Simple Living: 7 Simple Ways to Make Every Day Feel Special

Choosing to embrace simple living and a simpler life doesn’t mean life will be boring. Simple definitely doesn’t have to equal boring. In fact, choosing simple living actually gives you more time, space and energy to do more of what you love. And to do more of what makes life feel special, enjoyable and fun!

And that’s exactly what today’s post is all about. Simple ways you can make every day feel special, enjoyable and more fun. Without a bunch of planning, preparation or “stuff”, you can do things to make every day feel special. So you can still embrace simple living, but also make every day feel a little more enjoyable. Even if it’s just an ordinary day!

Celebrate the ordinary

You don’t have to wait for the big, important days for your days and your life to feel special. There are plenty of simple things you can do to add more joy to every day and make every day feel special.

It’s about intentionally choosing to slow down, celebrate and appreciate life. Not only the big, important days. But also celebrating and appreciating the ordinary, everyday days too.

It’s about being mindful of simple ways to celebrate and enjoy every day. Not only can it be easy to shift your mindset to start celebrating the beauty of ordinary days. But it can also change the way your days, and therefore your life feels!

“How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives.”

~ Annie Dillard

Instead of waiting for vacations, special occasions or celebration days, start doing things to appreciate the beauty, joy and greatness all around you every day. Finding ways to celebrate, enjoy and make every day feel special.

How to make ordinary, everyday days feel special

Learning to make every day feel special is something that gets easier the more you do it. At first, it might feel hard to even think of ways to make everyday, ordinary life feel more special. But the more you do it, the easier it becomes to find little ways to tweak and change what you already might be doing and make it feel more special.

To get you started, here are a few ways you can make every day feel a little more special. Including how to shift your mindset and the way you approach everyday tasks to turn them into something that feels more special and enjoyable. Without requiring a bunch of extra work or effort to make it happen!

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1. Start the day slowly

One of the easiest ways to make every day feel a little more special and enjoyable is by making sure you start the day in a way that feels special and enjoyable. And giving yourself time in the mornings to do so.

Set the tone for the rest of the day by starting off in a way that feels lovely to you!

You don’t need a complicated 40-step morning routine to start your days off in a special way. Simply try waking up a little bit earlier so you can add a few things you love to the start of your day.

Whether that’s sipping your coffee slowly instead of gulping it down on your way out the door. Or giving yourself time to read, journal, plan your day, exercise, meditate, watch the sunrise, etc.

Decide what feels good to you, what feels enjoyable to you and what feels special to you. Then add more of that to the start of your day so you’re inspired to continue making the rest of the day feel special too!

2. Practice gratitude

One of the easiest and most direct ways to start noticing, appreciating and celebrating all the good filling your ordinary, everyday life is by starting a gratitude practice.

A gratitude practice helps you make a conscious and intentional effort to notice the good that already fills your life. And the more you notice the good and the things you appreciate and are thankful for, the more good things you’ll start noticing!

In fact, a gratitude practice is also a key element of fully embracing and enjoying simple living too!

A gratitude practice doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. It can be as simple as writing down 3 things you’re grateful for each morning. Or mentally listing the things you’re grateful for while you brush your teeth at night.

Find more tips to start a meaningful gratitude practice here.

3. Do the important tasks first

Getting tasks done may not always go together with making your days feel special, but there’s definitely a connection.

When you get your most important tasks for the day done as early as possible, it gets them done and out of the way for the rest of the day. Done and over with instead of hanging over your head waiting to be done.

When you work hard to get your most important tasks done early in the day, you give yourself more opportunities to enjoy the rest of the day. As well as reducing your mental load and the tasks you’re worrying about, keeping track of, thinking about, etc.

4. Create simple traditions for ordinary days

Another great way to make every day feel special is by creating simple traditions that happen throughout ordinary days. Simple things you can do to add more moments of enjoyment throughout your days.

Add fun to your morning routine

Try adding something fun to your morning routine. Not just something you enjoy, but something that actually feels fun!

For example, my kids and I play a round of the card game “Spot It” every morning before school. Not only does it give them an incentive to get ready faster so there’s time to play. But it also adds a little more fun and opportunity for connection to what can sometimes feel like a rushed time of day.

Make gratitude a family affair

Another great way to create a simple tradition is by starting a family gratitude practice.

Sharing what you’re grateful for as a family is an excellent way to inspire each other to notice more to be grateful for and appreciate. Plus, it’s another lovely time to slow down and connect. Giving you more insight into your family member’s minds and their days.

