Five ways to simplify your life

A recent survey of more than 10,000 Australian women aged 18 to 89 found that most classify themselves as feeling overwhelmed or super busy, and recent studies of men have made the same discovery. Linda Eagleton is a professional oraganiser and is passionate about helping people reclaim and simplify their lives, a task many of us try to undertake, yet never quite get around to doing. Linda has pulled together five simple suggestions that will get you on your way to a more simplified and streamlined life in no time.

Decluttering is the first step to take to simplify your life. Work through your home one room at a time to remove all the items you no longer need or want. Think about the stage of life that you’re at and if the things around you reflect this. Do they still serve a purpose? Remember, you don’t have to throw the items away – see if they can be donated, sold or recycled.

Set up systems and get organised. Items that stay in your house need to have a home. Group similar items together by use so they are easy to find. Use labels if necessary to ensure you and your family members return items to their proper home. You’ll save endless hours of looking for missing items.

Embrace technology where you can. Save a lot of space and visual clutter by digitising paperwork and keep a simple filing system on your hard drive or in the cloud. Most bank statements and household bills can be emailed, you don’t need physical paper making piles on desks and taking up drawer space. Even the kids precious artwork can be scanned in to make a gorgeous photo book you can enjoy, instead of plastic tubs full of crumpled art paper.

Simplify your schedule. Don’t feel like you have to say yes to every invite and book yourself solid. Think whether this is an activity you want to commit to and if this is something that will make you truly happy. Having less in the diary will free up time to spend with loved ones or enjoying quiet moments for yourself.

Think about tasks you always struggle to find time to do and get in a professional. Rather than procrastinate and feel guilty for not getting things done, we should embrace and feel empowered to outsource tasks like cleaning, mowing, pool maintenance, packing boxes when you relocate, decluttering and organising the home, even getting your groceries delivered. There are so many growing businesses in this area - so take advantage of it.

Head to the Simplified Living and Lifestyle Expo on Saturday September 15 at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney for more living and organisation solutions to streamline your life.