After what might be an overwhelming holiday season, the last thing you want to fill your new year with is more commitments, stress and stuff. Instead, intentionally set out to create a new year full of what matters to you instead.

We all look forward to new beginnings in a new year but use these recommendations all year long. You can begin to fill your life with simplicity, joy and love anytime.

If we aren’t thoughtful about what we put in our homes, on our calendars and in our lives, we can easily slide into default mode, reacting to whatever is thrown our way. This often leads to overwhelm, frustration and decision fatigue.

How to Fill Your Life with Simplicity, Joy and Love

1. Soulful Simplicity Course
If you are ready to work on you … your heart, your mind and your mental and physical health, join me for six weeks. We’ll work on on making you, making space and making time in this video course including audio and written transcripts, downloadable worksheets, live calls, and a supportive community.

The course starts on January 13, but sign up before the end of the year for discounted membership and an invitation to join me on December 30th for a live call on how to let go of 2019 to fully welcome 2020. Learn more here.

2. The Soul & Wit Podcast
Your new favorite mother-daughter duo talking about things (that aren’t things) together and with special guests. Join Courtney Carver and Bailey Carver talking about simplicity, wellness, happiness and secrets to living a life you love. Plus, we’ll be interviewing amazing humans about how to live a meaningful life. New episodes come out every Monday. Let us send you into your week with a little Soul & Wit. Listen on iTunes or Spotify.

3. Clear Boundaries
We often think of boundaries as harsh or mean, but they are kind. Boundaries aren’t designed to shut others out, but instead, when you set a boundary, you are giving yourself permission to take care of yourself.

When you set and honor your boundaries, you are saying …

I am important to me.

I am important to my loved ones.

Taking care of myself matters.

You can’t please everyone. You just can’t.

You may have noticed that when you try to make everyone happy all the time, the only result is burnout and even more disappointment. If you need to set boundaries for your own mental and/or physical wellbeing, do it. Don’t worry about who you might upset. That part isn’t up to you.

Eventually, everyone will benefit from you taking really good care of yourself.

4. Linger longer.
Lingering is like falling in love. Think about the evenings when you’ve sat around a table after a meal, talking and laughing instead of rushing to clean up the dishes. You fell in love with the people around you and the evening you shared. Likewise, lingering over a sunrise, a good book, a long walk, or a moment of solitude encourages love; love of what you are experiencing, love of who you are spending time with, and love of who you are.

5. Permission to unthink
Why do we believe everything we think? Get unstuck by giving yourself permission to unthink your thoughts. Notice your thoughts but don’t let them run your life.

6. Join me on tour
Spend time with like-hearted people IRL (in real life) and join me (and special guests) on the Project 333 book tour. See cities, special guests and more here. P.S. If you can’t make one of the live shows, there is a virtual event you can attend from anywhere in the world.

7. Create community
If you don’t have support from friends and family in simplifying your life and adding more joy and love, create or join a community that will support you. You can join me on Instagram or Facebook and look locally for groups that have similar interests.

To generate more interest within your own friend and family circle, instead of trying to convince them, host a movie night and watch Minimalism, A Documentary About the Important Things. They may be more inspired when they hear it from someone else.

8. Say thank you
I’m going to challenge myself to write a thank you note every week next year. I’m silently grateful many times a day and I want to spread that appreciation by writing it down. I plan to mail some of these notes, but also carry a few blank cards with me and leave them behind in my daily travels when I experience something that deserves thanks. Gina Hamadey inspired me by writing 365 thank you notes in 2018. See some of her notes here.

9. Don’t say yes, when your heart says no.
Saying yes while clenching your jaw and rolling your eyes may signal that you are ignoring your heart. Agreeing to do things you don’t want to do, aren’t interested in and that you don’t have time for may allow you to avoid some discomfort in saying no. It also builds tremendous resentment (which eats you up on the inside) and prevents you from doing things you actually want to do.

When your heart says no, you say no. If saying no is hard for you, this will help.

10. Take care of you
You can start here and repeat forever. Please keep taking care of you.