Simplify is my word of the year 2023, and it has had a BIG impact on my life. Here are some of the ways it impacted me:

  1. I ditched WordPress. I just hated all the maintenance and how hard it was to post things quickly.
    I now blog on Ghost. Thanks to Ulysses (nr. 5 on this list), posting on Ghost is so easy, I hit publish in Ulysses, adding tags and an excerpt, and when the blog post is on Ghost, an editor window opens. I give the post a quick read, add a featured image from Unsplash and hit publish.
  2. I've simplified my journaling. I have used so many different journals over the years, and often had several in use for different topics.
    Now, I stick to my favourite notebook and my favourite pen. That's all I need to journal. I do have a pencil case for other essentials like tape and scissors, but they are tucked away in my bag.
  3. I’ve simplified my planning. I had a separate planner and journal and I always neglected or lost one or both of them. Now I keep daily lists in my journal and at the start of the week, I paste in a weekly page and copy appointments and reminders from our shared google calendar.
    I also keep a monthly planner in the back of my journal, but I hardly look at that one, so I will skip it for next month.
  4. I've simplified my mornings by building a routine. I go to the bathroom, do a set of things. Go to the bedroom, do another set of things. I am starting to get to the stage where I don't have to think about it anymore, which is good, because that frees up my energy for creativity.
  5. I’ve drastically simplified where I store my writing. All the projects for this and next year are in Ulysses, the rest is archived in Sync.
    I used to have my blog posts in Bear and my longer form stuff either in text files or in Scrivener. Now it’s all in one place.
    I so often get ideas for blog posts while writing something else. Now it’s just a matter of pressing the write button, toss the post in blog ideas, and continue onward. I can also publish to my blog and micro blog from Ulysses.
  6. I've also learned to see where I shouldn't simplify. When it comes to reading, for instance, I just can’t do digital only, so I read both digital and paper.
    Perfect for me.
    I know that from a simplicity standpoint, it would be ideal if I went digital only, but I love my home library and I love the simplicity of a book.

These are just a few of the many examples I have on how my word of the year changed so many things for the better.

It’s also great for my mental health, I have way less things to focus on or keep in mind.

I considered keeping Simplify as my word for 2024, but another word came up and I need that one in my life as well.

I think though, that now I’ve learned to see where I can simplify my life even more, it’s become a habit.

And that’s essential.