Back in January, I decided that my 2018 word of the year would be SIMPLIFY. My goal was to use the word, simplify, as sort of a guide to help me be intentional about how we choose to spend our resources – our time, money, energy, etc.

If you look up anything about simplifying life – the first thing to come up is minimalism.  How you must embrace minimalism if you want to simplify your life.

But I don’t think that simplifying life necessarily means becoming a minimalist.  Simplifying is just about creating systems and organization that makes life easier, less chaotic, and a little more smooth.  Should you get rid of the clutter?  Yes.  But that’s only a part of it.  At least for me (and I’m still a work in progress – as I would guess you are too).

My goal was (and still is) to create systems and processes in our home to have a little less chaos around here and to find a good balance of work, home, and fun such that we are able to prioritize the things that really matter.

Since writing that post, we’ve welcomed our youngest into the family and to be honest, a lot of times it feels like we have been non-stop since.  Of course, that’s not the case all the time, but sometimes it is.  And so today, I want to share some of the VERY simple steps that I’ve taken this year to simplify our lives as well as some of the lessons I’ve been learning along the way – some more easily than others.

I meant to post this as a mid-year update.  It was going to “go-live” at the end of June or early July.  I wrote a really long update about some things that were working and other things that weren’t working.  But to be honest, I left that post feeling a little bit discouraged and like we really hadn’t simplified very much at all.  And maybe, we were going in reverse.  So, I’ve been sitting on it in the drafts folder.

BUT, after some time and reflection, I realized that I have taken lots of steps to simplify things around here.  We definitely have more to do – but much of that is a reflection of the season we’re in and not something that we’ve failed to do.

And so here we are.

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6 Ways I’m Simplifying Life This Year: A Mid-Year Check In

*Disclaimer: Many of these are VERY basic things.  I tell Hubs, “it’s a little micro-simplify, but it’s still something”.  And maybe you already do many of these things. But, this is my story, so I’m sharing them anyway.

Getting Rid of Clutter

Y’all.  I am always looking for things to get rid of around here.  The clutter drives me bananas.  It is so easy to let things pile up, especially with little ones – toys, mail, you name it.  I’ve posted tips to declutter your home here before, and I can say that I’ve been using those tips a lot this year.  The crazy thing is though, even as we continue to get rid of things, our house doesn’t feel empty.  It’s been a great reminder to me that we really do accumulate things so quickly.

It takes energy to keep and maintain and organize things.  And if we haven’t used something in a long time and don’t have plans to use it, I don’t have the energy – physically or mentally to spend on keeping it.

Using What We Have

In the same vein as working to declutter our home, I’ve made a commitment to using what we already have.  I have a whole tub full of travel and sample sized toiletries that I’ve been working my way through.  Things that I’ve tried before and never finished, snagged with a coupon deal, etc.  And they’re things that I really like using – shampoo and conditioner sets, lotion, etc.

This also applies to other areas too – using the construction paper in the craft cabinet, finishing the paint that we have before buying more, planning meals with food that’s already in our pantry, and so on.

By using what we already have, we can reduce our waste, save our money, and keep things less cluttered.

RELATED POST: WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THOSE SAMPLE SIZED TOILETRIES

Using a Planner & Writing Things Down

Similarly to taking time to plan our meals, I’ve made a commitment this year to using a planner.  While I make our meal plan, I also take a little bit of time to look at the calendar and write down ideas for each days’ activities during the week along with any appointments, errands, and to-dos that we need to get done.

Writing things down like this allows me to know what we’re doing each day rather than trying to make plans while I make breakfast.  Before, I found that the days were getting away from me.  Now, I start each day with an idea of what we’re doing.  I can shift activities around, or change them totally during the week, but I always make a rough draft, if you will.

(And these “activities” aren’t always crazy.  They might be things like picking up groceries on Monday, playing a specific game Tuesday morning, a craft Wednesday, laundry on Thursday, and a play date on Friday.)  We fit in things that we need to do with fun things and it makes the week a little more manageable.

