As the holidays approach, you may be thinking about all the things you’re about to add into your life — the holiday events, the holiday gifts, the holiday travel. Although we love the holiday season, we also know what it feels like to become overwhelmed by the growing to-do list around this time of year. And what’s more, as the list grows longer, it can sometimes feel harder and harder to appreciate and live in the moment — which is the point of all of these holiday celebrations!
So this year, we’re attempting to get ahead of the overwhelm. One way to do that is to simplify daily life now, so that when the holidays come, you can prioritize what is truly most important to you. If you can find simplicity in the every day, you start to expect simplicity from your routine. Plus, you won’t be adding your to-do list to an already packed to-do list. Instead, you’ll be thoughtfully bringing celebration into a simplified life. So let’s get started. This week in the journal we’re giving you tips on how to simplify your life starting today so you can enjoy every moment and stay grounded and present in the here and now (during the holidays and beyond!).
It is oh so easy to get overwhelmed by visual cues and not even realize it. Picture this: you’re walking through your kitchen, and even though the dishes are washed and put away, and the stove is clear, you still feel that sense of chaos. This happens all the time when there is clutter on your countertops. One very simple way to simplify your life is to declutter your countertops. The visual space acts like a mental reset — just seeing an empty space can inspire a clear mind. Think about how good it feels to enter a room where your attention isn’t constantly pulled from object to object. So our suggestion? Slip into your favorite kimono cardigan at the end of the day and clear off the clutter. Let it be part of your nightly wind down. Get the kids into bed, the dishes into the dishwasher, and the clutter where it belongs. Make it a beautiful ritual, knowing that in the morning, you will feel clear and ready for the day, simply because nothing is begging for your attention.
We all know that getting dressed in the morning can quickly devolve into a stressful situation if we’re not set up for success. The usual culprit? Too much! Does this sound familiar?: You open your closet, and something stacked way at the top of your shelf falls out. You go digging in a drawer and can’t find what you’re looking for, and before you know it, your entire wardrobe has been pulled out and put on the floor for a sartorial search and rescue mission! So the best way to end the clothing chaos is to simplify your closet. Find pieces that allow you to do a capsule or pseudo-capsule wardrobe. Our silk and plus size kimono robes are the perfect example of a one piece wonder. You can get kimono outfit ideas on our website and social channels to see the variety of ways you can wear one item of clothing. Get a few beautiful, high quality pieces that make you feel amazing and stick to them! You can even get a couple duplicates of pieces you really, really love to make each morning much more manageable. Simplifying your closet means it’ll be easy to choose what to wear because you’ve limited your choices and kept your closet neat and tidy. You can spend less time getting dressed and more time enjoying your day in the beautiful pieces you know will make you feel like the queen you are.
One thing we have always loved here at KIM+ONO is the sustainability of handcrafted products. So many times in our quest for easy, quick, and cheap, we sacrifice long term benefit. At our kimono store in Chinatown, SF, we have all sorts of handcrafted items that are made by artisans from all over the country. They are high quality and last for a lifetime, and that’s exactly how we’ve approached our own modern kimono robes. One way to simplify your life is to fill it with higher quality goods that won’t break or wear out too quickly. Even if they start off as a more expensive item, they cut your costs in the long run because you don’t have to keep replacing inexpensive, yet easily worn out, products. Plus, when you curate special products with a story and special meaning behind them, you’re infusing your home with a sense of story. You’ll be surrounded by less things that end up making you feel better. It’s a win win.
This may be our favorite trick of all — keep it (dinner) simple, sweetie! So many times, we feel like we have to whip up a gourmet meal after working all day or tending to the kids or some combination of both. Whether for ourselves or for our family, let dinner be a time to relax and feel grateful for what you have instead of going on a culinary quest for the newest recipe. One way to keep dinner simple is to keep it to one pot. Especially in the winter months, stick to one pot meals that feel nourishing and good. Extra bonus points if you slip into your washable silk kimono cardigan while you’re cooking! Keeping dinner simple also keeps the dishes simple, allowing you to focus less on cleaning up and more on winding down. Finding the moments at the end of the day to nourish yourself — both your physical senses and your mental energy — is so huge during the busy holiday time of year. Keep the end of your day a little bit more straightforward, and take the entire night to relax and be well.
What other ways can you simplify your life, lovely? Tell us in the comments!
