3 Routines I've Used to Simplify My Life

Dispensing Simplicity in a Complex World...My Birthday Gift to You!

This week I celebrated my 39th birthday. It’s my last year in this decade, and I expect a giant celebration for my next birthday, okay?! I remember learning while I was a kid that it was “rude” to ask adults how old they were because grownups didn't like to talk about their age. Maybe it is. Oh well.

It’s true that birthdays can be bittersweet for many people. For some, more bitter than sweet. It may be a reminder of unrealized dreams that you thought you would have accomplished by now. It might be another milestone of missing a loved one. Or, it simply might sting to realize how short this life is and how quickly it passes by.

Honestly, though, it’s a privilege to count ourselves another year older. After all, what is more worth celebrating than this one wild and precious LIFE we have been given? In the spirit of my birthday celebration, I want to share a little gift with you. It’s a gift that has greatly improved my life and something I crave more and more as I age: the gift of SIMPLICITY.

I want to share 3 areas (one for every decade of my life thus far) where I have implemented ways to simplify my mindset in this complex world.

1. Movement is where the magic is, but don’t overcomplicate it. Exercise doesn’t have to look like a Crossfit competition or an expensive gym membership to count (but it can, if that’s your thing)! In my life, I’ve been a marathoner, half- marathoner, tri-athlete, and competitive swimmer. I’ve held expensive gym memberships or then exclusively relied on my Peloton. But honestly, movement has evolved as my life seasons have changed. Right now, I am simply loving a long morning walk each day with my Golden Retriever and weekend hikes with my family (with some strength training thrown in on some days). These simple ways to move benefit my mental health as much as my physical health. And they remind me that I don’t always have to be chasing after a certain race PR, a specific physique, or a goal weight to be healthy.
   
   Sure, as the weather cools down, I’ll inevitably lace up my running shoes (shameless seasonal runner, currently) and maybe even get a race on the calendar. But overall, simply moving my body in a way that is enjoyable is the exercise I will stick with the most. So move your body in an active way every day, but don’t overcomplicate it. (And I highly recommend getting a Golden Retriever who will literally bring you your running shoes to keep you accountable on the days when you thought you’d just skip that walk…)

2. Create simple meal themes, not complicated meal plans. Okay, hear me out on this one. Some of you thrive on finding new recipes and spending hours on the weekend prepping food for the week. Not this gal. Instead, I:
   
   a) married a man who truly enjoys spending time in the kitchen and creating new culinary adventures
   b.) stick to preparing simple meals that I know work for my family
   c.) play great music or a podcast while cooking to convince myself it’s fun
   d.) all of the above
   
   For some reason, the people in my house just keep needing to eat and I keep needing to plan, so here’s my go to: nightly themes that are the same most every single week, which takes out the decision fatigue of which category to cook. Still, it gives us flexibility to rotate through different proteins, seasonal vegetables, and combinations of meals in that category. When we are using this system well, it can look something like this:

   Monday: breakfast for dinner
   Tuesday: tacos / taco salad
   Wednesday: slow cooker or sheet pan (protein + veggies)
   Thursday: date night / kid + babysitter choice
   Friday: pizza or pasta
   Saturday: seafood
   Sunday: snack supper / giant charcuterie board / leftovers
   

3. Put relationship priorities into an ongoing rhythm instead of waiting to schedule them. For example, I am so grateful to have both of my parents in good health and living close by. They are so involved with their grandkids, that sometimes it can be easy to overlook the fact that I haven’t personally connected with them outside of kid-related exchanges. So, we implemented “Walking Wednesday.” Every Wednesday, I meet my parents and go for a 3 mile walk where we have time to truly invest in connecting with each other. I know that even though our weekend soccer sideline conversations may be brief, I will see them on Wednesday to walk and talk.
   
   Another group of my longtime friends schedules monthly “Dinner Club,” which is now going on 10 years! It isn’t as fancy as it sounds, but we simply rotate eating dinner together at different restaurants every single month. Then, at each dinner we set the date for the following month. It’s on the calendar and it’s an automatic way to make sure we stay connected, even if we don’t see each other in between.

   
   Other rhythms I look forward to are: Thursday date nights (currently rotating with another friend couple, where we trade off watching each other’s kids), Friday night movie night with my family (sometimes on the couch with popcorn, sometimes outside with our projector and screen around the fire pit), and Sunday night “family meetings” where we talk about the upcoming week.

By simplifying these 3 areas I have less decision fatigue and am able to keep my physical, mental, and relational health as priorities. It’s not always easy, but it doesn’t have to be super complicated. In what ways have you simplified your one wild and precious life in this crazy, complex world? I would love to know!

Cheers to 39 years…and gladly counting,

Leigh