We use a simple gratitude journal each night at bedtime to share one thing we’re each grateful for. Meal times are another great opportunity for a family gratitude practice.

Make traditions out of what you’re already doing

Another great way to create simple traditions is by making them out of things you’re already doing.

For example, we were in the habit of having a movie night most weekends. It was fun and we all enjoyed it. But there are little things you can do to elevate a simple movie night to make it feel more special and like a tradition.

It can be as simple as doing it the same night of the week each week (Saturday night movie night) to make the day feel special. Or take it a step further and add twinkle lights, snuggling in with your favourite blankets, getting your favourite snacks and drinks, etc.

These little things only take a few minutes but make the experience feel more special and feel more like an important tradition.

Make family meals a priority

Family meal times are a great time to create simple traditions that feel meaningful and special.

Just taking a few minutes to light some candles for dinner can make the time feel more special, important and sacred.

Putting away all devices and really being present with each other is another great way to make meal times feel special. Meal times are a great time to enjoy conversation with the people you love. We even got a fun set of conversation cards that have been fun to use to initiate deeper conversations during meal times.

Create traditions you look forward to

Another great way to make every day feel special is by creating traditions you look forward to because you enjoy them so much.

Whether it’s something you do daily, like making a delicious latte for yourself each morning. Or weekly, like setting aside an hour each Saturday morning to journal before you start the day.

Creating traditions you look forward to is a great way to make every day feel special and more enjoyable. Treat yourself to things you love and enjoy often!

Spend quality time with the people you love

Making an effort to spend quality time with the people you love is also a great way to make your days feel special. Even if you aren’t doing anything special!

Show up intentionally when you’re spending time with the people you love, even if you’re just hanging out at home.

For example, instead of crashing on the couch with your partner at the end of the day, carve out some time to intentionally spend together. Maybe enjoying your favourite show, drink or snack together. Or just take some time to chat and connect with each other.

The way you show up for these times matters so much more than what you’re doing. Show up ready to be present, connect and make the most of your time with the people you love.

5. Make everyday tasks feel special

Another fun way to make every day feel special is by doing little things to make everyday tasks feel more special and enjoyable.

For example, you might not love doing the dishes. But listening to your favourite playlist or podcast while you’re doing the dishes might make a mundane task feel more enjoyable.

You can take a simple bath or shower at the end of the day. Or elevate the experience by dimming the lights, lighting a candle, playing some relaxing music, using some bath salts or products you love, etc. It only takes a few minutes and a little bit of effort, but completely changes the experience.

If you’re running errands, turn it into a “date” with your partner or your kids. Do what you need to do, but also really focus on enjoying the time together as well. Maybe end your errand running with a special treat to make it feel even more special.

6. Add luxury when you can

One of the great parts of simple living is that by choosing to own less and buy less, you might give yourself more opportunities to invest in a more luxurious version of the things you do own.

For example, when you only own 1 set of sheets for your bed, you might be able to spend a little more and get a really beautiful set of luxurious sheets. Instead of buying 3 or 4 sets of lower-quality sheets.

Or when you only own one set of towels, you might be able to invest in some beautiful, plush, luxurious towels instead of buying a bunch of less luxurious options.

If you use fewer makeup, face or self-care products like lotions and serums, you might be able to use higher-quality products. Instead of buying more products of lower quality.

Even choosing to buy less in general, might give you more opportunities to treat yourself to things more often. Like buying fresh flowers each week. A great way to add joy to your home without adding any lasting clutter!

7. End your day in a way that feels good to you

The first tip to make every day feel more special was to start your day in a way that feels special and enjoyable to you.

So of course, the last tip will be doing the same to end your day in a way that feels special and enjoyable to you too!

Decide what feels like a good and lovely way for you to end the day. Then create time and space in your routine to do more of that at the end of the day.

Find ways to add a little self-care to end your day. And make the day end in a way that feels lovely and enjoyable to you.

Whether it’s taking time to read, taking a bath, going for a walk, etc. Decide what would feel special to you and end your day doing something to make it happen.

Simple living & elevating the ordinary

Making every day feel special is more of a mindset shift than anything else. It’s about choosing to notice what already feels special. And finding simple ways to add more that feels special to your days.

It doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. You can still make your days feel special while embracing simple living. It’s about choosing to find the special moments and add more moments of joy and delight in simple ways.

Is there something you do that helps make everyday life feel a little more special while still focusing on simple living? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and let me know!