Skip to main content

4 Ways to Simplify Your Metropolitan Life in 2019

January 10, 2019

If you’re living in a metropolitan area like Columbus, it can sometimes feel like your life is moving at a hundred miles per hour. There’s always something going on. Always somewhere you could be. And while it’s certainly a fun way to live, it can eventually feel exhausting and overwhelming.

By indulging in a fast-paced life, we often sacrifice important things like tidiness, sleep and control. But it doesn’t always have to be like that. With a new year giving way to new goals and refined behaviors, you can achieve an updated lifestyle that focuses on being cleaner and more minimalistic–resulting in less anxiety and more time for betterment, relaxation and fun.

If you’re hoping to simplify your metropolitan life in 2019, follow these four simple tips to achieve success.

 

  1. Embrace the Purge

No, we’re not talking about a night where crime is legal. Embracing the purge means accepting the fact that you have too much clutter, and actively taking steps to reduce it. There’s a popular minimalist saying, “The less you own, the less that owns you.” And it’s true.

Imagine the difference between walking into an apartment that’s neat and tidy instead of cluttered and chaotic. By taking inventory of the unneeded items in your apartment and systematically donating or throwing them out, you’ll eliminate those anxiety-inducing feelings of messiness and notice a huge weight lifted off your shoulders.

  1. Focus on New Experiences, Not New Things

A study conducted by the Harris Group found that 72% of Millennials prefer spending money on new experiences than on new things. But this figure doesn’t just apply to young people. Across the board, people are generally happier when they pursue experiences over material possessions.

A night out on the town with friends. A technology-free day relaxing with loved ones. A concert at a local venue. A trip spent in nature. Prioritizing what you’re doing to do over what you’re going to buy is key to living a more simplistic life and instilling a fuller sense of purpose.

 

  1. Reset Your Daily Routine

Every single person has a daily routine, whether they know it or not. Close your eyes and picture some of the things you do each day or take note as you’re doing them. Which activities are positive? Which are negative? While identifying the negatives is the easy part, it’s much more difficult to eliminate them from your life.

To help reset your routine, use a list app or notepad to add the things you want to do each day and follow it. This could be exercising, eating better, cleaning, etc. It typically takes 21 straight days for a habit to form, so it’s important to try and stick to your list, lest you fall back into familiar and negative habits.

  1. Become More Active 

Working out is often touted as a new year’s resolution cliché. But being active is a popular goal for so many people because it’s truly beneficial to several areas of your life–including simplifying it. By joining a great gym (in Columbus, it’s the Arena District Athletic Club) and consistently going, you’ll gain the energy and mental state needed to get all of the above items done.

When you go out and live an active lifestyle, you’ll receive a strongly satisfying feeling when you return to the sanctuary of your clean, well-maintained and simplified apartment. The discipline and motivation you learn from consistent fitness will allow you to continue your simplified lifestyle well beyond 2019.