It's safe to say that we're all here on a journey to find joy in our daily lives. However, sometimes we get caught up in the daily grind and life becomes a little overwhelming. This month, we hope to help you slow down and simplify as you follow along with our Simplify Month challenges!

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So far this year, we've focused on cleaning up our wallets as we focused on finances. We've made a greater effort to grow and nurture relationships as a part of the February challenges. In March, we made an effort to get into better shape as we focused on fitness. Hopefully after last month, your house is feeling a little bit more organized! This month, we just want you to focus on being present and soaking up every single moment.

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It sounds pretty easy, but we've found that slowing down, embracing the moment, and keeping life simple is one of the hardest things for people to do these days. Especially for those who are constantly taking care of the needs of those around them… We're calling it:

MAY IS SIMPLIFY MONTH

So who's ready to take a few things off your plate? Keep reading to find out how to take a few baby steps to simplify your life this month!

Simplifying can be a mighty big challenge.

In today's rush, we all think too much – seek too much – want too much – and forget about the joy of just being.

Eckhart Tolle

In order to really enjoy the present, we need to slow down and embrace the little things.

SIMPLIFY MONTH CALENDAR AND CHALLENGES

Step 1. Print the Simplify Month calendar — if you're not already on the mailing list, SIGN UP HERE to get the May calendar emailed to you. The easiest way to stay updated is to get on the email list and follow along on the blog, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I'll post lots of helpful tips and how-to's there!

Step 2. Follow along! Each week there is one main challenge for you to focus on all week. Plus a bonus challenge, tip, or helpful habit to keep you focused half-way through the week. Then of course, wrap up the week with a simple date or family night to help keep you focused on the people that matter most.

Step 3. As always, adapt the calendar to work for your needs and help you get the most out of the monthly challenge.

Need a little extra encouragement?

It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.

Brene Brown
Take Me to My Free May Simplify Month Calendar!

MAY SIMPLIFY MONTH CALENDAR & CHALLENGES

Have courage, my friend! May is going to be a good month. In fact, May starts on the weekend. Let's kick it off right with a fun family night!

FAMILY TIME

Each weekend, make time for the important things like family time, movie night, and date night. We encourage you to keep your family activities super simple this month. Go out for ice cream or make a treat together, like banana bread. Make an extra effort to connect in simple ways like game night, which is fun and encourages friendly conversation.

We are also challenging you to schedule in a “do-nothing weekend” where you literally clear your schedule of all outside obligations and relax together as a family. Sounds crazy… but these kind of weekends will save your life as they allow you to recharge and deepen emotional connections.

SELF-CARE WEEK

Woman reading a book in bed, from Fun Cheap or Free

It's time to focus on YOU! Self-care is so important for your mental and physical health. Schedule in 30 minutes of daily you-time and make it happen! Write it in your block schedule or Productivity Planner. Add it to the calendar on your phone and set a reminder. Set up a timer to go off at the same time every day.

It might be the last 30 minutes before you go to bed or it might be on your lunch hour, but take time for YOU this week. Do whatever works to make this happen and get some much-needed you-time! Understandably, there might be huge obstacles to this task, but you deserve the time, friend! Find a friend to trade babysitting with, or wake up early — you are worth it!

Here are some affordable self-care ideas:

MAKE A LIST

This is the perfect opportunity to sit down and take a good 5-10 minutes to make a list of ways to be mindful. Simply open a notebook, grab your favorite pen, and start writing a list of ways that you personally can slow down and be mindful this month.

DELEGATE WEEK

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Choose three things you can delegate to someone else this week—then get to delegating! We all have a lot on our plates, but we're surrounded by people that have skills. We don't have to do everything on our own. What can you easily delegate that will actually make a difference?

Here are a few ways that you can successfully share the load and delegate to others:

  • Ask kids to help around the house — check out this list of chores kids can do by age!
  • Enlist your family to help with dinner each night.
  • Hire a teenager to watch the kids so you can get some free time.
  • Find a carpool group you trust and take turns dropping the kids off instead of doing it every day.
  • This is a little out of the box, but Get Your Pretty On will take over the daunting task of deciding what to wear every day! Let them hook you up with a wardrobe plan that is beautiful and easy to follow!
  • Have Walmart Grocery employees shop for, bag up, and load your groceries into your car!
  • Do a meal swap! Get together with some friends and make ahead several meals and swap them out. You'll all go home with easy dinners.

UNPLUG AT NIGHT

This mid–week challenge is a super helpful habit to get into. Plug your phone in at 8 pm and don't touch it for the rest of the night. Not only will this help you sleep better, but this will allow you a little time to unwind without any distractions, which means you might be able to get more done the next day!

LEARN HOW TO MULTITASK THE RIGHT WAY

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Simplify your life and boost your productivity by learning how to multitask the right way! Choose two mindless tasks, pair them together, and knock 'em out to save time and your sanity. Bonus points if you're listening to your favorite Podcast as one of the activities! 😉

SIMPLIFY MEAL TIME

Instead of running away with your hands up or crying in the corner during the most hectic and sometimes dreaded part of the day, make dinner easier! Take a few minutes and prep easy meals that your family loves. Use the crockpot to make meals easier, meal plan, prepare double and freeze one for later, or have brinner (aka breakfast for dinner). Do whatever you can to make your mealtime easier and more enjoyable for YOU!

If you really want to simplify your meal planning process, check out our new and amazing Shelf Cooking Meal Plan! Every week you'll have recipes and a grocery list delivered to your inbox, freeing up your time and energy to focus on the things that matter most!

CLEAR THE AIR WEEK

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For the last challenge of simplify month, it's time to identify a pain point and solve it! Try a brain dump to figure out what it is you want to work on. This might be the hardest challenge of the month, but you're going to feel like a million bucks when you're done. 

When all is said and done, just remember these words:

Instead of spinning your wheels trying to get everything done, focus your effort on getting the right things done.

Greg Mckeown

HOW DID SIMPLIFY MONTH GO FOR YOU?

Be sure to take a minute to do another thought download and reflect on how your month went. Reflecting now will help you see how far you've come and might help you decide to make a few of these challenges into habits.

We want to see how you're doing! Post your progress on Instagram and/or Facebook this month using the hashtags #Focusedin2021 and #SimplifyMonth.

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Looking for even more posts to better your life?

Now go take some you-time!

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