Each year, the first week of August beginning on a Monday is National Simplify Your Life Week. While the origins of this holiday are murky, we love the idea of a whole week dedicated to simplifying.
Seven days is the perfect amount of time to reset, recharge, try some new things, and even make a new habit. We’ve got seven ways to make the most of this week-long holiday and discover why a simple life is a happy life.
The good news is that you can enjoy this challenge any time you like, so you don’t need to wait for National Simplify Your Life Week to get started.
1. Right Now, Take a Deep Breath
It seems too simple to make a difference, but deep breathing can quickly reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Here are 10 calming breathing exercises, and my favorite happens to be the simplest: Equal Breathing. To practice this technique, simply focus on making the length of time when you inhale and exhale about even (3 to 5 counts). The potential upside? Increased oxygen to the brain and lungs.
2. Give Away 7 Things
Reducing clutter makes it easier to keep spaces clean and promotes a feeling of peace. Go around your home and find a few items that you’re no longer using that someone else could use. Short on time? Try our tips for decluttering fast or try the mini decluttering challenge, and you’ll probably find those seven items in a short sprint.
Things we no longer need can go to a nonprofit organization like ARC, be given away through a local Freecycle group, or you can even sell them at a consignment store or on eBay.
To keep excess stuff from creeping back in, you might enjoy “7 Things To Do Instead of Shopping.”
3. Spend Time Outside
When we get outside in nature, we enjoy an increased sense of well-being.
Let’s make a point to spend some extra time outside this week. You might enjoy listening to the sounds of birds, or admiring the beauty of flowers, feeling the grass under your feet, watching the clouds drift overhead, or literally pausing to smell the roses.
4. Reduce Screen Time
Access the settings on your phone and make a note of how much time you spent online last week. (Here’s how to check screen time on Android, and here’s how to monitor screen time on an iPhone.)
When you see the total daily minutes do you think it’s about right, or would you like to reduce the number?
If you’re like me, you may wish to spend less time on devices and more time doing things that matter. Use the Focus setting on your phone to eliminate distractions, and give yourself a break from the never-ending news cycle.
Try not to be on any screens at least an hour before bedtime to promote deep sleep. (For more slumber tips, here are 7 natural ways to enjoy perfect sleep at night.)
5. Cook Once, Eat Twice
if you make a big batch of a meal, then you can save half of it and freeze it. For just a little more work, you’ll have a ready-made meal all ready to go for those nights when you don’t feel like cooking.
This yummy roundup of 20 best freezer meals recipes from top bloggers will get you started!
6. Write a Gratitude List
Writing three things a day for which we’re grateful is a practice that increases happiness and satisfaction with life.
As I write this post it’s the middle of summer here in Colorado, and this is what I wrote today:
- The beauty of the first Morning Glory flower blooming.
- The sound of my grand-dog Pearl lightly snoring here in the kitchen. She is such a sweetie!
- The happiness I feel for my parents, who just accepted an offer on their house. I am so grateful for them, and excited for their next adventure.
Whether you use a gratitude journal, your Notes app, or a piece of paper to record your blessings, focusing on gratitude is a simple practice that pays big dividends.
7. Do Something Fun
In her book The Artists Way, author Julia Cameron talks about the value of making an artist’s date with yourself — a time to fill up your soul by doing something that sparks your creativity or makes you happy.
Sometime in the next seven days, carve out some time to do something you love.
It might be engaging in an artistic pursuit, doing a puzzle, taking a hike, visiting a friend, going to a museum, or whatever you’ve been longing to do. Let’s break out of our routines and make time for fun!
If you try any of these strategies, I’d love to hear from you. Drop a comment below!
Eliza Cross is the creator of Happy Simple Living, where she shares ideas to help busy people simplify cooking, gardening, holidays, home, and money. She is also the award-winning author of 17 cookbooks, including Small Bites and 101 Things To Do With Bacon.