When you simplify your life, you are not just making things simpler; you’re also making them more efficient, productive, and rewarding. Making things easier is not necessarily the goal, either. The objective is to streamline the tasks of daily living so that you have more time and energy to pursue the things that matter to you. The result is less stress and greater fulfillment.
Update – It has been many years since I wrote this article. Therefore, by now you may have already done or are already doing some or many of the things I suggest. See if there is anything you missed. 🙂
Use technology to simplify your life
1. Sign up for online banking
Doing this lets you handle all of your banking business from your computer. After you sign up, you can log in to your account and check your balances, transfer money, verify payments, open a new account, order checks, and more.
Once you’ve done this at two or more financial institutions, you can transfer money electronically back and forth between them. This becomes valuable when you want to take advantage of a particular product or service at one bank and a higher interest rate at another.
By signing up for online banking, you can simplify your life in several other ways.
2. Sign up for an online bill-paying service
Most banks offer this service for free. If your bank doesn’t, you can open an account at another bank that does and transfer funds electronically as needed to pay your bills.
There are many advantages to using an online bill-paying service. It reduces the time spent paying your bills from hours to minutes. You won’t have to pay for postage anymore. And it’s a lot safer. Considering the number of human transactions that occur with a mailed check compared to a computerized electronic transaction, it’s easy to see which is safer.
This service is one of the best ways to simplify your life, and it is free.
3. Sign up for paperless statements and correspondence
To simplify your life further, sign up for paperless statements and correspondence with every bank, utility company, business, and organization you deal with.
By doing this, you will save a lot of time and frustration. You will no longer have to check your mailbox daily, open envelopes, process the contents, and file them.
After you sign up for paperless correspondence, you’ll receive a notification by email when your bill, statement, or other information is available. Then you can view it online. The statements are typically stored on their computer, so you don’t have to deal with that. But you’ll always have access to this information once you log in to your account. And you can always make a copy of whatever you want, should you ever need it.
It’s also much safer. One way identity thieves get your information is by stealing your mail. This can happen at your home mailbox or as it moves through the system. Transporting the information through the system electronically makes it much more secure.
I’ve set up every aspect of my life electronically to the extent that I rarely receive (snail) mail, and I haven’t written a check in years!
This is the most fantastic time to have ever been alive. There are more ways to simplify your life today than ever before.
4. Shop for needed items online
Why waste your time and gas going from store to store to find what you want? Do all your research and shopping online. Every major store and business has a website. Or just put what you’re looking for into a search engine like Google.
Add the keywords “reviews” or “ratings” along with the item you’re researching to get expert and user opinions in your search results. You can look at each store’s weekly ad on their website for the best deal.
When you think about all the traffic, crowds, and potential bad weather, shopping online is a no-brainer when it comes to things you can do to simplify your life.
5. Schedule, reserve, and order things online
You can save time and frustration if you schedule, reserve, and order things online.
To schedule an appointment for service at your local car dealership instantly, go to their website and set it up in a snap. Most dealers provide this ability, but it may take you a few extra minutes the first time. Many other businesses offer this service as well. My dentist allows you to schedule appointments online for a year or more. Setting up appointments for an entire year is a great way to simplify your life.
To eliminate all the hassle of getting a particular book at your public library, search for it online at their website, reserve it, and then pick it up after you receive a notification by email that it’s ready. Most cities have this capability. But you’ll need to get a library card first.
To order food for delivery or pickup without having to call, be placed on hold, or repeat your order several times, go to the restaurant’s website and submit your order. Many restaurants offer this service. Since your order is more precise and instantaneous, restaurants tend to give these orders a higher priority.
You can handle many small tasks online. When doing them this way becomes a habit, you simplify your life.
6. Purchase items online
There is no more convenient and time-saving way to buy something than online. And often, you can get a better price without all the hassles we’ve all experienced while shopping in person.
A few years ago, I bought a new car online! I got a fantastic deal, the entire process went smoothly, and there were none of the problems you’d typically associate with car buying. It was truly a wonderful experience.
