Simplify Your Life: Get Online
The next phase is simplification. I’m sure you’ve heard of KISS before. Keep it simple stupid. The core idea is Simplicity is key: Focus on essential elements, not adding extra features or complications. Avoid complexity: Unnecessary complexity hinders performance, usability, and maintenance.
COVID taught us a lot about simplification. Do you really need to go to a store to pick up basic things such as soap and detergent? No – order it online. Do you need to go to the bank to transfer money? No – do it online. Do you need to get dressed up to eat in a restaurant? No – just order in. That’s what I want to focus on in this post. How can we simplify our lives?
Online Activity
First and foremost – create your digital footprint. Why do you need mail cluttering up your kitchen table – or worry about buying stamps to pay your bills? Did you know you can pay all your utility bills online? Enroll to bill and pay your gas / electricity / water / garbage / cable / mortgage online. Some companies will allow you to pay with a credit card – others will force you to align your checking account to it. I like paying by credit card – just to get the miles, but I accept those that force you to pay by adding your banking information.
Which brings me to my next point – is all your banking online? You should never need to go into a branch – unless you need to use an ATM to get cash. Move everything electronic so you can check your savings / checking accounts online – and even transfer money between them.
Did you know you could sign up with the US Post Office to see what is coming in the mail that day? With a few simple clicks – it could be automated. Each morning, you’ll get an email with screenshots of the mail (and packages) that are coming that day. It’s not an exact science because sometimes, a piece of mail will come the following day, but it’s pretty close. So – if you’re like my coworker who is just a tad lazy and doesn’t want to walk to the mailbox everyday – you can pick and choose when you make that dreadful, long walk to the mailbox!
Shopping
Even before COVID – Amazon was my best friend. Where else can I search for reviews and then just purchase right away? We’ve been Prime members for years and it’s a great investment (ex. expedited shipping, streaming of tv, movies, books and music). However – one small drawback I found is that necessities (ex. toilet paper, Kleenex, Tide) are not always cheaper at Amazon. Walmart / Target / Jewel might have better deals. Do your research and compare prices before you buy.
My parents made fun of me when I started ordering these necessities online. “How lazy are you that you can’t drive a few miles to buy paper towels?” Want to know why? It’s a two-fold answer in terms of the issues I encountered in the store. First (and foremost) – when I would visit the Target store in person – half the time I would get to the register and the register wouldn’t acknowledge the sale price or the “buy 1 get one free”. I would have to argue with the manager about it. It was to the point where I had to take pictures of the sale ad prices and show them at the register before they would believe me that their register was not correct. So frustrating!
Secondly – two years ago I was at a Walmart buying big bulky items (ex. large paper towels and Tide) and they made me use the self-checkout lane. There were zero registers open with a person, so I had to put my bulky items (one at a time, mind you!) onto the smallest conveyor belt known to man! So frustrating!
From that point on – I just started ordering items for delivery from Target / Walmart. Once you hit ~$35, it’s free delivery in ~1 to 2 days. So much easier and less hassle. I can check to ensure all my deals / sale prices go through and I don’t have to carry the heavy / bulky items to my car and into the house. It’s a no brainer!
While I sing the praises of online ordering, I don’t do it for grocery items. Crazy, right? I still haven’t reached the point where I am okay with someone else picking out my fruit and vegetables. However – my MIL raves about Instacart and how much time it saves her.
While I might not order my groceries online – I did love Door Dash / Uber Eats during COVID. What COVID taught me was that any restaurant will make any meal for pickup – or delivery. From the local pizza place to the high-end steakhouse. Did you forget a bottle of wine for dinner? Don’t worry – order it online and it can be there in an hour. As you desire to drive less – whether it be because of bad weather or age – ordering online is such a time saver.
Another item that cropped up during COVID? I changed from visiting a library to checking out books online. Yep – I finally gave up the need to “feel” the book and turn the pages. I am now a converted Kindle / Libby fan. Electronic books are the best thing I’ve come across in simplifying my life in recent years! My Kindle allows me to read outside (no glare from the sun), on the train (without lugging a heavy book around), and most importantly – allows me to enlarge the font so I can easily read it!
Phone
All the above simplification tips are all made possible by having an updated phone / tablet. I’m sure there are still many people out there who have a flip phone – or whose parent owns one. If you can believe it – I have a friend (who is my age) who doesn’t have a cell phone. I find it crazy (and unsafe) to not have a cell phone these days. From a safety standpoint, one should always carry a phone when driving. Accidents happen or a need to call police / home.
Today – a simple flip phone will not cut the mustard. A smartphone with internet access – good internet access is needed. A phone is not just useful for calling people these days (who does that anyways?!!) – but simple searches on the phone or paying bills or ordering food. For everything I previously discussed about having a digital footprint – a phone is key.
As if you need another reason – in recent years – hospitals / doctors as well as restaurants rely on text messages. Hospitals now text the family when a loved one is out of surgery. Doctors will text when they cancel an appointment. Restaurants will text when your table is ready. Amazon texts when your package is delivered. The list goes on and on.
What if you’re travelling to an unknown location or maybe there is a detour or accident? Google maps “live” is more reliable than a printed map or printed Mapquest directions.
What if you need to order a ride to an appointment? Uber / taxi cabs are key applications to have on your phone – whether it’s getting to/from an airport or simply going to dinner / doctor’s appointment. A reliable smartphone is ever so important.
In this day and age – an online footprint is a necessity. Confucious once said “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” We tend to invent problems and challenges that aren’t inherently there, making life harder than it needs to be. Sometimes taking the easier route is the way to go.
