4 Extremely Simple Things That Helped Make My Life A Lot Better

My life is a whirlwind of chaos sometimes. And I’m not exactly the kind of girl who does hour-long meditations. I’m the kind of girl though who comes up with real solutions. I know I’m a mess. I know I’m chaos walking. I’m not trying to be Miss Go with the Flow all the sudden. I figured out some simple things that have worked for me, the walking whirlwind of chaos. They are super simple, okay? But they worked for me.

1. Just buy new underwear and socks already
   We all do it. We hang onto our underwear and socks well past their “good by” date. Maybe it’s because we think so little of these items that we wear and wash constantly, or maybe it’s because they are such a low priority that we forget about them. Whatever the reason, holes in my socks, not enough matches for said socks, and underwear that loses shape and color are all fairly annoying to me. So I make it a habit to replace them often enough that my annoyances are allayed. It makes me feel better and my mornings go a lot smoother.
2. Unsubscribe from email lists
   No, Kohl’s, I don’t want to see what’s going on in your store this weekend unless you have a big fat coupon. No, LinkedIn, I don’t need to see what updates my friend has made. And, no, every other website out there, I don’t want to upgrade my account to premium. Seeing unnecessary emails in my inbox became such a big pet peeve for me that I took the time to tediously and laboriously unsubscribe from all the lists I didn’t want. Yes, it takes fortitude to go into the email, scroll all the way down, find the tiny print where it says to unsubscribe, click the link, then maybe click on something else in a new window to confirm your unsubscribing, but those 9 seconds are well worth it to me.
3. Stop with all the smartphone notifications
   While we’re on the topic of technology and simplifying our lives, let me tell you: I do not need a vibrating alert and notification on my phone every time I get an email. ESPECIALLY when it’s just Starbucks telling me that I reloaded my rewards card. How many emails do you get that are extremely vital to your life? Unless it’s work-related/time sensitive, you’re probably better off just having the notification by the app. Having the little red number by the gmail badge is enough for me; I can see it anytime I’m on my home screen, without getting an annoying notification. Same goes for every app ever. When you allow notifications upon downloading a new app, you’re giving it permission to buzz/nudge/ring/ding/annoy you every time someone pokes you, prods you, messages you, tweets you, snapchats you, likes you, reblogs you, talks to you, doesn’t talk to you. I do allow some of my apps to show a notification next to the app (like how email does), but I don’t need a noise or a vibration every time someone replies to something. And I certainly don’t need Angry Birds or Words with Friends reminding me I haven’t played in awhile.
4. Keep your car cleaner than your house
   Look, my car is a lot smaller than my apartment. A LOT smaller. But why do I allow it to get three times as messy? My last car became a graveyard for my good intentions to clean it. That car was totaled and towed away before I could ever change anything. Now that I have a new car, I’m obsessive about keeping it New Car Clean. Maybe too obsessive? But the real life lesson you should take from this is: take your trash to a trash can each time you hit your destination; keep stuff that doesn’t belong in the car, out of the car; once a month, wash and vacuum it out (but if you’re cleaning it as you go and/or you have wipes like I do, it won’t take any time at all). It’s a simple mantra but just keeping trash and non-car items out of it will help a lot. It’s made my commutes that much more bearable–along with good music–because I feel at least one place in my life is clean and perfect. 🙂