For those of you who have been following my articles, you know my journey with minimalism started this year and I have loved learning how to declutter my physical belongings as well as search for ways to declutter mentally. Self-care is a huge topic in society right now with all the busy schedules life presents us with. It is important to learn how to say no to some demands in order to recharge, refresh, and reset so you can perform better after.

Okay, so self-care and minimalism, how are they related? I took the past few weeks to test out what reducing certain activities or habits (minimizing) would do to help me practice self-care a bit more.

1. Multitasking was an enemy

I use to take pride in being able to accomplish two or three tasks at the same time. For example, stretching out at the end of the day while listening to a lecture for class the next day while responding to an email. The result? I barely obtained any of the lecture content, was more prone to grammatical errors in the email, and was not paying close enough attention to the stretches I was sitting in. So I decided to be more task-oriented in the sense of focusing on a single task. I was pleased with the outcome because I was getting things done faster and more diligently.

So try it, try minimizing the number of tasks being worked on simultaneously.

2. Apps can clutter your phone and your thoughts...

Not going to lie, I am the queen of finding the newest and coolest productivity, fitness, or social media apps. I love trying out new apps and finding the best ways to utilize them. It wasn't until my fiance looked at my phone the other day and commented on the number of apps I had on my phone. He started asking what I did with them, and honestly, most of them I barely used once a week. So, I decided to minimize the number of apps on my phone. This included all social media apps, several unused fitness apps, and other random apps I thought I would open more frequently. The happy result? More storage on my phone for music, something I count on listening to multiple times a day, plus no overcrowded app boxes!

3. Social Media

I know what you are thinking, ugh, she said it, not social media! Well, yes, I said it because I tried it and loved it. Goodbye Snapchat, see you later Instagram, talk to you soon Facebook, ta-ta for now Twitter. Not having to answer to notifications or fall in the trap of constant feed checking was a breath of fresh air. It decluttered my thoughts because I wasn't focused on sharing what I was up to 24/7 and see what my friends were up to. Want to know a secret? It's actually really nice to be off the radar.

My suggestion? Minimize your time on social media and be with people, or simply be with yourself. Pull away from the screen.

4. Minimize your schedule

There is an art to saying no to requests for your time, and what I am learning is, is that sometimes it's okay to say no because you need a nap, want to watch Netflix, or go for a walk. The value of untouched and uncommitted time cannot be measured. Say no to the calendar, the text, the call, or the meeting.

Okay, here you go; your turn. Take time this week to practice even just one of these minimalist self-care ideas and let me know, doesn't something feel a little calmer?