the beauty of a simplified life.

'"Why does everything have to be so...unsettled?"

The other day I saw on the cover of an IKEA catalog this quote: 

"Live smart, not big." 

What does this mean to you?

Here in Sweden, people live extremely practical, clean, and efficient lives. As a born and raised American girl, I know that sometimes it isn't so simple in our 'All-American' lifestyles. 

I have integrated my life into the Swedish culture, and with that, I have created order in my world. It is extremely liberating and now I finally feel at peace and not at war with my surroundings.

Here's how to simplify your world

Get in Sync. Hopefully, if you've realized this is 2012, then you have your own laptop, smartphone, iPod, and maybe flat screen television. And if you do have these gadgets, you need to stop fumbling around with them, or switching from one to the other, and create a "smart home." All of these machines are designed to work together and sync up. So take a weekend to watch the 'How To' videos on YouTube and start living in an efficient household. If you simply cannot comprehend this advanced technology, then I suggest calling your best "Techy" friend and ask them to help you out.

Everything has a place. create storage containers and shelves to organize your closet, desk space, and overall home. A bigger effort would be to conceal these extra organizers with curtains or drawers. Most importantly, get something to put all your important documents in! I know most of us are still students and don't have 'grown up' lives yet, but you need to start being responsible for your information. Such as W-2 slips, pay stubs, car insurance, and God forbid parking/traffic citations. When my younger sister just started college, I bought her a filing folder. She still uses it today. I personally use the pink one you see here. What? Who says you can't have fun being responsible? ;)

Filter and refine. Before I moved here to Sweden I had SO many clothes and just "stuff" in my room. I took my spare time and went through my entire closet, dressers, and edited my things. I made a "trash" pile, "giveaway" pile, and "keep" pile. Before I knew it I had 6 garbage bags full of things to donate. After that, I had a clean, and tidy space that I was proud to call home. 

Be sentimental, but not a hoarder. I know when I was in college there were so many amazing memories I made. And to hold on to those memories, I thought I had to hold onto the 'things' that came from them. Like an old flyer, a silly hat, or a huge obnoxious stuffed animal. But then I had an epiphany, you can keep these memories and be organized! It's what I like to call being "Systematically Sentimental." Instead of keeping those dust collectors, take a photo of them, or scan them into your computer so you can always come across it, without having to physically trip over it.