25 Ways To Make Life Easier For You & Your Family

There isn’t a single person who doesn’t want to make life easier for themselves and their families. Am I right?

Juggling work, family and social obligations can be tough and honestly sometimes it feels as though there’s never enough time in the day to get everything done.

Some people might think that living a simple life just isn’t possible in today’s world, but I believe it is and that it’s the best way to live, maybe even the only way to live.

When it comes to making life easier, there are many things you can do. Whether it’s simplifying your days, prioritising what matters or just being prepared, these tips will help make your life a little bit easier.

When I started actioning these ways to make life easier, I found myself feeling less stressed, overwhelmed and like I had more time to do the things that really mattered.

Don’t get me wrong, life isn’t all peachy and perfect all the time, but it has become a lot easier than it used to be.

While some of these may not be right for you, some will be just what you need. You don’t have to try all 25 at the same time, take a few at a time and see what works best for you and your family.

You might also like:

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• Simple Ways To Be Intentional With Your Time, Energy & Money
• 10 Simple Steps to Creating a Minimalist Family Home
• The Importance of Letting Go of Expectations
• 50 Life Mottos To Live By For A Happier Life
• How to Love Your Home Again: 12 Ways to Rekindle Your Love for Your Home

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Here are 25 ways you can start to make life easier for you and your family today.

1. Declutter

When your home is cluttered, it can be stressful and overwhelming. It’s hard to relax or focus when you’re surrounded by mess.

But when your home is decluttered, it’s peaceful and calming. You’ll instantly feel more relaxed and at ease.

It’s not just your home that should be decluttered. Other aspects of your life should be decluttered too.

Decluttering your home will make it easier to clean and more functional. Decluttering your life will do the same thing, making it less stressful so you can focus on what matters most to you.

The following posts can help you start decluttering in order to make your life easier:

• A Minimalist List Of Things To Get Rid Of
• Overwhelmed by Clutter? Getting to the Root of Your Clutter Problem
• How To Declutter Your House In One Day: Room To Room

2. Don’t overcommit yourself

The truth is that there are only so many hours in a day and there’s only so much you can do.

How many times have you said ‘yes’ when people ask you to do something for them? How often do you agree to things that you really don’t have time for?

Oftentimes, we say yes because we feel obliged to or maybe because we want to seem like a nice person. We want to be able to say no and spend time doing things that we really need to do, not just what other people want us to do.

If you’re overcommitted, then your schedule will be jam-packed with things you don’t actually need or want to do. You won’t be able to relax or enjoy the things you really love doing because you’ll spend all your time working on someone else’s goals, not your own.

To make your everyday life easier on yourself and your family, try saying no when people ask for help or offer for you to do something. It may seem difficult at first, but you’ll be able to enjoy the things that matter most to you and make life easier for yourself.

3. Budget

Budgeting is one of the best ways to make life easier for your family. When you budget, it gives you a better idea of where your money goes and helps you set aside money for when things come up.

Not only that, but it can save you time (and even stress) by helping you avoid making unnecessary purchases or spending more than necessary.

If you’re like most people, you could use a little extra money to do the things you enjoy or to save up for something special. Budgeting is the way to achieve this.

When you budget, it makes it much harder to go back on your word because you’re aware of where all your money goes and what’s left over. This means you’ll be less likely to make a purchase that’s unnecessary or not in your budget.

Get the whole family involved when coming up with a budget. The kids don’t need to know the exact figures but by helping to come up with a budget, they’ll feel more included and will be more likely to understand.

Read also: 10 Ways to Achieve Financial Minimalism

4. Eliminate distractions

TV, social media, the internet, mobile phones – these days it’s almost impossible to go more than 5 minutes without encountering some sort of distraction.

Your attention is limited; you only have so much time in a day and when you’re constantly bombarded by distractions, you use up your valuable energy on things that don’t really matter.

Get rid of the distractions, disconnect from social media, so you can focus on what matters. You’ll save time by not wasting it on unimportant things and you’ll be able to better direct your energy towards what will truly make your life easier.

5. Exercise regularly

Exercise doesn’t just keep you fit; it also has many benefits that extend into making life easier.

For starters, it allows you to think more clearly and make better decisions. It also gives you more energy (who doesn’t want that?).

Research has shown that regular exercise releases endorphins; feel-good hormones in the brain. You’ll feel better about yourself and be more confident in your new healthy lifestyle.

Get the whole family involved in getting outdoors and exercising. It doesn’t have to be a regimented thing; even going for a walk on the weekend will do you good. 

6. Take time for yourself

It’s easy to put everyone else first – your family, friends, work colleagues – but it’s important to take some time for yourself too.

This is something that can be very difficult if you have a busy schedule, but you need to get away sometimes.

