downsize – Mind Beauty Simplicity

It’s the start of a new year, which commonly stands for a fresh start. And one of the best & sure fire ways to see change is to simplify life. And from personal experience, I’ve discovered simplifying can be done in a multitude of categories. Last year, I shared 15 Ways to Simplify Your Life & it received so much praise that I wanted to share 15 more ways for this new year.

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Here are 15 More Ways to Simplify Your Life in 2023

1. Create a Vision Board

I find vision boards & collages to be a creative & visual representation of my goals & aspirations. It takes me back to the days where I would spend hours cutting out magazines & making collages that I would hang on my bedroom door or closet. Back then, it was usually photos of the Jonas Brothers or Zac Efron, but I digress. Whether it’s digitally on Pinterest or done the old fashion way, I think vision boards are a fun way to really ask yourself what you want to accomplish or strive for & the new year is one of the perfect times to do that.

2. Downsize Your Digital Footprint

We tend to focus on the physical clutter when we are simplifying our lives & tend to neglect our digital space. In the new year, look through your social media platforms & let go of the ones you aren’t using or ones that aren’t benefiting you. Go through your followers & mute or unfollow those who aren’t inspiring you or are providing a negative pool. I also recommend cleaning up your devices, desktops, files, photos etc to make space for new memories & projects in 2023. If you are looking for specific decluttering tips in the digital space, click here to read 15 Ways To Downsize Your Digital Space.

3. Let Go of Clothing You Don’t Love or Use

I love closet declutters! As we know by the countless blog posts I have about said topic like 30 Items You Don’t Need in Your Wardrobe I find it so refreshing to let go of clothing that doesn’t fit, is worn out, or has simply met it’s expiration date. Make space for new items, a fresh style & one that works with your lifestyle in the present moment.

4. Prioritize Relationships That Lift You Up

Life is too short to place your time & energy on people who don’t deserve it. Focus on the ones who lift you up, encourage & help you grow into the person you wish to be. When we waste time on those who bring us down, we are only hurting ourselves.

5. Let Go Of Habits You No Longer Want to Entertain

Every time I think about this point, I picture people rushing for that gym membership on January 1st. And then by March, they are back to their usual routines. My biggest suggestion with letting go of old habits & striving for new ones, is to be realistic. Take baby steps if possible in the direction you want to be in. Habits are better formed this way then going full force all at once. Whether it’s adding a few healthier options on the grocery list or carving out a few hours in your day being active – these small changes will keep the enjoyment alive.

6. Say No More Often

I talked about this concept in my 11 Things I Intentionally Say No To blog post & I’m reiterating this fact because saying no is so powerful. I used to be quite the people pleaser & thought I had to accept every invitation or request that was presented to me. News flash, saying yes to everything simply causes intense burn out. So, in the new year say no more often & put your self care & rest time above certain things. Pleasing people won’t give you more friends, it only hurts yourself.

7. Learn to Gift More Practically

Living a simple life means not allowing excess clutter to enter your home or someone else’s. I’ve learned to gift & shop more practically by choosing clutter free alternatives. During the holidays, I shared 50 Clutter Free Gift Ideas that can inspire any gift related holiday in the future. I’ve learned gifting practically saves you money & allows you to shop smarter.

8. Shop Smarter

When we feed into consumerism & trends of society, we tend to over shop which can become detrimental to our bank accounts. By living a more minimalist life, I’ve learned I can live without so many things society tells us we should have. I prioritize the essentials & even find cheaper & more efficient alternatives. Not to mention when we shop smarter, we are helping the environment as well [ especially if it’s sustainable alternatives]. Check out this blog post on sustainable alternatives & plastic free swaps here.

9. Slow Down Your Routines

Society makes us feel like we need to be busy all the time. We need to be doing more & productively become faster. This is not the case. It’s actually more productive when we slow down some & take our time. Allow ourselves those breaks so burn out doesn’t fester. One of my favorite things to do is have slow mornings on the weekend or whenever I can. I’ll make a warm beverage & just sit in silence for a few minutes before my day really starts. Instead of rushing through our tasks, we should learn to savor them.

10. Stop Keeping Up With The Trends

You don’t need the new Ugg ultra minis or flair leggings. You don’t need to the newest iPhone if yours is still working great. Only buy trends if you genuinely love it. Otherwise, you are wasting your money on items that will go out of style in a few months or you’ll just get tired of. Stick with classics & buy items that make you happy & fit your style. If certain trends do that for you, great!

11. Lessen Your Screen Time

Downsizing my social media & intentionally choosing other activities other than looking at my phone or laptop screen has helped me stay grounded & relax more often. As a blogger, it’s tough because I’m always in front of my laptop typing away. But I try& schedule in time for reading a good book or spending quality time with family & my husband. Getting lost in good conversation is one of my favorite things & sometimes we can forget that act of connection when we are starring at our phones all the time.

