50 Easy Steps to Make Life Better

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Easy steps and life hacks

This was a list of physical, psychological, financial and emotional things that I created a couple of months ago to make life that little bit easier… and it really works. Of course, it’s impossible to do all of these in a day, but I have broken it down into smaller chunks – I’ve found that incorporating things into a daily routine, while occasionally adding in a few extra tasks makes day-to-day life easier and good for the soul.

1. Find a mantra. I have one that I refer to regularly during difficult times: Create a life that you don’t need to take a vacation from. This is what drives me in almost everything that I do.

2. Learn the power of no, and recognise what you do and don’t owe others.

3. Declutter. Be ruthless. Anything that you haven’t read, worn or listened to in a year serves no purpose and is simply taking up space. Sell, give away and/or upcycle. For that extra feel-good factor, take your unwanted items to a clothing bank or charity shop.

4. Create a meal plan and, where possible, prepare food in advance. To make it more exciting, research cheap and easy recipes that you have never tried before. Pinterest is a brilliant place to find these.

5. Exercise. Go for a walk. Swim. Cycle. Run. Anything to get those endorphins going.

6. Get more sleep. Of course, this is easier said than done, particularly for those who are parents or carers and those who work long hours, but the more sleep you have will result in more productive waking hours.

7. Start your day the night before. Pack your lunch, get your clothes ready, sort out your bag with everything that you are going to need. Put your keys, phone and purse/wallet in a safe place where you can easily find them the next day.

8. Give yourself half-an-hour of ‘me time’ to indulge in a guilty pleasure.

9. Get rid of toxic people. One of the best things I ever did.

10. Clean as you go. It’s one of my most hated tasks, and I often found myself stressed and overwhelmed by a large amount of jobs that I had allowed to build up over time. Now, cleaning as I go doesn’t make the process any more enjoyable, but it takes less time and makes my home environment much more pleasant on a daily basis.

11. Create a list of important birthdays in advance, and prepare cards ready to be posted.

12. Do something nice for someone else without expecting anything else in return. This could be a specific thing for a friend – I helped one of my closest friend’s pack for her house move the other week, and I’m visiting a friend that has just had a major operation on Thursday – or perform a random act of kindness for a complete stranger, just because.

13. Treat yourself. Make your favourite meal, read a book, indulge in a bubble bath.

14. Write. Keep a diary. Post a blog. Start a novel. Writing has always been therapautic for me, and I always feel better once I have written things down.

15. Create a labelled filing system for important papers.

16. Plan out various purchases in advance. Work out what you are going to need and write it down in a list.

17. Change your diet. Start small, just by cutting out one or two things rather than going on a diet – if you’re anything like me this instantly makes it easier to work towards rather than becoming resentful at a whole list of things you have suddenly banned from your cupboards.

18. Work out a budget. Stick to it by following it just one day at a time.

19. Give yourself a break. Accept that some things are out of your control, and allow things to be imperfect.

20. Stop nagging.

21. Make plans for things that you would like to do in the future. Work towards realising just one of the things on your list.

22. Drink more water.

23. Connect with others. Send a text, make a phone call, arrange a lunch date, invite a friend around to your house, go for a picnic. A few hours spent in good company always makes a day much better.

24. Get up and get ready, even if the majority of your day is going to be spent indoors.

25. Delete, delete, delete. Don’t hold onto old emails, unwanted or duplicate photographs and/or text messages. Delete people from your social media pages that you have no connection with.

26. Avoid excess. As the queen of ‘all or nothing,’ I find moderation very difficult. However, you’re more likely to appreciate something more if you only have a small amount of it, and it’s less likely that you’ll feel sick or have a hangover the next day!

27. Check out DIY Life Hack posts for fabulous hints and tips to help with tasks around the house.

28. Focus on yourself, rather than what everyone else is doing around you.

29. Find a place for everything.

30. Keep scrapbooks of items like tickets, cards and programmes instead of storing them in boxes.

31. Make a list of all the errands that need completing within the week, and try and do as many as possible in one go.

32. Put. The. Phone. Down. Designate a specific time in the evening where all phones are switched off (this will also help you to sleep better too!).

33. Ask for help. You can’t always do everything yourself.

34. Deal with emotional baggage. Talk, write, consult a therapist. Start to let it go.

35. Allow yourself to have an opinion, but avoid becoming involved in useless debates and arguments both in the real and online world. Similarly, before commenting on something, take the time to write it out in a notebook first and then ask yourself whether it is worth posting or not.

36. Take the time to tell someone important just how much they mean to you.

37. Try to avoid being judgmental.

38. Stop complaining.

39. Google promo codes in advance when online shopping. You’ll be surprised at the bargains you can get!

40. Buy things out of season to save money.

41. If you’ve been struggling to solve a problem for some time, walk away and go back to it later.

42. Smile!

43. Buy a Christmas present every month, particularly during the sales.

44. Avoid multi-tasking. Make a list, and work your way through it. Start the task, finish the task and then move onto something else.

45. Don’t initially set the bar too high. Make small steps to avoid disappointment.

46. Collect memories, not things.

47. If you want something, ask for it!

48. Do the most difficult tasks first.

49. Create a playlist to help you accomplish different tasks. Music makes anything better.

50. Congratulate yourself on every achievement, no matter how small…

 

What about you guys? Have you got any hints or tips to make life a little easier on a daily basis?

