It’s easy to fall into certain routines in our daily lives that could be improved to make life easier. Often times the things we need to get done (grocery lists, clutter, laundry) can distract us from the big important things (mental and physical health, relationships, goals). And our priorities get out of wack.
The good news is that with a little examination and change, we can work to make our lives easier.
Life is Easier When You Know What Your Values
It starts with going back to basics. What do you value? What you value is what should be driving how you spend your time. Not someone or something else.
From there, it’ll be easier to audit or examine your everyday routines, relationships, and responsibilities (the 3R’s). Most all important things fit into one of these three categories. This is the best thing you can do to start to make your life easier!
Answer these questions for each:
- Where am I spending the most mental energy in my daily 3R’s?
- What change(s) could I make to my 3R’s to reduce stress?
- What ways would my life be easier with these changes?
19 Ways to Make Life Easier Everyday
If you’re looking for specific ways to make your life easier and less stressful, there are a few tried and true ways. After you’ve examined your values, 3R’s, and time management, try adding a few of these changes to your life.
1 - Keep a journal
We spend a lot of mental energy processing, strategizing, reflecting… on what happened in our days. Journaling is a great way to put thoughts on paper and reduce our stress levels. Instead of carrying around the burden of 1,000 thoughts, we can put them on paper and leave them there. If you don’t already, consider journaling even just 10 minutes a day. There are lots of different types of journaling you can try if you’ve never done it before!
2 - Build lasting relationships
If you could talk to your future self about relationships, there’s one thing I think we’d all say: “Invest your time in the right people.” For many of us, we have a small group of loved ones and friends. And one way to make our lives easier is to let go of toxic people and relationships.
Spend time building relationships with the ones that love us for who we are (in good times and bad). These are the people that we can support and help, and they’ll support and help us too. These are the people that make us feel valued and feel good about ourselves. These are the people that make life worth living and make a big difference in our lives.
3 - Delegate tasks
When it comes to work, many of us have no trouble delegating parts of our job to other team members and departments. But what about everything else in our personal lives? A lot of us struggle with not being able to do it all. But the reality is that using a laundry service, grocery delivery, hiring a house cleaner, or getting weekly hair blow-outs would make our lives a whole lot easier. Think about what areas of your personal life would be that little bit easier if you gave yourself permission to delegate tasks.
4 - Get better (and probably more!) sleep
For some reason, the moment we turn out the light for bed is the moment our brains come alive. Our minds are thinking about something else other than sleep and relaxation. A sleep meditation before bed can help with this. But also reducing time on devices up to an hour before bedtime, going to bed an earlier time for your circadian rhythm, and establishing a night time routine work best.
5 - Practice intentional living
Intentional living is a broad term for daily mindfulness in all your tasks. Instead of going through the motions, bring awareness to what you’re doing. There are lots of ways to practice mindfulness in your work, at home, and in relationships. Check out our post on mindfulness.
6 - Simplify your finances
One powerful way to make your life easier in the long-run is the find ways to simplify your finances. What are some small enough ways you can save money and make things easier to get ahead financially? Try these:
- Pay bills on a regular basis (set aside a day of the week, a week of the month, etc.).
- Use an online budgeting software to help you keep track of your transactions and spending goals.
- Make a plan to tackle debt. One of the leading stressors is financial stress caused by debt. The average American has over $90k in debt. There are lots of resources available for snowballing and chipping away at your debt. This can help free up your mental energy for other important things.
7 - Start a yoga and meditation practice
One way to make your life easier is to prioritize your mental and physical health. The slow movements and deep breathing used during yoga and meditation are proven to increase blood flow and brain function. Yoga and meditation are a great way to accomplish both at the same time. Check out our post on the best meditation apps of 2022. There are simple ways to add this to your daily routine without having to go to a studio or gym.
8 - Declutter your stuff
Have you ever thought that you could get more things done if you had an organized living space? Or work space? Or storage space?
There are lots of reasons why clutter collects. It could be that you have too much stuff, not enough space, or not great organization. But one way to make life easier and reduce time wasted is to have less stuff. Reduce the amount of stuff you have. Purge, organize, donate the excess, and simplify the spaces around you.
Check out our posts on how to declutter and organize your life.
- Overwhelmed By Clutter? Here's Your Action Plan
- Daily Guide for Organizing Your Life in One Week
- When You Have Too Many Clothes, Here's What to Do
9 - Meal plan for the week
Think about your weekly commitments at the start of your week. When you’ll need to cook or when it makes more sense to eat out. Instead of going to the grocery store to shop blindly, make informed decisions about what food you actually need. Not only does this reduce food waste, it saves money, and it helps you eat more intentionally. A little meal planning goes a long way.
10 - Incorporate self-care into your routine
Many of us know our mental health is important. But what are we actually doing to care for ourselves in that way?
It can be something small like a weekly trip to a life-giving place, like your favorite hiking trail, tea house, or book store. Find something that gives you life, cares for your mind, body, and soul. Then make weekly time for it. Ultimately, self-care can make us feel better (physically and mentally) which makes our lives easier.
11 - Use online shopping strategically
If you’re like most people, the “Buy Now” button on Amazon can become an addiction. It’s just too simple. But that instant access to the little things we “need” may not actually be helpful. In fact, it may be adding to the clutter and costing us. Think about scaling back on your online shopping and getting more strategic. Set boundaries on what you buy online and what you wait to buy in-person somewhere. This may give you time to determine if you actually need to buy it.
12 - Take breaks from social media
Social media is a leading culprit for wasting free time. Try setting a limit on your social media apps to 30 minutes every day. Not only is this a great way to free up your time, it can help protect our minds from overstimulation, comparison, and distraction.
13 - Drink more water
Lack of hydration can lead to low energy levels, feeling sluggish, and increased hunger. Drinking more water is an easy way to make your life easier. Use a hydration app or invest in a hydration water bottle. These are easy ways to up your water consumption on a daily basis.
14 - Examine your pain points (every two weeks)
While all of these ways are fine and dandy, it’s easy to fall back into our hold habits. Set a reminder on your phone for two weeks from the start of your new habits. Check in with yourself and reexamining your pain points. What’s working and what’s not? What’s something else you could try? Small steps are the way to big changes.
15 - Establish a morning routine
The mornings are the start of our day. It’s an important time to set good intentions and set aside whatever else may be on our minds. Think about what type of morning routine would help you get your day started on the right foot. Then take a little time over breakfast, on your commute, or in a 5-minute meditation to set your intention for the day.
16 - Exercise frequently
Whether it’s a long run or a short stretching and foam rolling routine, exercise is good for our bodies. And healthy bodies make everyday functioning properly a whole lot easier. Plan ahead and add the type of exercise that you prefer to your schedule for the week.
17 - Set SMART Goals
A lot of us set goals and resolutions once a year. One task we can do to make our lives easier is to set SMART goals. These are set in such a way that you know whether you’ve been successful or not. These types of goals make our lives easier by helping us know what to focus on or not. Check out the different types of goal setting we’ve shared on our blog.
18 - Practice gratitude
There are lots of ways that you can cultivate more gratitude in your life. Learning to be thankful for the little things in life is important. Sometimes all it takes is a small changes to our perspective to see the positive and the good in the world around us.
19 - Save space for yourself and others
Many of us are so busy that we rarely have time for spontaneous activities. And yet a lot of us wish we could be more spontaneous and free. By committing to less, we actually make our lives easier. Simplifying our schedules can help us be more content. And it enables us to say “yes” to the little things, like a last-minute invite, adventure, or opportunity.
For more tips on staying organizing, making your life easier, and how to practice self-care, check out the Silk+Sonder blog.