This 10-step Simplification Plan Could Change Your Life
Kick-start your New Year tidying and clutter-busting with these expert home organisation tips
Emily Ley has twin toddlers and a 6-year-old, runs a business that employs five people, writes books and creates the popular organisation range Simplified Planner. To make it all work and still have time for a life, she’s simplified in as many ways as possible.
After reading her latest book, A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living, I spoke with her at length about where those of us who don’t even know where to begin should start. What follows are her suggestions for 10 easy, bite-sized ways to jump-start a simpler way of living. Do just one each day as a New Year 10-day challenge or, if you’re on a roll over a weekend, complete a handful in a row.
After reading her latest book, A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living, I spoke with her at length about where those of us who don’t even know where to begin should start. What follows are her suggestions for 10 easy, bite-sized ways to jump-start a simpler way of living. Do just one each day as a New Year 10-day challenge or, if you’re on a roll over a weekend, complete a handful in a row.
1. Grab a rubbish bag
“Go through all the rooms in your house and look for rubbish,” Ley says. “You’ll be surprised at what’s just lying around.” Whether it’s expired coupons, boxes, empty shampoo bottles in the shower, dry-cleaning tags, a dead plant or wastepaper bins that need emptying, just taking this first step will make you feel better.
You may even decide you’re ready to make a second round with a light look for items you can donate, such as books you’re never going to read again. “This will ease you into the process,” Ley says.
“Go through all the rooms in your house and look for rubbish,” Ley says. “You’ll be surprised at what’s just lying around.” Whether it’s expired coupons, boxes, empty shampoo bottles in the shower, dry-cleaning tags, a dead plant or wastepaper bins that need emptying, just taking this first step will make you feel better.
You may even decide you’re ready to make a second round with a light look for items you can donate, such as books you’re never going to read again. “This will ease you into the process,” Ley says.
2. Stop stuff from coming in
You can get started by curbing junk mail. Register with the DMA (Direct Marketing Association) to help stop the flow, and then take it a step further.
“If you notice certain companies sending you catalogues too often, take the time to call them up individually and get off the mailing lists,” Ley advises. And register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to stop unsolicited sales or marketing calls.
You can get started by curbing junk mail. Register with the DMA (Direct Marketing Association) to help stop the flow, and then take it a step further.
“If you notice certain companies sending you catalogues too often, take the time to call them up individually and get off the mailing lists,” Ley advises. And register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to stop unsolicited sales or marketing calls.
3. Attack kitchen drawers
“This one is easy – there’s so much extra stuff you don’t need in the kitchen,” Ley says. “Take everything out and realise you don’t need three carrot peelers or two ice-cream scoops.”
Keep a donation box or bag nearby, so you can put extras in there straight away. When you’ve finished, put the box or bag in your car so you’ll have it handy next time you drive by a charity shop.
“This one is easy – there’s so much extra stuff you don’t need in the kitchen,” Ley says. “Take everything out and realise you don’t need three carrot peelers or two ice-cream scoops.”
Keep a donation box or bag nearby, so you can put extras in there straight away. When you’ve finished, put the box or bag in your car so you’ll have it handy next time you drive by a charity shop.
4. Organise your food
Once you’re done with the drawers and cabinets, attack the food in the pantry, fridge and spice cabinet. (You can break this down and do just one of these a day for a while.)
Take it all out and chuck anything that’s expired or stale. If there’s an unopened ingredient that will work only for that impossible recipe you’re never going to whip up or is something your family just won’t eat, put it in a bin for the food bank.
How to organise the perfect kitchen pantry
Once you’re done with the drawers and cabinets, attack the food in the pantry, fridge and spice cabinet. (You can break this down and do just one of these a day for a while.)
Take it all out and chuck anything that’s expired or stale. If there’s an unopened ingredient that will work only for that impossible recipe you’re never going to whip up or is something your family just won’t eat, put it in a bin for the food bank.
