Every year I choose a theme or keyword for that year and for 2020 my theme is creativity. Having a key theme for your year or month is a great way to start keeping things simple and focused.
Years ago, I used to blog about my travels and life in Australia, but as life and work got busy, that creative writing fell away. So I decided to pick it back up again and hold myself accountable to not just thinking about creativity, but sharing it as well. Check out my first YouTube video here if you’re curious to listen in.
So, what about that key question? How do I simplify my life in 2020 and beyond? My answer would be to welcome simplicity into your life. This is not going to happen overnight, but it’s been the most helpful tool for me over the past few years. I find that it’s best to approach simplicity from 2 angles:
- To simplify things is a way of life. It’s asking yourself some basic questions as you encounter clutter, noise, decisions and other things in your day to day life. Some of those helpful questions might be “How important is this for me and those I love?” or “Is this something I should be focusing on right now?“.
- Simplification is also a helpful process. It’s about looking at different areas of your life (ideally one at a time) and clearing out, organising and nurturing the parts of your life that needs some extra attention.
My partner Paul and I have both been on the simplification / minimalism / essentialism journey for a few years now, and I’ve noticed that I have worked through both of the above approaches in tandem during most of that time.
Here in my blog and YouTube videos you will find that the underlying theme will always be simplicity. Each week I’ll unpack a particular tool that will help you get more organised, have more clarity and simply get down to what’s really important.
The key themes you’ll see coming back are:
- Budgeting and finance. We need to know our finances well to know what we have as well as what we want going forward.
- Organisation and structure. This covers home, digital, calendars and a bunch of other things. When we organise our physical and digital space our mind tends to settle a bit.
- Health and well-being. This is key for a happy life if you ask me, without our health it does not matter how rich we are. In this area we’ll cover meal prep, exercise, mental well being and mindset. I’ve worked as a coach for many years, so I’ve got lots to share here!
- Travel, expat life and exploring. I moved away from my native Sweden in 2007 and had travelled lots before that as well. To travel and explore is something my partner and I love, and I’ll share some of our adventures and plans with you here too.
- Sustainability and environment. To try and reduce my footprint on this planet is key for me. There are so many ways to achieve that with day to day decisions, from how we grocery shop to how we dress or travel.
In a world where so many people feel lonely, let’s share that journey to simplify (including the many obstacles it comes with!) and slowly improve together. I’m only human and I’d like to share the things I’ve learned and implemented in my life with you if you’d like to join in!