Today I’m talking about 7 solid ways you can simplify your life because let’s be honest, sometimes we make things WAY more complicated than they need to be. Today’s episode is for you if you’re feeling overwhelmed with doing too much yet not getting much done, want to reclaim a little more time for yourself, and are totally into the whole notion that LESS is MORE but need to figure out a way to turn that into a daily practice. Then keep on listening, I’ve got some tips for you that will help you out big time!

The constant hustle leaves us overwhelmed and feeling unfulfilled. Today, we’re going to explore seven powerful ways to simplify your life, reduce stress, and make space for what truly matters.

1. Unplug and Set Boundaries on Social Media

Social media can be addictive and mentally draining. Instead of mindlessly scrolling, set a timer for how long you’ll spend on each platform. This approach not only makes your social media time intentional but helps reduce the “digital clutter” in your mind. Try taking a break from one platform for a day each week, and you’ll likely notice a positive difference.

2. Set a Focus Goal

One reason we often feel scattered is because we’re juggling too many goals at once. Instead, choose one primary focus goal each week. Start with something simple that feels achievable, like drinking more water or going for a daily walk. By zeroing in on one area, you’ll make meaningful progress without feeling stretched too thin.

3. Clear Your Physical and Digital Space

A clutter-free space can do wonders for your mental clarity and productivity. Start by tackling one area, like your desk or kitchen, and remove any unnecessary items. Clearing out physical clutter can also reduce decision fatigue, helping you make better choices about where to focus your time. And don’t forget about digital clutter—organizing files, deleting unused apps, and minimizing desktop icons can be just as refreshing.

4. Swap Media Time for Reading

Reading, especially before bed, can help reduce stress and improve your quality of sleep. Replace some of your media consumption with reading time, whether it’s a novel, a self-help book, or even a magazine. Keep a book with you on the go for those moments when you’d otherwise scroll on your phone. Reading can transport you, enrich your mind, and serve as a healthy escape from daily stressors.

5. Create Routines Based on Essential Tasks

Simplify your routines by focusing on a few essential tasks each day, known as “pillar tasks.” These are the core actions that make you feel accomplished, like making your bed, brewing coffee, or going for a quick morning jog. By prioritizing just a few key tasks, you can let go of unnecessary sub-tasks and create routines that are easy to stick to, even on busy days.

6. Incorporate Exercise into Your Day

Regular physical activity doesn’t just benefit your body—it clears your mind, reduces stress, and boosts creativity. Whether it’s a brisk walk, a quick workout, or some yoga, moving your body can provide a refreshing reset and help you feel grounded. Exercising daily can also improve sleep and make it easier to handle life’s challenges with a clear mind.

7. Embrace the Concept of “Enough”

In our consumer-driven society, it’s easy to think we need more to be happy—more money, more time, more possessions. But learning to appreciate what you already have can simplify your life and lead to a greater sense of fulfillment. Make a list of resources, relationships, and opportunities you already have, and you’ll start to see the abundance that’s already present. Practicing gratitude helps you shift from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance.

Final Thoughts

Simplifying your life isn’t about doing less for the sake of doing less. It’s about making room for what truly matters to you. When you clear the clutter, set intentional goals, and focus on what you already have, you’ll create a more fulfilling, peaceful life. Embrace the power of “less is more,” and enjoy the benefits of a simpler, more intentional approach.