How to organise the perfect kitchen pantry
5. Get a handle on laundry
“This is one of my favourite tips that I learned from my mother,” Ley says. “Start a new habit of throwing one load of washing in the machine every morning. This keeps you from having to tackle a mountain of it on a Sunday.”
With a household of five people, Ley has no time for sorting, so she uses a colour catcher product (there are several available in supermarkets) that allows her to run mixed loads.
“This is one of my favourite tips that I learned from my mother,” Ley says. “Start a new habit of throwing one load of washing in the machine every morning. This keeps you from having to tackle a mountain of it on a Sunday.”
With a household of five people, Ley has no time for sorting, so she uses a colour catcher product (there are several available in supermarkets) that allows her to run mixed loads.
6. Turn off the noise
Make more time for family and friends by turning off mindless TV, letting go of your phone and rethinking your social media habits. “There are things from your life that don’t have to be out there for all to see. When you post it all, you start to lose intimacy,” Ley says.
Constantly thinking about our posts and documenting everything takes time and focus away from what we’re actually experiencing. To ease yourself into a new perspective, she suggests taking a complete break for 24 hours – or better yet, an entire weekend. She deletes social media apps off her phone for these breaks.
“After a three-day break, I felt refreshed and was able to back off social media a little,” she says. “You’ll realise you’re not missing anything, and it will change your perspective.” When you add the social media apps back onto your phone, Ley recommends putting them all in a folder together, so they aren’t front and centre, tempting you every time you open your phone. And turn off those notifications that add more noise and send you straight to the apps.
Make more time for family and friends by turning off mindless TV, letting go of your phone and rethinking your social media habits. “There are things from your life that don’t have to be out there for all to see. When you post it all, you start to lose intimacy,” Ley says.
Constantly thinking about our posts and documenting everything takes time and focus away from what we’re actually experiencing. To ease yourself into a new perspective, she suggests taking a complete break for 24 hours – or better yet, an entire weekend. She deletes social media apps off her phone for these breaks.
“After a three-day break, I felt refreshed and was able to back off social media a little,” she says. “You’ll realise you’re not missing anything, and it will change your perspective.” When you add the social media apps back onto your phone, Ley recommends putting them all in a folder together, so they aren’t front and centre, tempting you every time you open your phone. And turn off those notifications that add more noise and send you straight to the apps.
7. Attack the wardrobe
Now you’ve got your feet wet and eliminated some distractions, you’re ready to tackle your wardrobe.
“We have an emotional connection to some of our clothes that makes it hard to get rid of them,” Ley says. “We think ‘when I get skinnier these trousers will fit’ or ‘this doesn’t look good on me, but I paid too much for it, so I have to keep it’.”
Let go of those kinds of thoughts. Then cherry-pick only your favourite things that make you feel confident and put the rest into the donation bag.
Are these 7 common mistakes making your home disorganised?
Now you’ve got your feet wet and eliminated some distractions, you’re ready to tackle your wardrobe.
“We have an emotional connection to some of our clothes that makes it hard to get rid of them,” Ley says. “We think ‘when I get skinnier these trousers will fit’ or ‘this doesn’t look good on me, but I paid too much for it, so I have to keep it’.”
Let go of those kinds of thoughts. Then cherry-pick only your favourite things that make you feel confident and put the rest into the donation bag.
Are these 7 common mistakes making your home disorganised?
8. Take stock of what’s in your linen cupboard and medicine cabinet
Work out what’s essential, what you need to ditch and what needs restocking. Take expired medications to the pharmacy for safe disposal.
How to store household linen – however little space you have
Work out what’s essential, what you need to ditch and what needs restocking. Take expired medications to the pharmacy for safe disposal.
How to store household linen – however little space you have
9. Clean out your computer
Delete unnecessary files, clean up your computer’s desktop, empty that little wastebasket, complete your updates and then restart your machine.
