7 Things Not To Do When Simplifying Your Life

Making a change in your life is hard, even when it’s a positive change. While learning ways to simplify your life is not necessarily hard, you do have to be intentional about it. At the same time, there are things not to do when simplifying your life.

When we create new habits there’s usually an element of excitement, which is a good thing. However, if we’re not intentional that excitement can turn into an obsession of sorts. The next thing you know your new habits are working against you. Instead of simplifying your life, you end up complicating it.

This is why these 7 things not to do when simplifying your life are important! Each of these things will not just complicate your life, but they could slow down or stop all the efforts you’ve been making to clear space in your life for what matters most to you!

So avoid these 7 things when simplifying your life and you’ll be well on you’re way to creating a life you love!

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1. Setting Unreasonable Expectations

You didn’t complicate your life overnight, and you probably won’t simplify it overnight either. Decluttering your home, decluttering your life, simplifying your schedule, or getting out of debt, all of these things take time!

It will be impossible to simplify your life if you set an impossible standard. Setting up unreasonable expectations in expecting to accomplish all of these things overnight causes feelings of frustration because you’re not seeing the results you expect.

On the other hand, when you’re patient with yourself and the process you can focus on the benefits you’re experiencing right now!

For example, if you are working on decluttering your home, but not even close to finishing, perhaps you’ve gotten your kitchen decluttered and you are spending less time washing dishes because you have fewer dishes to deal with. Use that feeling as momentum to declutter the next space.

Keeping your expectations reasonable will help you accurately see all that you are accomplishing. Your goal is to eliminate the excess and overwhelm, not to change your life overnight.

Avoid setting unreasonable expectations, keep working on what you’re doing and the actions you take to simplify your life will add up big time.

2. Getting Caught Up In Perfection

As you look at the things not to do when simplifying your life avoiding perfectionism should top the list.

There’s a lot of information out there on what simple living looks like. But the truth is there’s no one right way. A simplified life will look different for each of us.

Remember that instead of focusing on doing it perfectly. Chances are if you are looking for perfection, you won’t do it at all because perfection is an impossible standard to achieve.

Simplifying your life is all about the progress, not perfection.

Life is always going to have its complications. You have to know, if you are trying to achieve a perfect simplified life it’s not going to happen. In fact, that goal is what makes simplifying your life seem impossible!

The point is that you’re never going to have a perfectly simplified life where you can say I’ve reached decluttering perfection. Instead, look at the progress you have and are continually making.  As long as you’re doing something you need to acknowledge that.

When you focus on progress over perfection, it becomes easy to see that simplifying your life is very possible!

3. Comparing Your Journey To Others

Tim Hiller, in his book “Strive: “Life is Short, Pursue What Matters” says:

“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle, or your middle to someone else’s end.”

When you compare your efforts to others, especially others who are years into the simplifying process, you minimize the progress you’ve made and the benefits you’re experiencing.

We also create an unnecessary burden on ourselves when we compare our own lives to what we see others doing. To truly simplify your life keep your focus on YOU and YOUR life.

Stop looking at or listening to what other people say you should be doing. Instead, focus on what you are able to do. You can use other people as inspiration, but create your own journey when it comes to simplifying your life.

4. Feeling Guilty

Another important thing not to do when simplifying your life is holding on to guilt.

There’s something about decluttering your home and life that brings up feelings of guilt. We can feel guilty about getting rid of things we paid money for or gifts given to us. Then we feel guilty that our kids are not involved in all the activities. Of course, guilt can be huge when we start saying no to people asking for our help like we’re letting them down or not doing enough.

Well my friend it’s time to let go of that guilt. Each of the things you are doing to simplify your life are good things!!

According to an article in PHolding on to guilty feelings literally makes things feel heavier and more belabored. Guilt makes us reluctant to enjoy life. This is the exact opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish by simplifying your life. The whole purpose of simplifying your life is to create a life you love. So let go of the guilt now!

5. Pressure Others

Simplifying your life creates excitement! You start experiencing all these amazing benefits and of course, you want everyone around you to experience these benefits too.  The next thing you know, instead of focusing on simplifying your own life, your focus turns to getting everyone else on board with simplifying.

If we are not careful soon, we’re nagging and pushing our agenda on others. This is definitely not something we want to be doing.

It’s so much better to focus on simplifying our own life. When you create a life you love you’ll be an inspiration to others and they’ll naturally want to follow along.

6. Fill Up Decluttered Spaces

I remember when I first started simplifying my own life, it felt weird to have so much extra time. There’s this temptation to fill your time with random commitments or to go shopping and fill up decluttered spaces.

The problem is this just defeats all the work you are doing. Instead, fill the space you’ve created in your life with the things that matter most to you.  Take some time and write out your priorities.

• What do you want to be doing more of that you’re currently unable to do?
• What is the ONE most important thing that you want to focus on changing, improving, or growing in?
• How do you want life to look like when your 80?

Answer these questions and then start spending your time making them happen!!

7. Be Legalistic

The last, but not the least of the 7 things not to do when simplifying your life is being legalistic or setting arbitrary rules of what simplifying must look like.

There’s a danger in obsessing over the details and the amount of stuff you’re getting rid of. But all this does is make your stuff a central focus. Plain and simple, when you do this, you are allowing things to still rule you and you are just as enslaved as if you eliminated nothing.

The truth about simplifying your life is that there really are no rules. It’s about what feels right to you, you get to pick and choose what you want in your life and disregard the rest.

As you let go of these things not to do when simplify your life make sure to look at the 7 areas of your life you do want to simplify!