Minimalism tips

Don’t give energy to contentious and negative people, situations, or other things that don’t matter. Not only does it add zero value to your personal progress, all that complaining and criticizing stirs up toxic emotions that cause stress which damages your body and mind.

We’re social creatures and it’s natural to concern ourselves with the doings of others. But don’t allow genuine interest in others to evolve into disingenuous behavior like gossip. Let folks live their lives so you can focus on living yours.

These are things that you must do on a recurring basis and tend to have a fairly fixed schedule and method for completing, such as paying bills. They don’t require much mental processing, but often consume a lot of time.  Automation gets them off your to-do list allowing you to focus on more pressing matters.

If you don’t set standards and priorities for yourself, someone else will. It’s easy to be impressionable when your personal or professional goals are unclear. Be it in love or business, lay out your own ground rules upfront so there’s no confusion about what you stand for.

Do you have a habit of ignoring little irksome things that are quick fixes? Ignoring these minor inconveniences won’t make them go away. In fact, many little tasks and issues can accumulate into one big problem if not addressed. The only way to avoid that happening is to get them done.

We often get ourselves in trouble by gut-reacting with a resounding yes to commitments we haven’t properly assessed. Think before you say yes by not confirming spontaneous requests or making in-the-moment decisions until you’ve had time to evaluate their importance. And please, don’t say maybe when you really mean no.

If you struggle with taking things off your list, use the Eisenhower rule to assist you. Create a 2×2 grid with the labels Important / Not Important (horizontal) and Urgent / Not Urgent (vertical). Allocate your tasks to one of the four buckets. Delegate anything that’s Not Important / Urgent and eliminate anything that’s Not Important / Not Urgent.

Another one of our favorite overlooked minimalist tips, the ability to regard yourself highly, instead of depending on approval or acceptance from others, is requisite to living a simple life. If someone doesn’t add value to your life (and more importantly you don’t add value to theirs), it may not be a relationship worth having.

Your essentials are things you heavily rely on during the day. It can be an item like your bag or wallet, a space like your office, or even the app you use to take notes. Respect their utility by spending a few minutes each week keeping them in order — so they can continue to be of value to you.

Block a day for your self-care plan. Make a list of all the things that make you happy (that you can easily do without much money, time, or energy). Then commit to only doing what’s on that list. This exercise will teach you that happiness is always within your reach.