12. Get Outdoors

I want to take more walks in the new year & get outdoors more often. I love going on hikes or just walking through the neighborhood. It’s so healthy to get that fresh air & vitamin d. And I think it’s something we tend to forget. In the dark winters especially, I find short walks to be so relaxing & help me get through the season depression that tends to creep in when it gets darker earlier.

13. Focus on Experiences

Focusing on experiences over material items opens yourself up to making new memories, stepping outside your comfort zone & evolving as a person. I love spending money on experiences & trips over new clothing or makeup now a days. In my honeymoon blog post to Maui, I talked about how the best money to spend in with traveling. And it’s so true. When you let go of the notion to add more clutter into your home & instead venture out and see the world, you are expanding your horizons & getting a taste of what else is out there. And you aren’t creating physical baggage for yourself that will weigh you down.

14. Downsize Your Products

I love simple routines for the efficiency & the quickness. As someone who has rather sensitive skin, I rarely like to experiment with new products & have an array of items to choose from. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” stands true with my lifestyle & my wallet also has thanked me. The concept of decision fatigue can really wear at us & so when we have less to choose from, it becomes easier for us to then focus on the parts of life that matter even more.

15. Live in the Moment

A habit I’m trying to enforce more in the new year is being more present & living in the moment. I think we all tend to live in the mindset of “what’s next?” when we really need to be focusing on the “right now.” How many times do you find yourself scrolling your phone mindlessly instead of engaging in heartfelt conversation? All of a sudden the voices around you sound like the adults in the Peanut specials & you missed every word someone said. Not only is that rude, but you are doing yourself a disservice of escaping from the present moment. Stop rushing your life & worrying about the future so hard. It’s good to plan & have goals, but I think we tend to forget that our future is based on what we do in the present.

How do you plan to simplify your life this year?

-B

This past year has taught me two things: i only have one face & to embrace my natural beauty. More often than not, you would have found me bare faced & wearing sweats. This is why my Project 333 Challenge went so well. I realized when the new year came, I really needed to clean house of my makeup BIG TIME.

Youtube was the culprit to my overindulgence of makeup purchases. I always wanted the newest thing, every brand & have my drawers filled to the brim. I was a follower, idolizing other people’s collections. But as I got older, I realized the waste that went into this “hobby”.

Products Expire

The thing that never occurred to me, like food, makeup had an expiration date as well. On every bottle or compact, there is a photo with a time frame on it. If you hold onto these products for too long & apply them to your face, you can irritate your skin. So, please read the labels & clean house regularly.

It Goes to Waste

Since products have an expiration date, I noticed how many items sat in drawers untouched. Instead of wanting to finish a product, I’d always want to try different ones. Now, I make a point to try & “hit pan” on compacts & empty my bottles of foundations. The project pan community taught me how difficult it is to actually finish a product & how much waste there is. This past year, I made a point to purchase less makeup in my low buy year. I managed to get through tons of items this way, which in turn, downsized my collection in half. I’m all about decluttering when you no longer want something, but if you can use it up instead, I find that to be the more sustainable option.

Don’t Believe the Hype

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve have the urge to go to Ulta or Sephora just because of the notoriety surrounding said item. If it looks pretty to the eye & tons of people rave about it, I needed my hands on it. But I slowly realized influencers who promote certain products are simply getting paid. And sadly, sometimes the reviews are bogus. There are only a few people whose opinions I trust. Colorpop for example releases new eyeshadow palettes like they grow on trees. They recently came out with a Mandalorian collaboration. And as much as I love the Child, I knew it would be a waste to own these eyeshadows. Especially when I already own 10 palettes with an array of colors. Something I did get rid of were Urban Decay eyeliners from the Game of Thrones collaboration. I bought them solely for the love of the show & only used them once. Only buy them if you know you will 100% use them up. Otherwise it’s a waste of money & space.

Not All Makeup Is Flattering

Remember when orange eyeshadows were a thing? Yea, well I finally did a way with red toned eyeshadows because on my face, I looked like I was suffering from pink eye. Makeup is supposed to enhance your beauty. Why buy things that will decrease your confidence? It doesn’t matter if it seems to work for the majority of the population, if you don’t feel great in it, there’s no need to keep it around.

This month, I was going to be brutal with this Declutter. No exceptions. And I’m really proud of myself. I managed to get rid of some tough ones. Hyped makeup everyone loves like Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop & the Naked Basics palette. But they were super old & needed to go. I loved them for a long time but it was time to move on. I also got rid of 10 brushes! I realized I didn’t use half of them & I bought them for the sole purpose they were pretty.

I hope this post gives you motivation to declutter your Makeup Collections. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Tag: downsize

15 More Ways to Simplify Your Life for the New Year