I still use pen and paper for this and it is so helpful for me to be able to flip through and see things on a monthly and weekly basis.

Meal Planning Each Week

Meal planning is a HUGE part of our week.  It saves us money, time, and mental energy during the week.  I try to sit down each weekend and create a meal plan for our week that includes dinner and sides each night plus enough left overs to get Hubs through the work week.

I had gotten a little off track with this – and frankly, didn’t really enjoy it for a while.  But, I’ve really made an intentional effort to be more committed to it and it has made our dinners much easier.  In fact, in the month of April, we went a full month without eating dinner out together – just as a challenge to myself.

I’m actually hoping to share more about our meal planning on the blog in the coming weeks (or months, let’s be honest) because it has been such a big help to me in managing things around here.  If you’re a meal planner, I’d love to know your tips!  (Or if you are looking for meal planning tips, I’d love to know that, too!)

Grocery Shopping Online

Because it is so much easier than getting both boys through a grocery store.  I just add things to my shopping cart throughout the week as we run out or start to run low and then double check it with my meal plan.

It’s been a huge time saver.  Remind me why I waited so long to jump on this bandwagon…

Posting on the Blog Once per Week

And finally, I’ve started posting on the blog only once per week rather than two or three times.  There are certainly weeks where I might post more, but the fact is, it takes time to create content that I’m proud of.  And as much as I enjoy blogging, I have to keep it in balance with the other things on my plate.

Sure.  I’d love to post more and I’ve actually got a back-log of content to write.

Yes.  The blog has slowed its growth a little for the moment.

But for now, this is what I’m committing to, because there’s a whole life outside of this blog, people.

What I’ve Learned So Far

So, here we are in August – almost eight months into 2018.  I’ve done all these things but life still feels busy many days.  And there are lots of weeks where I just simply cannot get to all the things I want to get to.

And to be honest, that can feel somewhat discouraging at times.  Like, when I think of the word simplify – I think of having great systems in place.  I think of our home operating efficiently each day.  And the truth is, a lot of days, it doesn’t.

So I’m learning.  And my guess is that you are too, because even though our lives might be different on a day to day basis – I know that no one has it together all the time.  Even if you do have it together some of the time (or even most of the time).

Productivity Means Different Things in Different Seasons

My whole excitement about simplifying sprang forth this year after reading Brooke Sailer’s book, This Thing Called Home [which I cannot recommend highly enough].  One of the things she talked about in the book was sometimes having to redefine what productivity looks like for you and your family depending on your season and especially during seasons of change and transition.

And I have to remind myself that that’s where we are right now.

We’re raising little boys.  We’ve introduced a new baby to our family this year.  He’s growing so quickly and he adds so much joy to our lives.  But baby schedules – especially in the first year are very different from my more flexible, predictable schedule with my 2 year old.  And even baby schedules change so much in this first year.

So, I have to remember that I just might not be able to get all the things done as easily as I could before.  And it’s okay if somethings just don’t get done for now.  I can do the best I can.  I can ask for help.  This is a tough lesson to learn.  But it’s a good one.

It’s Important to Take Care of Myself Also

This isn’t a whole post on self-care for busy moms (I’m still a work in progress) and I’m not talking about huge indulgences here.  But, it is SO easy to put your own needs (physical, emotional, spiritual) on the back burner.  Hubs has had to be the teacher on this for me this year – encouraging me to get rest, stay active, spend time reading and in prayer, taking a long shower, and even getting out by myself sometimes.

My Family is More Important

And finally, I’m learning, or being reminded I should say, that my family is more important.  I posted recently about how Little unknowingly gave me such a sweet reminder about being present and really embracing this season.

This is the primary reason that I’ve cut back on my posting frequency here and even on social media some weeks.  Because at the end of the day, my first job is wife and mom.

And I never want work or clutter or stress to get in the way of that.  The balance can be tough sometimes, but it’s worth it.

So, we’re continuing to work on this journey of simplifying.  And we’re celebrating every little win.

What are you working on this year or new lessons you’re learning?