Find time each week or month for some ‘me’ time; doing something that’s just for you will help maintain balance in your life and ensure that your needs are being met too.

7. Delegate more

As a working adult, there are a million and one things you have to do. It’s easy to let some of these fall through the cracks or get forgotten altogether because you’re just too busy.

And not to generalise too much but if you’re a working mother the chances are that you’re taking on even more responsibilities than the average adult.

This is hardly ever a good thing; every task on your list has an intended purpose and if it doesn’t get done, that means something else has to take its place.

The trick is to get help from the people around you, especially your family. It can be hard to delegate everyday tasks like housework and cooking but it will free up your time for more important things. While your family might not love the idea of taking on extra responsibility, getting everything done together and having more time to spend time together is a win win situation and will ultimately make life easier.

8. Simplify your schedule

If you spend every day rushing from place to place and working longer hours than planned, your schedule is probably already packed to the brim.

This means you’re not able to do the important things, like spending time with family or friends, spending time on yourself or pursuing your goals. It’s important to schedule time for rest and relaxation. You can’t work all the time.

While it’s great to go full-throttle sometimes in order to get things done, you need to give your brain some downtime or else you’ll burn out quickly. This goes for all the family. Kids who are overextended with after school activities can suffer burn out too.

A simple schedule where there are only a few things on the agenda will help everyone. Simplifying your schedule will allow you to focus on what matters most and help make life easier for everyone involved by making sure there’s more downtime.

9. Stop procrastinating

Procrastination is one of the worst things you can do for your productivity.

More often, when you put things off until later, they don’t get done. If they don’t get done, you have to take time out of your day to fix them or make up for lost time by working late.

There are a few ways to go about stopping procrastination, including breaking tasks down into smaller chunks, focusing on one task at a time and getting rid of distractions – don’t check your Facebook page every 5 minutes!

10. Be intentional with your time

Often we get so caught up in life that we forget why we’re doing what we’re doing. It’s easy to go through the motions, doing what you think is expected of you without actually stopping and thinking about why you’re doing it.

A step back will allow you to see things more clearly; not only your goals but also your priorities.

You’ll be able to direct your positive energy towards things that are truly important instead of wasting time on things that don’t matter.

Being intentional with your time can help improve your quality of life and make things a whole lot easier.

11. Re-evaluate your priorities

Do you know what the most important thing is in your life?

There are several different ways to make this assessment, including writing a list of all your priorities and putting them in order of importance or sitting down with your partner and asking yourselves some difficult questions.

Often, once your reevaluate your priorities, you might find that things that seemed important before aren’t really worth the trouble or time.

If it’s not something you truly need, then remove it from your life and simplify things. Your new streamlined lifestyle will be so much easier than before.

12. Plan ahead

One of the biggest problems we face is trying to do everything at once.

If you’ve ever found yourself in a situation where you’re trying to juggle too many different things, then planning ahead will help tremendously. If you can work out when your most productive hours are and schedule tasks accordingly, it makes life so much easier.

And this doesn’t just go for planning your everyday tasks. Planning for your future is also important. Planning your finances, saving up for something you want, setting goals to aim for – all of these things are more manageable if you schedule them in advance.

13. Be realistic about your goals

It’s easy to become so caught up in all our ‘must-do’ lists and ambitious plans that we forget to stop and ask ourselves if these things are actually realistic.

If you’re going to be a doctor, it’s unrealistic to expect you’ll finish medical school in a couple of years or that you’ll get paid a fortune if you complete your first shift at the hospital.

Following through on any goal is difficult enough without adding unnecessary things onto it. Be honest about what you’re capable of achieving in a certain time frame and what you can’t. It will help keep things in perspective and eliminate unnecessary stress that might set any progress back because you just can’t seem to find the time or energy for it.

14. Find ways to reduce stress

Stress is a challenge for everyone at some point in their life, but there are ways to drastically reduce it.

There are lots of different strategies you can use to lessen your stress levels and boost your energy levels, including little things like going for a walk when you have a free moment and spending time with friends and family.

However, one of the best things you can do is take a step back and see if there are any changes you can make in your everyday life to ease the pressure.

For example, if working long hours with no time off is adding unnecessary stress onto your shoulders, consider cutting back on how much you work. It’s all well and good taking time out to destress but if you can’t deal with what’s causing the stress in the first place, it’s only a short term solution and not adding much benefit or easing your life.

15. Enjoy the little things

It’s easy to feel bogged down with our hectic lives and the huge amount of things we have to do so it’s no wonder that sometimes, we forget to take a step back and enjoy what life has given us.

Whether you’re going for a walk on the beach with your family or just enjoying a board game after work, these small moments can be hugely enjoyable.

The funny thing is, the simpler your life gets, the more you end up appreciating those little things that make your life worth living.

