5 ways to simplify your life in 2018

This time of the year can get really “busy”, “full” or downright overwhelming. So as we move through the Holiday season and into 2018 here is some food for thought on how to simplify your life in 2018.

So if you were drawn to this blog title it’s probably for one or both reasons. You are feeling constantly stressed, anxious or pulled in different directions. And/Or you may really want to accomplish a goal in 2018 but you haven’t been able to tackle it yet because life is pulling you in different directions.

Here are my 5 tips that I’ve implemented over the course of the year or recently and have brought such peace and ease into my life. They simply simplify life a little bit more!

Turn Off Social Media Notifications

Take the time to go into settings and remove social media notifications from your phone. Go on, you can do it. Get rid of that red circle with a number that can cause more anxiety than good. You can go as far as turning off email and text message notifications as well but it’s really what will serve you.

Why?

Because notifications demand that you act on someone else’s agenda. This year I turned off all Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Notifications. I was constantly logging in to see who had just liked my photo or commented on a post. Instead, I shifted using my social media apps to a few times a day. When I log in I will mass respond to comments or direct messages. This behavior shifted me from answering to other people’s agendas vs. pursuing my own. I’m more productive in my workday. I’m more present in my life whether I’m with friends or Mike and I’m not jumping at every peep or vibrate from my phone.

The answer is we get a massive thrill from what we are addicted to — a reward called dopamine. Dopamine is a brain chemical that literally makes us happy, and it is released every time we receive something on our phones. It could be a text from a loved one, a “like” on Facebook, or a bit of breaking news we find interesting. Dopamine feels good, so we keep checking our phones, hoping to get a little hit of it. – USATODAY.COM

I’m also not seeking that dopamine hit from other people. Thankfully due to apps like unroll.me and not giving out my personal phone number my text messages and emails are under control and those notifications never skyrocket to stress levels.

Delete FB Messenger From Your Phone

I’ve just recently done this within the past month. This was again around not being completely accessible all the time. I will answer people when I sit down in front of a computer and log into Facebook but receiving FB messenger messages all day is like giving out your cell phone number and then again you are answering other people’s agendas instead of being aligned to your own.

Unfollow And Unfriend

I wanted to curate a better FaceBook newsfeed recently. I was seeing posts and videos that I was constantly clicking “hide post” on. So instead of doing that, I cleaned out my FB. This is why I spent over 6 hours deleting over 4,000 friends on Facebook and am starting to unfollow people on Instagram. I may still really like someone as a person but the content that they post may trigger me. We all deserve social media environments that allow us to thrive and grow. Recently, I had a former “friend” on Facebook realize I had unfriended them. They messaged me and wanted answers. I took the time to put into words why their posts were triggering me. The person being unfriended or unfollowed may not understand why they were triggering to you but it felt really amazing to be honest for once instead of polite banter.

Hire / Outsource Help

In my social media circles, there is the talk of hiring a house cleaner, ordering meal prep from a local delivery service or hiring a virtual assistant. This not only serves you to outsource something you may not be good at but it also shows you how you value your time and your worth. Is there something you could be doing instead of cleaning the house on Saturday? Could you spend more time with your family? Could you build a network marketing empire in those 2 hours instead and create more time & financial freedom for your family? Food for thought but I invest in outsourced help because I know my time is worth it as I build side hustles that diversify our income.

Track Where You’re Wasting Time

Track your time in a calendar for one week. Do nothing else but track how much time you spend on items. When thinking about your goal setting in 2018 and what you really want to accomplish is there somewhere in your week where you’re “wasting time”? Is it TV watching, YouTube viewing, gaming or scrolling social media? Some of the biggest culprits usually.