It's episode 15. You guys today I'm talking about seven solid ways that you can simplify your life because let's be honest, sometimes we make things way more complicated than they need to be. Today's episode is for you. If you're feeling overwhelmed with doing too much yet, you feel like you're not even getting much done and you want to reclaim a little more time for yourself. You're also totally into that whole notion that less is more, but you need to figure out a way to turn it into a daily practice.
If this sounds like you keep on listening. I've got some tips for you that are going to help you out big time.
Welcome to the Mindful Productivity Podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Steckler, and this is the place to be to live a more mindful and productive life. If you're ready to turn daily chaos into calm and start your days with intention, then get ready to join me. As we dive deep into mindful living and personal productivity, it's time to connect with your true self so you can live the life you want to live, and it all starts now.
Do you ever feel like insanely proud of yourself for being crazy busy? Like, it doesn't even matter if you're really not getting anything done, but there's almost a sense of accomplishment from running around frantically doing different things around the house, doing things at work, doing things wherever, and just that notion of we're in momentum mode, and I think sometimes we confuse that with actual progress or productivity or success. I know I've been guilty of this so many times. I've proclaimed myself as a non stop busy person and equated that with really being productive.
And I've also used it as kind of almost a protective shield, sometimes in terms of not always facing people or circumstances that maybe I need to that I just don't feel like it or I'm not in the mood to do. I think sometimes we can use busy as this excuse and it's not actually serving us. But how many people do you know that when they say they're busy, you typically leave them alone, right? Like it's the perfect answer. If you're struggling with setting your own personal boundaries in your life or you don't want to actually say no, you don't want to actually confront an emotion or a situation.
We just say we're busy, and, hey, we're all going to have moments when that's what we use, and it's fine. But today I really want to call out the notion that we don't have to wear this badge of busy anymore. And is it actually serving us? Is it actually serving you? And through these different seven tips that I want to give you today in the back of your mind as you're listening to these, I want you to just really let this sink in and really challenge the notion that in order to have more, you need to be constantly doing more or that you constantly need to be in motion.
Some of these tips are going to challenge you a little bit. We're going to step into the realm of actually slowing down, of actually pausing and, oh, my God, stopping. These are things that we don't necessarily think of when we think of being more productive. We don't think of really slowing down. At any rate, I want to go ahead and jump into these seven tips and get started and really dive deep into some ways that you can practice these things and challenge maybe some of the behaviors that you currently have in your life that maybe aren't serving you or aren't allowing you to really fully get pleasure and joy out of your daily life.
So the first tip I have for you is to unplug. I'm talking about unplugging from social media. I'm also talking about from distractions and from momentum itself. So this really hits the core of slowing down. And a lot of times we have to get clear on the why, why we're so plugged into things like, I think I talk daily to people that are like, oh, I really need to stay off social media. I need to do this. I know this. It's not like this is a new idea.
We all know this. We all know that we feel better when we do unplug, but it's almost a form of addiction because in some ways, it allows us to it's like this perfect escapism that we always have access to if we're having a negative thought or if we're sitting with an emotion that's uncomfortable and we don't want to deal with it, we can just pick up our phones. We can just stop scrolling and guess what. Our brain is distracted. But when we really allow ourselves to unplug from social media from different distractions, that we may just kind of turn to habitually, we really give ourselves this space in our brain the space to slow down and step into that notion of less is more.
So one thing that you can really do on a daily basis that I do is set a time limit for how long you're going to be on a given platform or given social media space for me, I have to set my phone. I've been setting an alarm for about ten minutes when I check Facebook and I go, okay, you've got ten minutes to scroll mindlessly and do your thing. Check up on whatever. And what I've noticed over time is that this ten minutes because it's very intentional because I know that I only had that amount of time.
I started noticing that I don't really feel good when I'm scrolling through Facebook or whatever. And I did this for about a week, and I ended up really not using that full ten minutes and really realizing this is not a good use of my time and really being aware too, of how you're feeling. How do you feel after you're on social media? What does it give you all of those kind of things, really being intentional about it so unplugging. How can you do this? Do you need an app on your phone?
Like, do you? If not, you probably don't. You can delete it. There's also some amazing resources out there, like Chrome extensions and Stuff newsfeed blockers. You can just Google them that are really helpful in terms of helping you unplug, but just set a time for a time limit for when you're going to be on there and even choosing a day of the week where you're not even on there at all. You're not checking stuff, and if you need to let people know, hey, I don't check my messages on this platform or whatever, then do it.
