How I plan to simplify my life

A horse grazing in a field in the Texas Hill Country, 15 minutes from my house.

I don’t think I’m cut out for modern living. Lately, things just seem like they’re moving too fast: too many options, too much juggling, too many demands, too many  (perceived) have to’s and too much traffic (I just found out Austin is now the 11th biggest city in the US–so much for our old Austin Convention & Visitor’s Bureau slogan, “Austin what the rest of the country had in mind.”)

What’s a girl to do?!

Well I’m not ready–quite yet–to move to the country, but for now as our family navigates many new transitions (one of the biggest being our son starting middle school in the fall) we’re pulling back, slowing down, saying “no” more often and asking ourselves the following questions before the school year launches in mid-August:

• What is most important to us this fall as a family (we’re going to create a simple vision board to help remind and anchor us around our core values)?
• How can I “do less” this fall (read 3 types of stress) and encourage my family members to do the same?
• What low-cost nature respites can we schedule NOW for deep restoration as we navigate a full fall (more on nature, the ultimate antidepressant, in my new book)?
• How can I streamline my businesses and team so things are simpler and more enjoyable (one thing I’ll be doing to simplify is offering more local events–which means less travel; if you’re in Texas, sign up for our Texas events mailing list here)
• What conscious steps can we take now to help us live a more simple life in the years to come? (In how we live, how we build wealth, how we work and how we play.)

When I was researching the latest findings on the science of happiness for my last book, again and again researchers stressed that the simpler things are, the less options we have and the fewer decisions we have to make–the happier we are. Here’s to stove-popped popcorn, cheese cubes and fruit salad for dinner tonight. And a return to a simpler life.

Read more about how to simplify your life (and do less to experience more) in my new book Nurturing the Soul of Your Family–what Christine Carter, PhD, best-selling author of Raising Happiness calls “the ultimate stress management guide for the modern family.”

WANT SUPPORT FOR SIMPLIFYING YOUR LIFE? Join me and Hopeful World Publishing Sept. 16-Oct. 25 for The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal Online Experience. This exciting *new* 6-week interactive, online class is the perfect solution for anyone seeking to reconnect with who they are and dive deep into the power and energy immediately available when we bring our focus back to self-care. Learn more and sign up now; space is limited.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance teachers/speaker author Renée Peterson Trudeau. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping and numerous media outlets. Thousands of women in ten countries are participating in Personal Renewal Groups based on her first book, the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal. Her newest release is Nurturing the Soul of Your Family. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and son. More on her background here.