It’s Simplify Your Life Week!

I’ve always thought of August as the month with no holidays. Maybe because it’s just too hot to think about celebrating anything. Ha, ha!

While it’s true that there are no “federal” or religious holidays in August (like Labor Day or Easter), there are a number of other “days” that are declared as special by some.

I found out that August 3-9 is considered National Simplify Your Life week.

While I couldn’t find an actual definition for this, I did find a number of other blogs that discuss it, especially those focused on helping organize your space, time, and just life in general.

I’ve always been a natural organizer, as my mother can tell you. From “playing” with my dolls by arranging them from smallest to biggest to “re-organizing” every crayon box I’ve ever owned by color families, bringing order to my surroundings is something I’ve always done.

I say, “I can’t function in chaos,” and that’s so true. When I’m surrounded by a mess, my brain just shuts down and I can’t think straight. I have to create order first, and then I can think clearly again.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this year, one of my goals for 2017 is to restore “balance” in my life. To find a way to fit in all the things I need to do so that there is a semblance of order and purpose. So I can make sense of it all and get it all (or at least most of it) done.

It has been a struggle, but I’m trying. Little by little.

Simplifying is just one part of organizing and creating balance. If you’ve ever watched any show on HGTV, you’ll see that the first thing the designers do is clear out a space so that it’s empty, and then start filling it with the most important things for that space.

If it’s a bedroom, obviously the most important thing is a bed. And then there are other essentials, such as dressers to hold clothing and lamps to provide lighting. And lastly go in the non-essentials, such as wall art, curtains, rugs. These things aren’t essential to the “function” of the room, but they do bring a sense of completion, a feeling of comfort and enjoyment.

Our lives are that way, too. We first should evaluate everything in our lives and decide what is essential, what is functional, and what brings joy. And then make a place for those things in the proper ratio.

For me, my essentials are my faith and relationship to my Lord, my family and friends, and my writing, which I believe is my calling. The functional things are my job (because I got bills to pay, ya know), my home, clothing, food, transportation. The things that make it possible to live. And then there are the things which bring me joy – art, music, entertainment. Reading books, drawing, playing piano, watching television. These are the little pieces that add spark and color.

But in the wrong ratio, they cause chaos.

Just like a bright color or bold pattern can overwhelm a room design, too much of the wrong things can cause imbalance and unpleasant consequences. If all I did was sit around and draw pictures, I would be in big trouble. I would have no job, no money, no food, nothing clean to wear, and my family would probably put out a “have you seen this kid” poster for me.

All kidding aside, though, I’m going to work on simplifying over the next week. I’ve already started with my email inbox, opting out of emails subscriptions I do not read and coupons I never use. And putting the rest in folders that make it easy for me to find what I’m looking for.

Simplifying your life can start, well…simply. What’s one thing you can do this week to simplify your life? Share by leaving a comment below.