You can also find me on Twitter and Tumblr @suzie81blog, and don’t forget to check out my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/suzie81speaks, my Pinterest page http://www.pinterest.com/suzie81speaks and my Instagram page http://www.instagram.com/suzie81speaks.

87 thoughts on “50 Easy Steps to Make Life Better”

  4. Pingback: * 50 Easy Steps to Make Life Better — Suzie Speaks | Teachezwell Blog

  5. Some fab tips here Suzie – I’ll be printing this off! When I first got married (many years ago…) I used to get stressed looking at the pile of ironing getting bigger and bigger. I decided one day to never have a pile of ironing again and ever since, I simply fold the washing up and put it away out of sight and let everyone do their own ironing! I think this saved my marriage and having given this advice to someone I worked with, it saved hers too! x

  7. Mine……DO NOT under ANY circumstances watch ANY political news between now and November 8th. This prevents your brain from imploding, which, as Suzie sez, will make your life better.

  8. Totally agree with the above – no news! I avoid it at all costs. And I do something creative every day – paint, take pictures, write, invent things. And when a judgemental thought comes, I flip it to a compliment – even if it’s only in my head – it got me into the habit of looking for positives. Yes – sometimes there just aren’t any though!

  9. Suzie, that is a great post and reflects most of the best books in the “self help” category; Eat That Frog, Getting Things Done, etc. The trick is to sneak up on it guerrilla warfare style rather than D-day invasion.

  11. What a fabulous list and certainly puts life on track. However crazy things may sound, there is always time to do things that make life simpler. Love it and it is something I cam keep coming back to read.

  12. 25 is the one I’m working on right now. This is a good list and I might just pinch it. I’m retiring at the end of the month and I really want the next phase of my life to be more ordered than the last few years have been.

    My tip is to try new things. I knew a woman who took up a new musical instrument when she was 90. She was amazing.

  15. This is a great list. I think I need to read it at least once a week. And most of these tasks are so easily accomplished. And like Cleaning – most of them can be accomplished “as you go.”

  22. Reblogged this on and commented:
    I love this list! I often find myself feeling overwhelmed and when that happens, I usually wind up frozen with indecision. I have come to realize that if I can catch it before it’s out of control, life is much nicer for me and everyone who has to deal with me. 🙂 If you are like me, and might need a hand getting your ducks in a row, so to say, Suzie’s list will definitely help you out!

  23. Pingback: 50 Easy Steps to Make Life Better | imnotstellablog

  26. Some of these I’ve already done, and I’ve seen benefits from them. I think I need to implement #7 (start your day the night before). I’d never even thought of doing that before, but it’s obvious how much that could help!

  27. Love this list, Suzie. Number 12 reminded me of the help you gave with my Pinterest profile. It felt so good to have you offer to help me as much as you did without me asking x

  29. All great ideas. I like the reminder to get birthday cards in advance for important birthdays. It’s something I used to do but has fallen by the wayside in the last couple of years. How much easier it was when I was prepared in advance instead of scrambling at the last minute.

  30. All wicked awesome suggestions! I have to get back on track with meal planning – it made that dreaded, “what’s for dinner, momma” question so much easier! And thanks for the reminders that I need to focus a little attention on myself, in the midst of running around for everyone else.

      • It’s very challenging, but it makes that time you manage to carve out for yourself all the sweeter! Also, little things when you have little ones can be huge – when I was pregnant with our third, I was doing private daycare for a friend (her two and our two were close in age) at her house. At least once a week, hubby would use his lunch hour to come over and watch them while I took a quick nap on the couch. While not technically ‘me” time, it helped tremendously!

  31. Great list!
    I need to drink more water, delete and clear out and find a place for things. I’m a clutterer (that is a thing, is now anyway) and my email count on my phone is currently 3,829.

  32. Reblogged this on Cookie Crumbs and commented:
    These tips are great for redirecting your everyday life and getting you on a more clear path. I love the idea of creating a mantra for your daily life and referring to it when you feel lost or times get rough. I’m also a huge believer i declutter things and people from your life that no longer serve you. I won’t give them all away, just give them a peak and let me know which ones you will be implementing or what you already do in your life. Happy reading!

  34. If I could do just 50% of this list I know my life would be less stressful. Alas, my 2yo doesn’t give me space to do ANYTHING during the day so everything needs doing on an evening which leads to mutlitasking, lack of organisation, not knowing where one thing ends and the next starts and certainly no me time! It feels impossible atm! I do hope to achieve just some of your list someday 🙂

  39. 11, 12, 36, and 43. That sounds like a locker combination–but those are my favorites! I love the idea of buying Christmas gifts year round and preparing for birthdays in advance. I have one friend who I’ve known almost my whole life and while we don’t talk often she sends both me and my son a birthday card every year. How does she manage it? I bet she uses your system!
    I also love the idea of simply doing things for others without thought of return. That is a thing I give to myself, even if it helps other people, and its so powerful.

  40. Wow..that is some list and many I do and some I should , yes I really should like get more sleep and don’t stay up half the night writing 🙂

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