I think there's that FOMO too of like, how are people going to contact me? And one thing that's really funny is I'll often get a message from people. I mean, I use all different kinds of we all do, right? We call people, we text people, we send people messages on Facebook or Instagram, or we use Vox or whatever. Whatsapp? There's so many of them, right. And sometimes I'll get a message from somebody like, I sent you a message and I didn't get a response. And I'm like, Bella, where did you send me a message?
So it's also simplifying our communication and the ways that we are talking to people. And how so even just saying, hey, I don't use this specific thing to talk to people. I use email or I use this and just getting clear that there's one Avenue or one way that people can reach you, and that kind of takes away that FOMO as well. Another thing, too, is just unplugging from these distractions that we habitually turn to whether it's playing a game on our phone or sitting down in front of the TV again.
There's nothing wrong with doing these things, but when you really start unplugging, you'll notice that life becomes a little bit slower. Life becomes a little bit simpler, and it just feels good. Tip number two in simplifying your life is to create a focus goal, focusing on one thing. I think some of the reasons why we don't reach our goals or we have a hard time creating the momentum that we do need in our lives that really fully serves us in terms of creating change and sustainable change is that we kind of let this abundance of choice overwhelm us, and it keeps us from creating not only a focused goal, but also receiving a focused outcome to a given process that we're wanting to work on.
So I'm sure there's a list you could probably come up with ten different things in your life right now that you want to work on. I really want to encourage you to choose one main thing, and it doesn't have to be something huge. It can be something simple, even just going through the week ahead and being like, this week, the main priority that I'm focusing on is getting more water in my day, making sure I'm drinking that 100oz or whatever it is a day of water, making sure that that is my focus goal.
And then remembering that when we do make a consistent change with one area in our life, it is going to bleed over and affect us in different ways. So I think sometimes I have a list of things I want to do, or I want to track in my habit tracker, and I don't get started because I think, Bella, if I don't do all five to eight things of these things every day, then what's the point? When really it's just really again, starting from where you are and choosing one focus goal.
So that's my challenge for you as well. It's getting clear on what's the one thing and don't get so caught up in what's the one perfect thing? Because we do that too. Like, well, if I can only choose one thing, it's got to be the best. Just choose the thing that feels like it's in the closest grasp to you. That is in your reach, within your reach, that feels attainable. And that feels doable, because sometimes we also don't make progress on goals because we reach for things that we don't believe we're capable of reaching or that are there for us.
So you got to kind of start from the mindset you're also in and allow yourself give yourself permission to be there and to be with yourself in that space. Tip number three. This is really obvious, but it's such a good one. And that is to clear your space. So your physical space, your mental space, all that kind of stuff. So first of all, it's really being aware of and everyone's different, but really being aware of how your space impacts your mood, your productivity, your creative side, your ability to focus.
For the longest time, I had this nine to five job, and I would just let paper pile up all over the damn place. It was bad. People would come to my desk and be like, hey, do you have that form? Oh, wow. How do you know where anything is? And I'd be like, oh, no, it's good. I thrive in chaos, like, I thrive, and they'd be like, all right, but do you know where that thing is so really just getting clear? I mean, some people do like, a messy environment, and it just works for them.
But I know for me that if I have a clear workspace, if I have a clear kitchen space, like, if the dishes are out of the sink and everything's clear, my mind automatically just feels less stressed because another thing, too, is when we walk into a space and it's clear of clutter, our brain doesn't have to. It doesn't have as many stimuli, right? Because I think sometimes if I walk into a kitchen like my kitchen and it's messy and there's tons of dishes piled up and maybe there's some appliances here and there and there's, like spaghetti sauce that I didn't wipe off the counter from a week ago.
I mean, sometimes it's really bad immediately my brain instead of being like, oh, I can't wait to make a healthy, nutritious meal for me and my family. It's where do I even begin? Oh, I'm frustrated. Who didn't clean up after themselves? Was it me? Was it my husband? I start playing the blame game, and then I'm not in the head space to want to make a good, healthy meal. Right? Then I'm going, I don't want to Cook or let's go get takeout. Or maybe we should just go out and get some greasy food.
Like, I don't care. Do you see what I'm saying? So really, clearing your space really allows for gives you the space and the energy to really easily make healthier decisions and better decisions that really fully serve you. So I know too, when I'm getting work done at my desk, if my desk space is clear, I am just so much more excited to start my day. I'm much more productive because every time I look down at my desk, I'm not. My immediate response isn't, oh, this feels gross or this feels cluttered.