16. Keep a clean house

Once your home is clean, life just seems so much easier.

The problem is that keeping a clean house can be difficult and time consuming. To have any chance of keeping on top of it all you need to come up with some systems that work for you.

I spend 15 minutes every evening to put everything back in its place and clean down the counters. This means I’m spending very little time and when I get up the next morning, everything is clean and tidy.

The more you can keep on top of things like cleaning, and sticking to regular household routines, the less time you’ll need to spend doing it during your free time.

17. Don’t compare yourself

Comparing yourself to others can be a dangerous thing because it’s often not a fair fight.

Everyone has a unique set of talents and skills that they bring, as well as their own personal struggles that you know nothing about.

It’s easy to look at other people and feel like you’re falling short but if you take some time to get to know these people, it quickly becomes apparent that they’re not always where you think they are.

So compare yourself to yourself and make sure you’re doing your best every single day, and don’t let anyone else bring you down. Challenge yourself to do something better every day, even if it’s just making your bed every single morning.

18. Express gratitude frequently

Gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions that can shape your perspective on life. When you’re grateful for what you have, you appreciate everything you have more.

Everyone has different things they’re grateful for but at the end of the day, it’s about finding those things that make you appreciate life and reminding yourself every day.

I like to write down one thing I’m grateful for at the end of each day as a reminder that there were some good things that happened and I want to take this opportunity to recognise them.

When you’re happy with what you and your family have and not focusing on what you don’t have, it will make life easier in the long run. Happiness is the ultimate goal.

19. Live in the moment

Take time to appreciate the present moment because when it’s gone, it’s gone forever. That might seem like a cliché but being in the moment is more than just a saying it’s something you can practice every day.

When you’re doing mundane tasks at work or around the house, take 10 minutes to notice all the things around you and appreciate everything that goes on.

It might sound simple but slowing down and living in the moment can have huge benefits for your life

Sharing a laugh with your family over dinner, taking a moment to relax or going for a walk in the park all become a lot more enjoyable when you take the time to appreciate them.

20. Let go of expectations

Expectations can be something that hold us back because no one is perfect. And when you expect things of yourself and others, it becomes easy to let your guard down and be disappointed.

I like to have a tidy house, because it gives me a sense of peace to know that everything is in the right place.

But I’ve had to let go of expectations of having everything clean all the time or at least perfectly clean. It’s okay to have a messy house every now and again as long as you do your best.

You can apply this to situations at work and in your family life. As long as everyone is trying their best, you can’t expect more than that and it will make life easier for everyone involved.

22. Prioritise your health

We’re all guilty of paying more attention to other people or other things and not prioritising our health. I am definitely guilty of this!

And that doesn’t just mean your physical health, it applies to your mental health also. When you’re healthy, it’s easier to do everything else. In order to go out and achieve your goals, achieving good health is part of that. And if you aren’t feeling well mentally or physically then it limits what you can do.

So try and spend a few minutes thinking about how healthier habits will impact your life. Whether it’s going for a walk when you get home from work or cutting back on sugar, making that doctor’s appointment you’ve been meaning to make.

You may not feel the difference in your day to day life but when you do, it will make a big difference to how you live and enjoy life.

23. Prep meals in advance

I know this isn’t an idea that’s going to be revolutionary to everyone but it’s definitely something that has impacted me a lot. Preparing meals in advance can not only save you money, but it can also improve your health and even reduce stress levels.

I try to batch cook dinners every week and it benefits in so many ways. It removes difficult decisions when it comes to meal time, it eliminates the chances of making an unhealthy meal and it frees up time in the evenings. Preparing meals ahead of time is a sure way to make life easier for the whole family.

24. Establish boundaries

It’s important to set boundaries and to learn how and when to enforce them. This will help you create a more positive environment for yourself and the other people in your life.

Overextending yourself by being the ‘yes person’ all the time isn’t healthy. It’s much better to say ‘no’ sometimes, admit when you can’t do something or realise that you have other priorities in life so you don’t need to be involved with everything.

It can be difficult to enforce boundaries, especially when people get upset or offended. But without these boundaries in place, it’s difficult to maintain healthy relationships.

25. Live honestly

Likely the number one thing you can do to make your life easier is to live honestly.

This doesn’t mean you need to tell everyone everything about yourself, but living with integrity and telling the truth will bring positive results in your personal and professional life.

Being honest means not ignoring your feelings or emotions because it’s easier than dealing with them. It also means not ignoring things that you know should be addressed.

By living honestly and staying true to yourself and your beliefs, you’ll find life a lot easier and more fulfilling.

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These 25 tips are just some of the ways you can make life easier for you and your family. Apply them as often as possible so you can enjoy a better sense of wellbeing and an easier way of living.