most activities she had also signed up for. But this academic year, all the driving fell back on me.

Also, as kids are now spread out more in age- college, high school, middle school, elementary, kindergarten, preschool; and they all have different needs, it has challenges of its own. But with God’s grace I am ready to embrace this new season of my life with all the challenges ahead, but of course after much more simplification!

I think simplifying on a physical, mental, emotional level will help with managing the sheer overload we all experience from time to time.

In this post I hope to share few of the ways I have been working to simplify life in general, as well as small changes that made a significant impact already. 

(1) Decluttering our space- One area we were recently able to make a good improvement was with ‘stuff’.We had actually started a dramatic decluttering journey starting right before my surgery. Though we used to regularly declutter and donate even before that, the ‘Spirit led’ decluttering I did during the days around my surgery was a total game changer. God had been convincing me to let go and simplify. There were lots of inspirations I had during those days (and especially in the middle of the night) of areas to simplify. I would have bouts of energy where I could easily declutter 2-3 trash bags in a matter of few minutes. I would have the kids dump everything to the area I’m sitting on the floor, and ask them to bring trash bags, and go on.

 Especially with a large family, we tend to accumulate things over time; also with lots of family hobbies including skiing, kayaking, tubing, beach supplies, baking supplies, huge collection of books,  etc, etc. I was able to let go of large quantities of stuff in terms of clothes, books, toys, kitchen items, furniture that doesn’t serve us anymore, and random knick knacks. It felt really freeing to let go of things we are not using and passing along the blessings that we had received in abundance. 

A cluttered space can lead to a cluttered mind. I find it very hard to be productive in the middle of mess. With a large family, clutter and mess are almost inevitable. But letting go of stuff that no longer serves us, can make great impact, as we are able to free up space that we can utilize for what we need at the current moment, as well as make the process of cleanup and tidying much easier.

(2) Decluttering our mind- In order to limit stress, we need to be able to quiet our mind. Of course, the number one way to do that is to offer all our anxieties and worries and stress to God, and listening to what He directs you to do that day. The way I function, I also need to dump all the things floating in my head, in writing. Apart from compiling tasks to do in an app, I also like to journal (in Goodnotes), of all the things bothering me, that I started a ‘bother journal’. :). After dumping all my problems on God, I then write it in my ‘bother journal’ and write a small action plan, so that I can then go back and remember to tackle those.

(3) Decluttering digitally-Over time, digital clutter can get out of control unless we have a good system in place. I mostly store all files in the cloud under folders and subfolders. This way, they are easily accessible, and I can organize when I get a few spare moments. I backup regularly to my hard drive as well. 

Though I use apps to help me brain dump and journal, I also have been trying to simplify in the area of  ‘productivity apps’. Though productivity apps are supposed to help with productivity, I find that sometimes I get a little overzealous with trying new apps that sometimes I end up using ones with overlapping functions, and I forget which one I mainly use for that function. For example, I had been using Google Task and more recently Microsoft To Do, for daily run of the mill tasks as well as all the things I need to remember to do at some point, organized by heading (eg general homeschool to do, homeschool tasks to remember to do for each kid, digital to do, decluttering to do, etc etc) . I like Microsoft To Do better, so I completely transferred all the tasks to this app that I had previously listed in Google Task. So now, I know where to look for my to do list. 

Likewise, I’m working on trying to be more streamlined in this area, with limiting the number of productivity apps, so that I know exactly which app to look up a piece of info stored. 

I have also  been unsubscribing from random emails that I may have subscribed earlier, which don’t serve me anymore.

(3) Decluttering commitments and expectations we set for ourself- Simplifying life often involves letting go of the need for perfection and control. When we let go and let God, thats when true simplification happens. We sometimes start something or set up a new expectation for ourselves, and then later find it difficult to meet these expectations; and then find ourself stressed out. We need to give ourselves grace. We don’t have to do it all, every time. If we are able to, very good. If not, no problem. Trying to understand what our life currently holds, what our current passions are, and decluttering through the numerous commitments or expectations we set up for ourself, can help us to identify what we really need to continue doing or if it is something that needs to be downsized from our list. 

For example, I had a lot on my plate recently,  that we only made our first batch of Christmas cookies 1 week before Christmas! Usually by Dec 10 or so, we would already be finished making a massive amount to also distribute to our close friends. With increased family demands and changing priorities,  I was being convinced  that I needed to sadly let go of this Christmas tradition I had established almost 8-9 years back, at least for now, with also my passion in baking dwindling,  and everyone becoming more health conscious. 

I thank God for the great passion He had given me during those years of baking, during that phase of my life. But as my passion dwindled, I also started lowering my expectation that I need to have a cake made, before company arrives. If I am able to, thats good. If not, no problem.

Simplifying is not about evading duties, or being lazy. It is more about finding balance and joy in the present moment. Under stressful conditions, it is not possible to find that joy. And only when we are joyful, we can share that joy with others. If we feel overwhelmed by all the things we need to do, assess what we can do to simplify a little bit. Sometimes just a little bit simplifying may be all we need to do for now. 

What can you cut back emotionally, physically, or mentally, that doesn’t serve you at the moment? 

Are the things you are doing now in alignment with your passions or needs at the moment? 

If not, maybe its time to embrace some simplicity. 

Wishing you all a beautiful Christmas season, and a joyful New year 2024!