I'm so happy to be here. My desk is clean. There's no dust anywhere. There isn't, like a bunch of coffee cups or water cups that's, like, my biggest thing that I do. My husband is always joking like that's, like, the biggest pet peeve he has is that I'll just leave, like, water cups around the house. So anyway, just really being in a space that feels good and having it feel clear is so important. It's also important to do this mentally. So if you're able to clear your head space, that's really going to help.
And one thing can be practicing meditation or practicing stillness in your daily life. The last thing I'll say about clearing your space is it's also important to consider your computer or your desktop or your workspace, any digital areas of your life that have a lot of clutter. And I go into this big time with a lot of details and a lot of steps. If you haven't listened to episode five, it's all about how to digitally declutter your life and free up a lot of mental energy.
So I highly suggest going to that episode if you haven't already or giving it another listen and really taking notes there. Tip number four, switch out media activities with a book or just be in the last episode, episode 14. I talked about how you can read more books. And I also talked about a lot of the ways that reading really benefits us and reduces our stress. And so when we read, we're actually really providing our brains with this really great opportunity to relax and it activates a response in our body that helps us really sink into relaxation and let go of a lot of stressful, feelings and reactions that physiologically we have.
So why do I say switch out media activities with a book? Well, a couple of things. It's going to get you away from that screen time. And let's be honest, a lot of that typically happens at night. It's also going to allow you just the pleasure of reading and getting back into that space of just reading for fun. And when I was a kid, for example, quick side Note I really got in the habit of playing the piano, not only practicing it, but then also playing it for fun.
And it became this habit of like instead of sitting down in front of the TV. There was a couple of years when I was a kid where I would sit down in front of the piano and it was really rewarding. And you're using that creative side of your brain. And when you're reading, you're really able to relax and you can read anywhere. And I think that's what's so cool. And putting a book in your bag in your purse, whatever. Just having a book in your car that allows you this opportunity that whenever you're waiting for someone to show up for a meeting or you're waiting to pick up a kid or the bus is later than you thought.
Or maybe you're commuting on a train or whatever, or you're in an airplane. You always have a book with you. And that gives you an opportunity to step into reading more often and step away from screen time and it bleeds into point number one. Here, tip number one, it allows you to unplug. So if you have a lot of media activities that you do for fun, do them if you enjoy them. But if you're looking to simplify your life, then switch out a book. Switch out a book for a lot of the things that you may do on your phone or your tablet or your game system or whatever you have, incorporate more reading into your daily life.
Tip Number Five create routines based on pillar tasks. So I've read a lot of blog posts, and there's a lot of amazing resources out there on different ways to simplify your life. And by the way, you guys, this is in no way a comprehensive list. And there's so many other tips out there. But these are some of the biggest things that have impacted me in my life and really allowed me to step into a space of simplicity and ease and just like less stress. So when I say create routines based on pillar tasks, what I mean is sometimes we think about creating a routine or altering a routine that we have in our daily lives.
And we think about all these little things that we need to do. And we often to kind of break things down into micro habits and micro steps. And that's a really important way of breaking down habits. But if you're just starting out and you're looking to simplify your life, sometimes it's easier to just think of, like, what are the main tasks that you need to do every morning, for example, or every evening that are of the most important. This really helps, too. If you're having a long day, I have a member of the mindful productivity hub that works like, she works twelve hour days, and she's always going, Sarah, like, I love all these tips.
But how do I structure my evening or my day when I'm exhausted? And I know I could do all these daily little things for a routine. But I'm exhausted. And I always say focus on the pillar stuff. Like, what are the main things that you need to do? So in the evening, if there are two to three things you have to do to prepare yourself for the next day, focus on those. And don't worry so much about the subtasks. And from there, you can really simplify things.
So, for example, for me, I know that there's like, three main things that off the top of my head that are really important for me in the morning. And don't worry so much about whether or not they are the most. When I say important important to you, right. They may not be the best things that you Canva do to create the best, perfect, ideal life. But right now, what are those main three things for me? It's like, I know I need coffee in the morning, I need to shower, and I want to do my make up every morning.
Right. Those are three main things that I can just think of off the top of my head. Those things kind of need to happen for me to feel like a productive person and a human being. So if I know those things, then it's like, okay, well, then maybe some of these other things that I'd love to Journal in the morning. I'd love to meditate or do anything like that. But if those things don't happen in the morning, at least I know that I've got these three things, right.
