11 of My Favourite Simple Living Hacks You Can Try Today

Some days I like to wax lyrical about living an easier, simpler life. Some days I just want to get shit done.

Today is the latter.

As such, I’ve compiled a list of my best simple living hacks for you, from clearing your weekend diary to saving up to 2.5 years’ worth of time searching for two of the most searched-for household items.

Let’s do this.

---

Simplifying items

Sell CDs, DVDs and books on Music Magpie / Decluttr / your country’s equivalent.

There’s no better motivation to decluttering than getting cash for something that is only taking up room in your home.

Spend an hour collecting, boxing and taking your old CDs and DVDs to the post office. For even more motivation, plan something fun for the money - I vote dinner, drinks or if you’re feeling virtuous, charity.

---

If you don’t know where to start with decluttering, begin with your cable drawer. Everyone has one, everyone hates theirs and every single one has far too many cables.

A lot of cables are standardized nowadays - you don’t need hundreds of USB-C cables, you just need one or two. I charge my phone, headphones, smartwatch, powerbank and Chromecast on a single USB-C cable, and when I need to buy new tech I purposely look out for those using that standard so I don’t have to keep any more cables than I have to.

Throw out the duplicates and cables for anything you no longer use and you’ll feel so much better.

---

A friend of mine (and reader of this publication) made a promise to herself to throw out, donate or recycle one thing a day for a year. She’s been keeping me informed of her progress and although it’s getting harder, she’s still on track. Tick off your progress on a dedicated sheet or in your journal (if you’re that way inclined).

If you’re stuck for ideas, use this list of 100 things to donate, recycle or throw out today.

---

If you’re struggling to throw out certain items, put them in a box and shelve them and make a note to re-assess in six months.

If you’ve looked in the box or used the item then it can stay but if that box has been untouched, out it goes.

---

If you struggle to identify which clothes could take a trip to the thrift store, use the “hanger method.”

Turn all your clothes in your closet the same way. When you wear one, turn it around on the hanger and place it on one end of your closet. After a couple of months, you’ll have a visual of what is really being worn in your closet and what could be a candidate for a throwout.

---

Simplifying your time

Say no to the very next appointment you don’t want to do. If you’ve never done this before, expect to spend the time of the event in puddles of guilt. Don’t worry, it gets easier every time.

For me, I’m saying no to drinks with friends this week because I need a few nights off the booze and it’s easier to resist temptation by staying in.

---

If you’re struggling to control your time on Instagram, unfollow every single person on there then re-follow only the people you can think of from the top of your head.

When I did this a few years ago, I went from following 800 to 60. My time on the app dramatically decreased because there’s only so many times those 60 people post per day. It also meant my feed felt far more curated.

It might feel extreme but it works.

---

Use a three-item to-do list.

Identify the top three things you have to do today. Only put other tasks on your list once you’ve smashed out those first three items.

It’s a great lesson in prioritization and is also a brilliant motivator because the chances are you can achieve your three major tasks before lunch, which makes you feel hella good.

---

Create a dedicated place for your keys and wallet - the two items we lose the most.

Never let them anywhere but that dedicated place (unless you’re out and about of course) and you could save up to 2.5 days a year looking for them.

---

Leave at least one Whatsapp group. Ideally, one that annoys you on a daily basis.

Considering it takes up to 23 minutes to refocus after a distraction, group chats take up more time than you think. They’re also pretty easy to leave.

Try it.

---

Create a new clutter-free email account. So many of us have accounts from the 90s or noughties that are filled to the brim with spam and irrelevant subscriptions.

There’s no reason why you couldn’t start a fresh new account free of those distractions. By all means, keep the old one but you could limit access to it by deleting it from your phone.

I find only having access to the new account makes my incessant email-checking habit all the easier to control.

---