To Make Progress in Your Life, Simplify.
A minimalist approach to some essential parts of life
Have you ever felt like your life is pulling you in a thousand different directions? Do you feel you can’t work well or show up well in any area because you have so many projects, people to invest in, or hobbies you want to spend time on? It can be incredibly hard to balance all of life’s demands, and understand the few priorities in your life. Or, if you’re like me, it can be hard to let certain areas of your life suffer in order to make progress on the one thing that has been a challenge for years.
There is a solution to feeling scattered in your energy, to feel like you are working at your max effort but don’t feel like you’re moving forward. It feels like you don’t have any energy to try and change this because you’re just on a hamster wheel of spinning all your plates and if you let any go, the delicate balance comes crashing down.
It’s time to simplify. You might be thinking you can’t take away any of your responsibilities, and that may be true. But in my own life I’ve found ways to reduce the amount of time and mental effort some of these tasks take. I’ve also learned to examine areas of my life that can be streamlined or simplified that give me back energy to put towards the things that really matter. These areas have been diet/nutrition, clothes/ wardrobe, and social life - essential parts of everyone’s life that
Simplicity in your diet
Especially if you are looking to eat healthy, it can be exhausting to think of a variety of meals to make every week, then shop for the meals and cook the meals. If you’re eating different food for every meal of every day, it’s probably enjoyable, but that can take up hours and hours of your day. Choosing to meal prep one night of the week and reheating meals the rest of the week can help you eat pretty health while cutting down on the time and effort it takes to shop and prepare these things.
I typically have a tight schedule, with a part time job, building a life coaching business, and training as an athlete, and this is an area of my life thatI’ve simplified. I typically have similar breakfast and lunch options, and meal prep one balanced dinner for the week. That takes an hour of shopping, an hour of cooking, and I have healthy food that doesn’t zap energy or break the bank. I also keep a list of meal prep options in my notes app, so I don’t have to brainstorm recipe ideas every week. I have a rotation of 52 different options if I so choose, so there really is variety.
Simplicity in your wardrobe
Another area of life that can zap mental energy that we often don’t think about are the clothes we wear. Some people care about what they wear more than others. I’m of the camp where if my clothes don’t match or I feel like they don’t go together, It bothers me all day and it can be hard to focus on tasks in front of me. Also, the more clothes you have, the more laundry you have to do, the more time you spend organizing and putting away clothes.
I minimize that by buying clothes that are multipurpose (some running and gym clothes crossover) and buying only neutral/ earthy colors. This is often called a capsule wardrobe, and I highly recommend curating your closet this way, since it really cuts down on decision fatigue and I feel confident in the clothes that I wear.
If you look at entrepreneurs, and thought leaders in society, they often wear very simple clothes. Sometimes just a simple t-shirt and pants. They don’t take a lot of energy deciding what they will wear, and they reserve that energy for more important decisions they need to make daily.
Simplify Your Social Life
Some people are social butterflies, and at the mention of an event, party, concert hangout, whatever, they are THERE. Friendships and connections with people are what brings joy and value and beauty to life. They are the purpose and point of life. However it’s important to be selective on who you spend your time with, and notice if certain people are adding to your energy, if the relationship is reciprocal, or if it’s draining you.
prioritize the people who give as much as they take, and give you significant support in your life. People who challenge you and want you to be better versions of yourself. In choosing the people you surround yourself with ask, ‘would I be happy with myself if I was more like ‘x’ person?” chances are, the people you spend time around will influence you, and whether you like it or not they can influence you even in subconscious ways. You can wake up years down the road and realize the people you spent the most time with were a gift and helped you be better, or they lead you down destructive paths. Friends and family are so incredibly influential in your life. Especially as you get older, with more responsibilities and demands on your time, only have so much time to invest in people. What I’ve noticed is that happy, successful people keep a small circle of a few friends, and prioritize depth and connection in those relationships.
Simplifying relationships looks like being selective in the social events you go to. It is so important to show up for friends and family, but you don’t need to attend every event you’re invited to. More significant events like weddings, birthdays, funerals, etc are big moments that I make an effort to go to as much as possible, but you don’t have to say yes to every lunch or after work drinks that you’re invited to.
To simplify your social life, use discretion about who you spend time with, as well as what events you say yes to.
In this busy world, it’s hard to preserve our energy to make progress in our goals, and it can feel like we have so many demands from family, friends, and just daily tasks that it’s hard to cut thing out or trim things down, get to the bare bones in certain areas to go farther in others.
I’m currently in the middle of this process with my professional and financial life, and simplifying and downsizing areas like my diet, social life and wardrobe has given me the energy to be more playful and creative in my work and life coaching business. It’s reduced stress and decision fatigue, and has helped me put energy into work and people that really light me up.
If you want to make progress on your goals, simplify, and by simplifying and streamlining in certain areas, it helps you maximize your returns in the pursuits and goals you really want to go after.
As always, here’s to living with
here’s to living with
more clarity,
more intention,
more love each day,
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What I’m Reading this Week:
I got to the end of this week and realized I haven’t read a single page. BUT I did read some enjoyable substack articles so I’ll link them here!
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Tongue Tied- Chance Pena
One of my favorite artists released a new song today - check it out!
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Thanks for reading The Path Forward! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
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