Ley likes to clear the photos and videos from her phone and computer, uploading keepers to an online storage service (aka the cloud) and creating a family photobook every year.
Finally, just as you did with your snail mail, prevent more junk from coming in by unsubscribing from those that email too often, setting up Smart Mailboxes to have tempting deals stashed out of your main inbox, and getting some help from an app. Ley recommends Unroll.me.
Delete unnecessary files, clean up your computer’s desktop, empty that little wastebasket, complete your updates and then restart your machine.
Ley likes to clear the photos and videos from her phone and computer, uploading keepers to an online storage service (aka the cloud) and creating a family photobook every year.
Finally, just as you did with your snail mail, prevent more junk from coming in by unsubscribing from those that email too often, setting up Smart Mailboxes to have tempting deals stashed out of your main inbox, and getting some help from an app. Ley recommends Unroll.me.
10. Clear a shelf – then leave it empty
Let an empty shelf you’ve cleared breathe for a while. “Our first instinct is to buy something to fill it, but let it just sit there empty, even though that can feel oddly uncomfortable,” Ley says.
“This is how it feels to have a margin at first, whether it’s an empty shelf or a free hour in your schedule. If you take the time to figure it out, these things will fill up in a better way naturally.” Other chock-full areas can spread out a bit, or something interesting and unexpected will turn up to place there.
For example, after completely clearing her kitchen worktops, Ley let them stay uncovered for a bit. Later she unearthed a tattered and beloved recipe box of her grandmother’s, and now it sits proudly in the kitchen and she admires it and uses it every day.
Let an empty shelf you’ve cleared breathe for a while. “Our first instinct is to buy something to fill it, but let it just sit there empty, even though that can feel oddly uncomfortable,” Ley says.
“This is how it feels to have a margin at first, whether it’s an empty shelf or a free hour in your schedule. If you take the time to figure it out, these things will fill up in a better way naturally.” Other chock-full areas can spread out a bit, or something interesting and unexpected will turn up to place there.
For example, after completely clearing her kitchen worktops, Ley let them stay uncovered for a bit. Later she unearthed a tattered and beloved recipe box of her grandmother’s, and now it sits proudly in the kitchen and she admires it and uses it every day.
Warning: What not to do
The temptation to buy more stuff to help you get organized is strong, but resist! “I’m a big fan of using boxes and bins you can find around the house,” Ley says.
“You might think some magic shoe rack or a set of beautiful little acrylic boxes with lids will solve all your problems, but it probably won’t.”
She’s made this mistake herself. “Now I have around 16 little acrylic boxes with lids in my bathroom and it just doesn’t work. You have to pull them out, remove the lids… I tell you, The Container Store is just full of hope,” she says with a laugh.
The temptation to buy more stuff to help you get organized is strong, but resist! “I’m a big fan of using boxes and bins you can find around the house,” Ley says.
“You might think some magic shoe rack or a set of beautiful little acrylic boxes with lids will solve all your problems, but it probably won’t.”
She’s made this mistake herself. “Now I have around 16 little acrylic boxes with lids in my bathroom and it just doesn’t work. You have to pull them out, remove the lids… I tell you, The Container Store is just full of hope,” she says with a laugh.
Have you tried simplifying your life and home? What worked and what didn’t? Please share your thoughts and tips in the Comments section.
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Why simplify?
People juggling work, home life and other commitments can feel frazzled and “like our hair is on fire,” Emily Ley says. “Creating some margins gives us time to breathe, to love and to be creative.” Ley’s “margins” include a gap in the schedule, an empty shelf or a clear email inbox.
Simplifying life at home requires ruthless clearing out, whether it’s a drawer, a wardrobe, the photos taking up space on your phone or time commitments on your schedule. But the thought of where to begin can be overwhelming.
Ley recommends starting with your house. “After you get your house in order, it will inspire you to create margins in other parts of your life. It will happen naturally,” she says.