I like to live a quiet life and when it comes to noise, it’s not all about what’s going into our ears. Sometimes it’s distractions and other things that take away our focus. Things like media, social media notifications, and the people we surround ourselves with can become noisy.
I’ve made an effort to quiet down my life in the last few years. I’ve reduced some things while eliminating others.
Here are my 8 tips for a quieter life.
Tips for a Quiet Life
- Unfollow and unsubscribe — ‘Sort at the source’ they say and the easiest way to live a quieter life is by reducing the amount of information we are bombarded with. Take a good hard look at the people you follow on social media and the emails you subscribe to. Are they adding value to your life? If they’re not, consider unfollowing and unsubscribing.
- Turn off notifications — One of the best things I’ve done in the last couple of years is turning off the notifications for most social apps on my phone. No longer is my phone going off every two seconds, urging me to check and see what little emergency I’m missing out on.
- Use do not disturb mode — Do not disturb is the most powerful function on your phone. I use mine 24 hours per day while white-listing a handful of numbers that are allowed to ring through. Yes, on occasion I miss an important call but to be honest, this is a rare thing. For the most part, most of the calls I miss aren’t very important, or at least not as important as staying focused.
- See The Complete Guide To Eliminating Smartphone Distractions for my complete phone setup.
- Schedule alone time — Make alone time a priority. Spend as much time alone as you need. There’s no better way to accomplish deep thinking and or focused work. Not only is it good for productivity, it also benefits your mental health.
- Limit how often you check email — I check my email twice per day. Once at around 11 a.m. and again at 4 p.m. This is when I set aside time to read through and respond to mail. I make it a habit to achieve inbox zero daily. After that, email is out of sight and out of mind.
- Trim your social circle — If you are dealing with people who are needy and the relationship is one-sided, toxic, and generally unpleasant, then it is time to start cutting some people loose. I know this is easier said than done but the quality of our relationships directly affects the quality of our lives. Family and friends should add value. They shouldn’t cause chaos, drama, and stress. Cut the negative people from your life, it will make things quieter.
- Turn off the noisemakers — The television, the car stereo, the podcast, the kids lol. They all make noise. Turn things off and enjoy the silence. Listen to the sound of your thoughts. A lot of my best ideas come to me while driving in silence or quietly doing chores around the house with no background noise.
- Find a quiet space — Make spaces within your life where you can be left alone for a few minutes. Perhaps you could throw a do not disturb sign on a bedroom door or home office. Or, maybe you can find a quiet place to take a walk where you won’t run into many people. The idea is to create a few go-to sacred spaces where you will be guaranteed some quiet time to think and reflect. As morbid as this sounds, one of my favorite places to take a walk is in our local cemetery arguably the quietest place in town. The cemetery is always empty, there are a ton of interesting historical gravesites, and there is no better place to practice gratitude. Find a few spots that work for you. Use them frequently.