One of the best ways to plan for happiness in your life is to simplify your life. You can look online and find many ways to simplify your life, and most of those ways can help you be happier. Out of all the ways I’ve learned and experienced, I would say that these are the top 5 ways I’ve simplified my life for happiness:
1. Create A Morning Routine
A morning routine is essential for happiness. When you have a consistent method by which you start your day, you can optimize for happiness and be motivated to start that day. I wake up the same time (5:40am) every morning (except for Sunday, which is my one day to get a little more rest). No, I don’t consider myself a morning person, but getting up at that time allows me to get my most important task done for the day before most people even wake up. I also do one set of an exercise to help myself wake up, followed by a cold glass of water. Then it’s right into my ONE Thing for the day that will have the biggest impact on my life.
This is sort of the first part of my morning routine. Because after I work 3 hours on my ONE Thing, I have my POP (Prepare/Organize/Plan) Hour where I confirm my plan for the day, write in my gratitude journal, say my prayers, text my family and at least one friend a “have a good day” message, and then meditate. Once this is all done, my mourning routine is considered complete.
2. Have Goals And Plan To Reach Them
Everyone needs a reason to wake up in the morning and start their day. And that reason should be to complete your goals. Perhaps your reason for pushing each day is to provide for your loved ones or improve your career. Whatever reason you have, goals can help you be more successful. Have a goal of what you want to accomplish today, this week, this month, and this year. Reach those goals by planning things in your day that move you closer to those goals. Reaching goals is a sure way to improve the happiness in your life.
3. Stop Watching/Reading The News
I know, I know. How can you stop watching the news? Don’t you need to stay informed? Sure you do, but it doesn’t mean you have to be the one watching the news. In my experience, the news is 95% what I don’t need to know. And the 5% I do need to know, I will hear about from a friend or loved one, or read on a web site somewhere. The really important stuff always bubbles to the surface each day, so I always know the important stuff.
Since there is so much negativity in the news, I chose not to read or watch it daily. I don’t want to hear about how awful the world can be some times. And if I had to watch the news, I surely wouldn’t watch it in the morning. I don’t want to start my day with so much negativity poured into my brain. How can I have a happy day if I start it off with negativity? So, the news is important, but you don’t need to watch it to know about what’s most important to you. Trust me. I haven’t watched the news for a couple years now, yet I always know what’s going on. Many thanks to my family and friends.
4. Learn To Say No
Whenever you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else. If you say yes to everyone who asks you do do something, join a club, or take on more responsibility, you’ll find yourself overwhelmed and stressed out. Instead of saying yes to everyone who wants something, learn to say no. In order to be happy, you need to be working on the things that are important to you. And most of the time, when someone asks you to do something, it’s usually just important to them. Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t help people out. I strongly believe that living a life of service is important, but you have to balance that life of service with what you need for your own happiness. Learn to say no to the things that you don’t enjoy and yes to the things you do.
5. Pay Off Debts
Can paying off debts really make you happy? Well, if you could see me, I would say, “Just look at the smile on my face.” Not having to owe someone is a great feeling. Too many people carry the stress and burden of debt, whether that be money owed to a friend, credit card debt, or having too many loans. Debt is like that monkey on your back that is constantly there. It weighs on you every time anything with money comes up. You need to buy something, you think about your debt. You get a paycheck, you think about your debt. Instead, focus on paying off your debt and get that monkey off your back. You’ll be glad you did.
The Takeaway
These are not the only things you can do that will simplify your life and create more happiness for yourself. These are just the ones that I feel have had the greatest impact on my life and suggest could do the same for you. There are many ways to bring more joy into your life, but in the category of simplifying for happiness, these five ways are king in my opinion. Simplifying your life can remove lots of stress and free up your time. It can allow you to plan for your best day and reach your goals. These five ways are not difficult to do, but they do require a plan and discipline to follow that plan daily. Start implementing a few of them in your life now and experience the happiness with simplification.