So we're kind of touching on if you think of the hierarchy of your needs or the hierarchy of your routine and your structure, it would be great to have those miracle morning things where you're doing, like, seven different things every morning. But if you can focus on what those three things are, then you can just start there and you can always add in those other things later. Right? Like, sometimes I'm on top of my life and I'm getting up every morning at five and I'm running and I'm journaling and I'm meditating and I'm doing all these things and that's great.
Right. But then sometimes let's be real. Life is challenging. Life gets crazy, and we don't always have time to do stuff or the pollen here is out of control this year, you guys. And I'm so tired some days, and I'm just like, I don't have the energy to do all this stuff. So what are those three things? And then from there, from those pillar tasks, those main three things you want to do in the morning or whenever, then you can minimize your touch points and the sub tasks that you're doing.
So what do I mean by that? Well, okay. For example, when I take a shower, what are the main things that I need to do? Do I need to use, like, three different exfoliants on my face? Like, no, if I'm having a personal spa day. Great. But I want to wash and condition my hair, whatever little body wash, I'm good. It doesn't need to be this big thing. It's like when I'm having a day on a Sunday, when I want to take a bath or I want to do things a little bit longer.
Great. Same goes with, like, makeup. I really enjoyed just doing minimal makeup some days and not worrying so much about it being this, like, perfect glam thing. I mean, straight talk. Like I went the last two years of my life, barely doing any makeup. And it was actually really liberating. Sometimes it was like, okay, I need to kind of shower and get my life together. But there was something really liberating and exciting about simplifying my life and kind of taking makeup out of the equation, like, just kind of going to the store without makeup.
I still had myself together, but just not worrying about that part of my routine. And it was really interesting. It was an interesting experience. But minimizing those touch points, those subtests. So one thing, too, is like, okay, I know I need my coffee, so I always set it ahead. Like I said, ahead of time the night before. So what are the main things that you want to do? What are those pillar tasks that you need to accomplish for your routine? Get clear on that. And then within those, how can you simplify them?
What can you take out of the equation if there's something that you do every morning, that's pretty tedious and complicated doesn't need to be. Can you take out steps from it? The same thing goes with meal prep or anything like that. If you're meal prepping and you're making a bunch of stuff, does everything need to be chopped a certain way? Or can you just like, you know what I'm saying? Can you just minimize different tasks within those things? Tip number six. And this is so important, we often overlook it, and it's exercise.
When you physically move your body, you are giving yourself the ability to mentally clear out that mental gunk in your mind and in your brain. How many times has this happened to you? You're super overwhelmed. You don't know where to start with something. You give yourself permission to just drop everything and go for a walk, clear your head, get some air. And it's amazing how even in, like, two to three minutes of walking outside, you feel better. You're able to realize, oh, some of these things I was telling myself or this experience I'm having isn't as stressful as I originally thought.
It isn't as big of a deal or, oh, my gosh, bingo. Here's the solution. It's right in front of me. I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. Exercising is an amazing way to simplify your life. Moving your body on a daily basis is so good, not only for your cardiovascular health, your mental health, your wellbeing, your joints, your body, your blood flow, the oxygen flow. I mean, you name it. There are benefits and you know it. But exercising daily is a great way to simplify your life because it really gives us a chance to have this inner dialogue with ourselves and really check in with ourselves.
I love going on a walk, especially without my phone. I love listening to podcasts and music on walks or runs, but there's something really powerful about going on a walk and just checking in with myself and just letting my thoughts flow, giving my brain an opportunity to really let a lot of this stuff come out, and I find that I sleep so much better when I do this, because not only when I go to bed at night is my body just, like, more relaxed and tired and ready for sleep.
But my mind also doesn't do this thing where it's like, what about this? What about this? Like, oh, let's think about 80,000 things right now, like, right when you want to close your eyes, it's giving my brain kind of some time to do that, right? It's almost like if you think about your brain and your mental process as this puppy, right. If you keep it in a crate all day, it's going to whine. It's going to complain, it's not going to be happy. And then when you want to go to sleep at night, it's going to be like, no, I didn't get any exercise.
I didn't have my needs met. And in a lot of ways, our brain is similar. We need to give it time. We need to take ourselves for a walk and give it time to release a lot of those thoughts or any negative energy and just open ourselves to having that experience. It can be really, really powerful, and it's so simple, but it's something that can really change your daily life, your productivity, and how you feel on a regular basis. Tip number seven that I have for you today is to practice the allowance of enough.
