Let’s be honest, life can be very stressful with everything that we have going on. The average adult works 40 plus hours per week, and has a number of responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities include bills, children, pets, health and so many more. A normal day can be overwhelming so its time that we change that. Below are 4 strategies that I have begun implementing to help simplify my life and I want to share these with you.

#1. Automation

This strategy had to be number one. For me, one of the biggest stressors in my life was trying to keep track of all my bills. Back in highschool keeping track of my bills manually seemed so easy… well to be fair it is pretty easy when your only bill is your netflix membership. However, it seems like the older you get the more bills you get. Now obviously this is not completely true, but you get my point.

Bills were really stressing me out and I had to do something about it, so I kept it simple. I logged onto all of my accounts and set my bills on autopay. The beautiful method of setting and forgetting. I do recommend setting up a bank account that is used solely for your expenses, this will allow you to ensure that you have sufficient funds to cover your monthly bills.

Check out this article to see how the app Mint can simplify your life!

Simplifying my bills through automation has relieved me of a lot of headaches. I felt so much benefit from this strategy that I began trying to automate any and all repetitive activities that caused me stress. For example, I also automated my personal savings.

Using an app called Clarity, I was able to automate my savings. How does this work? Well with Clarity you are able to set a repetitive withdraw from your bank account that gets placed in a “rainy day” account. When I first began I had set it to automatically withdraw $50 from my account every Wednesday. The beauty of this strategy is that eventually you forget that withdraw is taking place and before you know it you have a nice chunk saved up.

Another great app that will help you automate your savings is Digit. If you use our link you will receive $5 to put towards your savings!

Automating my savings has really simplified my life and it is now one less thing that I need to remember.

To learn more about automation and bettering your financial health, check out this article!

#2. Minimalism

Over the past couple years I’ve had to move multiple times and everytime I moved I was astonished with all the unnecessary s**t I had. So, after the first move I began trying to live a more minimalist lifestyle. I began by getting rid of things that I no longer needed such as clothes that I never wore, or books that I hadn’t picked up in years. Slowly the clutter started to disappear, my thoughts became clearer and my home became much more peaceful, not to mention moving is a lot easier now.

Minimalism is a fantastic strategy to simplify your life. To often material items clutter our homes and we begin to collect unnecessary things. If you are someone who has trouble getting rid of things then take baby steps. Start off by getting rid of one item a day and do that for thirty days, by the end of the month you will have gotten rid of 30 useless things.

Don’t get caught up in materialistic things. Not only will it cost you more, but the more things you have the more things you have to think of and keep track of. Relieve yourself of the burden and try to adopt a minimalist strategy.

#3. Set a Routine

There are certain things in life that shouldn’t take the back seat just because you have a lot going on. For me these are sleeping, working out, and eating healthy. These are very important to me, however, there was a point in my life when I wasn’t able to prioritize these properly, so I knew that I needed to find a solution.

As the subheading clearly shows my solution was creating a routine. This may seem like an obvious strategy, but routines take discipline and dedication. So, to simplify your life just create a strict routine. At first this may be a little stressful, but once you get in the groove this will become easy and you will be better for it.

For example, I was having difficulty getting myself to the gym during the work week. I would get home tired from a day of work sit down and then create a million and one excuses to skip the gym. So, my solution was to create a strict routine, which was to workout everyday (m-f) at 6:00 p.m. I chose this time because it only gave me enough time to get home from work, change clothes,and walk the pup. This routine at first was difficult, but after a week or two it began to feel so natural that it was no longer a burden.

If there are things in your life that are really important to you, try to set a specific time of day for it. Don’t let laziness get in the way.

To learn more tips to stay motivated and keep up with your routine, check out this article!

#4. Meal Prep

If you personally know me then you know that cooking, especially during the work week, really stresses me out and I needed to find a strategy that would simplify this process and reduce my stress.

If you are constantly running around with your kids, doing errands, taking care of pets, or cleaning the house then you probably understand how much of a nuisance cooking can be. Often times this leads to ordering food for delivery or throwing something unhealthy in the microwave.

If you want to eat healthier, save time, and reduce stress then you should try out meal prepping. Meal prepping is when you chef up a large meal than can be portioned for the week ahead. I typically do my meal prepping for the week on Sunday and will have lunch and dinner ready for the week ahead.

If you are interested in learning more about how I save money on groceries or how to meal prep check out these posts:

• How I Save Hundreds Every Month On Groceries
• 11 Easy Hacks to Save More Money (specifically hack #5)

Bonus: Peapod

Grocery shopping for me can be a burden and I sometimes wish that I didn’t have to do it. Services such as Peapod allow you to order your groceries online and they deliver them right to your house. Some grocery stores have online service were you order your groceries online and show up at the store to pick them up without having to sift through the aisles.

This is a strategy that I haven’t tried yet, but it’s definitely on my radar to try.

Closing Thoughts

A simple life is a happy life. I hope these strategies will allow you to be happier. If you have any additional strategies please be sure to share in the comments below!