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We live in an incredibly hectic and overwhelming world. Surrounded by consumerism and the idea of buying more, working harder, and doing more – it’s no wonder that we are more exhausted, sicker, and lonelier than we have ever been.
If you’re like me, you’ve been yearning to just calm down and take a deep breath and enjoy the most important moments that are happening every day, because if we don’t we will miss them.
What Does It Mean to Live Simply?
Living simply can mean a lot of different things to different people, but at its core it just means cutting the things out of our lives that don’t matter, to make time for the things that do. In a lot of cases that means slowing down to take time for relaxation, hobbies that mean a lot to you, or appreciating the simple tasks that are an important part of our lives.
For example, I know a lot of people that hate cooking. Usually, the reason is that it takes a lot of time therefore it feels more like a chore than something they enjoy. In fact, for most of my life, I was one of those people. One day I decided that cooking was a thing I was going to be doing, so I might as well find out how to enjoy it. I started learning about food and nutrition and practiced cooking one new thing a week, but simplified the rest of the week by leaning on old favorites that I knew how to cook without much effort. I tried meal kits or foods from different cultures and tried making dishes with fruits and vegetables I wasn’t very familiar with. I even started growing some of my own vegetables and herbs to cook with. I truly experience the magic and simplicity of cooking on the nights I take my time to prepare our food with ingredients that I grew.
How Do I Start Living a Simple Life?
The most important thing to do is take stock of where you are at and where you want to be. Start by asking yourself these questions:
- What am I doing that I really love doing and want to continue to do?
- What am I doing that I need to ensure I make time for?
- What do I wish I had more time for?
- What am I doing that feels like an obligation but isn’t a necessity? How quickly can I cut those things out?
- Take stock of your spending – what can you eliminate from your budget?
- What digital activities (social media, browsing websites, etc.) can you eliminate?
- What can I say no to?
- How can I protect my time?
- What are the values that are most important to you?
- What does your ideal day look like?
Is There Any Value in Living Simply?
Yes! Living simply means that you are putting your time, energy, and money towards only the things that truly matter to you and match your values – and eliminating anything else. For me, that meant focusing on sustainability, minimalizing, and starting to learn how to build an urban homestead.
What is the Difference Between Living Simply and Minimalism?
Minimalism or minimizing is absolutely part of choosing to live simply, but it isn’t all-encompassing of what living simply might mean to someone. For example, if you are overwhelmed by your consumption habits or the amount of stuff in your house – minimizing your things can be a step towards living simply. If minimalism is something you are interested in learning about, here are some resources I found really helpful:
- Messy Minimalism: Realistic Strategies for the Rest of Us
- Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life
- Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
- Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things
- If You Read One Article on Simple Living – READ THIS
- Living Simply: What Does It Mean and How to Do It
Why Less Really Is More
This may seem obvious but, more is more. More stuff means more managing of the stuff. More activities mean more time spent running from activity to activity. More social media means more time spent scrolling and you wonder where it went.
Choosing to live simply, cutting out the stuff you don’t care about, getting rid of the stuff you don’t want and don’t realize you have, and saying no to commitments you didn’t want to be at anyway, just means you have more time for yourself, and your health, resting, or the things you truly enjoy.
How to Start Living Simply
Berkeley suggests the following steps:
- Minimalism. This involves simplifying life by reducing one’s possessions and consumption. Sometimes it also includes artistic minimalism (which focuses on clean, uncluttered design).
- Self-sufficiency. This involves simplifying life by providing for oneself as much as possible without modern systems. For example, one might live off-the-grid, grow their own food, sew their own clothes, and make their own self-care products (like soap).
- Digital minimalism. This involves simplifying life by reducing or eliminating access to certain technologies like cell phones, social media, or the Internet.
- Connection with nature. This involves spending more time outside, camping, or in wilderness environments.
- Slowing down. This involves simplifying life by reducing a sense of urgency or busyness.
I love the idea of kicking off your journey with a purge. The Minimal Mom suggests working in an “onion layer” style. Do multiple rounds of purges, because the more you get used to the idea of letting go – the easier it is to let things go. Pick a category to start with, a la Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (when I tell you that book changed my life, I really mean it!), and start by getting rid of your first round of items. You could sell it or donate it, but whatever you do – don’t just box it up and hide it!
In addition to the purge, establishing what your goal is or what you hope to gain from simplifying your life can really help you stay motivated on your journey. Spend time each day imagining what you want your life to look like and what small steps you can take each day to get there. But, don’t get hung up on perfectionism or living an Instagram-perfect simple life. Personally, I love the idea of being a zero-waste, anti-consumerism minimalist. But, striving for that perfect version I have in my head isn’t realistic or even possible. I’m okay with that. Instead, I focus on making better choices, focusing on what we need, and listening to my values and what brings me joy – instead of getting caught up in the comparison game is where I want to be.
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