I think sometimes we think that we need more, we need more money or we need more time or we need more of this or we need more chocolate, whatever we need, we need more of it. In order to be happy. We need more things. We need more space in our houses. We need a bigger house. We need a better car. There's nothing wrong with having goals and desires, knowing what you want and stepping into a place where you can really start working toward them, manifesting them all those things.
But when you tell yourself and remind yourself that you already have enough and you put yourself in this space of gratitude, you open yourself up to this mindset of abundance because you're saying, I have enough. I have enough time. I have enough space in my home and really doing things that can help yourself feel that way. So decluttering your home, giving yourself time to walk and really feel that expansiveness of time. Time is so crazy because it never changes. We always have the same amount of time.
We have the same amount of time in the day. An hour. Never. It's not like people are being like, an hour is now 70 minutes. It's changing, right? It's always 60 minutes. There's always 60 seconds in a minute. Like, those things aren't changing. How crazy would it be if they did right? But really realizing that there are set parameters in our lives and there are constants and really being able to tap into those and then go, okay, what would happen? Like even asking yourself what would happen if instead of wanting more and like, reaching this set point or this finish line and being like, okay, I got a new couch now.
I need a new rug. Now. I need a new lamp. What if you just said instead, I'm so happy with everything I already have. What changes? I know for me, what happens is that then I actually give myself this gift of more time, because instead of feeling like I have to work harder or make more money or do this and that for more things, I suddenly go, okay, if I already have enough, then cool. I can turn around and go back to my room and look at all these things I have that I haven't used in years.
One thing that I'm always buying more of, and I go to book sales. I go to library and check out books, as I'm always checking out and buying more books. It's the one thing that me and my husband are like, you know what? That's okay. There can always be an abundance, unlimited amount of books. Now, I don't know how we're going to feel about that in a few decades when it gets a little out of control because it's crazy how many bookshelves were already starting to fill up.
But if I go, okay, if I walk into my room right now and I look at my bookshelf and I go, okay, I have enough books. What changes? Well, then I start going, not only do I have enough and everything I possibly need right now, but now I can actually give myself time. I actually have time suddenly to go back and actually read these books. There are probably dozens. Well, I know there are dozens of books I've never even read that are on my shelf that I own that I've bought, and I've been so excited to read.
But I got caught up in the minutiae of wanting more and more and more that I never actually set aside time to actually dive into them. You have so many amazing resources in front of you in your own home and not just physical stuff, but people that have wisdom and conversations to give to you, things that are available to you, past educational experiences, notes, journals, any kind of stuff like that. There's so much in front of us that we don't take advantage of because sometimes we're so focused on moving forward and getting more because we don't feel like we have enough when really we give ourselves such a huge gift and such a huge abundance of information and wisdom when we look back at what we already have.
So that's kind of my biggest tip for you is just practicing the allowance of enough. And today one thing that you can do is take out a Journal or open a Google Doc and just start writing down all of the things that you already have. All of the resources that are before you. This is a question, one of the first questions that I ask when I work with coaching clients and I say, and they go, I just don't know where to start, and I go, what are the resources that you already have in front of you, who are the people that you know that you can reach out to?
It's so amazing when we step into that space, you are so much more capable than you give yourself credit for. You have so many resources in front of you, not only externally, but internally and making time to tap into that, whether it's through meditation, whether it's going on longer walks throughout the day or throughout the week, whatever it is that you need to do to trust in yourself and your inner power and your own self efficacy, your own ability to trust in yourself and your ability that is going to serve you so powerfully.
I'm so glad that you're here and thank you so much for being a listener of the Mindful Productivity podcast. This has been so much fun. I love creating these episodes, and the feedback I've been getting from listeners is incredible. It just shows me and gives me a lot of hope and encouragement, not only for my own life, but how many people are really interested in that personal growth, that self development aspect of their lives. And I know there's a lot of fluffy stuff out there, and sometimes this whole space has a lot of stigma behind it.
But let's be real showing up for yourself and consistently working on bettering yourself. Your mindset, your health, your wellness. Your physical being is really powerful.
And not only does it improve your own life.
But it improves the lives of those you touch and interact with on a daily basis. So seriously, just Kudos for you for listening to the podcast, but more importantly, showing up in your own life. Thank you so much for being here. I can't wait to see you next week, and I hope that you have an amazing day ahead of you no matter when you're listening.