Five Essential Habits to Simplify Your Life
1. Turn off notifications and set a work time.
I work from home so it's easy for me to work the day away. I've learned to turn off notifications so that I'm not distracted by social media or email and I also set timers so that I don't get completely lost in what I'm doing and end up working a 12-16 hour day (sometimes it happens).
I like to wake up before everyone else because it gives me time to think and watch my cartoons in peace. Having that "me time" in the morning helps me to stay focused during the day so that tasks are completed within a reasonable time. Getting in my "me time" before the day starts is the difference in a blog post taking an hour to complete and a blog post somehow taking half a day to complete.
Sometimes I do get carried away with my workload, so I've also set a time for work and a time for unwinding. A typical work day for me is 9 am to 3 or 4 pm. This allows me free time to focus on my dogs, family and practicing proper self-care.
2. Add one vegetable to your diet.
This helps cut down the time wasted trying to figure out what vegetables to incorporate into your meals. Every few months I'll adopt a new fruit and vegetable to eat daily. For example, I recently started adding kale and apples to my smoothies every morning and make sure to eat broccoli or carrots with most of my dinners or lunches. It has become just as automatic as drinking water. This practice has helped me eat something besides starch (don't judge me) and it has also helped me to use less energy figuring out what I'm going to eat for dinner (the omnivore's dilemma). I'm not an omnivore, but it still applies to the rest of us!
3. Designate free time.
I set aside at least 15 minutes everyday to just chill and be me (outside of my meal breaks and workouts). I actually have been setting aside an entire day each week that's strictly for personal well being. I'm not allowed to do anything associated with my YouTube channel or this blog on that day. It's all about me bonding with myself and my family. I usually take my dogs to the park or binge something on Hulu. I do it all guilt free because I know I deserve to spend time with myself and my family.
I make sure to not make my job the most important thing in my life. Yes, my job happens to be my passion so it is extremely important to me, but I'm a firm believer that you need something as equally important, if not more important, than your job.
4. Go to sleep on time.
I'm naturally a night rider, but it doesn't work in my favor when it comes to using my productive hours to the fullest. I typically have the most inspiration to film or write somewhere between 8 pm and 1 pm. The rest of the day I'm sort of on auto pilot if I'm not too conscious of time and tasks. My phone is typically set to only receive emergency calls from 8 PM to 8 AM. My family and friends stay up really late and think it's okay to call whenever they like. I've found that putting my phone in "do not disturb" mode helps limit distractions so that I'm able to get uninterrupted rest and properly function the next day. By going to bed earlier I'm able to get up earlier and better utilize my most productive hours. (Getting up at 6 AM or 7 AM gives me at least five hours of efficient productivity without it feeling rushed or forced.)
5. Filter what you see on social media.
Figure out what's important and what's not. It's so easy to get caught up in how you see other people living their lives and feeling that you need to adjust. We're all on our own timelines and your frequency may be different from the next person's. Live within YOUR means. Don't get caught up in social media or advertisements. You don't need that new mascara or phone. Deal with what you have and find happiness from things that you already have.
Okay, so those are my five habits to simplifying your life. Let me know in the comments if you think these will help you out and as always, feel free to leave a few tips of your own!
Maxx’s Mom ♥️