I didn’t shop on a dealer’s website; I used an independent service. You can select any vehicle and its color, equipment, and accessories on their website.
Once you’ve made your selections, you’ll see the final price. I compared the price online using Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds, and these sites confirmed that I was getting an incredible deal!
The advantages of using an independent service over going through a dealer’s Internet sales department are as follows: An independent service has access to the inventories of hundreds of dealers, so your chances of getting precisely what you want are much greater. An independent service operates under different conditions and philosophies than a dealer.
If you want to buy something online, pick it up at your local store, and not pay for shipping, you can do that too! Nearly every major store has this service.
Walmart was one of the first to have this service. What’s great about it is that your entire order is shipped to the store nearest your home for FREE! If you are unhappy with your purchase, you can return it to the store and get a full refund.
This service enables you to shop from home, order what you want without the hassles of shopping at the store, and have it delivered and waiting for you to pick it up.
I used Walmart’s service to buy several special items, and I thought the entire process was great.
Non-technical ways to simplify your life
7. Create a reusable shopping list
Create a list of all the supplies (food and other items) you buy weekly and monthly. Be sure to group them in categories that match the store’s layout. For example, you might have categories such as fresh fruits and vegetables (or produce), frozen foods, canned foods, soft packaged foods, juices, desserts, snacks, paper products, and cleaning supplies.
Entering this information into a three-column table inside a word-processor works best. The table provides an ideal layout, and the software allows you to update it easily.
Here is an example of a shopping list created in MS Word.
Here’s how to use the three-column shopping list. In the far right column, enter the names of your frequently purchased supplies. Arrange them by category in the same order as your usual route in the store. Use the blank rows to write in items you rarely buy or forget about. Use the far left column to write the quantity or size you need. Use the middle column to check off items as you place them into your shopping cart.
Although all this may seem like a lot of work, after you’ve used this shopping list for a while, you’ll see how it can simplify your life.
8. Purchase non-perishable items in bulk
Buying non-perishable items in large quantities can save you time and money. It also makes shopping easier because you don’t have to haul as much stuff from your vehicle every week.
You must be careful about what you buy, however. Check the expiration dates on the packaging.
I would concentrate on canned, bottled, and frozen foods and drinks. When it comes to paper products and cleaning supplies, get as much as your storage space will allow. I do not recommend buying fresh foods in bulk unless you’re certain you’ll eat them all within a week or so.
Buying in bulk is a small way to simplify your life, but it all adds up.
9. Hire people to do mundane chores
Eliminating unpleasant chores from your schedule can save time and preserve your energy for more important things. These chores might include cleaning your house, mowing your lawn, washing your car, and doing your laundry.
It’s worth the small cost of paying someone to do these things if you consider how much extra time you’ll have to pursue things that will bring you a greater reward, like building an income-generating website.
Many excellent service professionals would be pleased to have your business and help you simplify your life.
10. Eliminate obligations that don’t serve you
If you belong to a club or organization that no longer meets your needs, end your involvement or drastically reduce it. This would include groups where lifetime membership is expected, like religious organizations and deeply rooted clubs.
Here’s a tough one, but it can simplify your life if you dare to do it. If attending a family member’s or friend’s weekly, monthly, or annual event is an unpleasant experience for you, stop.
If your participation involves more than one person, like a spouse or significant other, it may be a complex negotiation, but stand your ground! If you can’t come up with a solution, and this change is vital for your peace of mind, consider moving to another city.
Some of the most enjoyable holidays of my life were spent in cities that I’d only lived in for a few months or years. I would still return to my hometown for some holidays and events, but I picked the ones I wanted to attend and did not feel obligated to participate in the others.
The objective here is to end any associations that complicate your life, cause you undue frustration, or take up more time than you want to give. Although some decisions to simplify your life can be difficult, the outcome makes the effort worthwhile.
The more you simplify your life, the more efficient, productive, and fulfilling it can be.