Simple Living? Minimalism? Essentialism? Slow Living? Homesteading? Sustainable? Frugal? Zero-Waste?
There are a lot of terms out there to describe a lifestyle centered around these similar types of themes – living with less, saving money, protecting the environment. And as much as I would love to focus on all of these goals for my life, most of the time it becomes overwhelming. It feels like there is too much to focus on too much of the time. So, I narrowed down my focus – because really, the main thing I was after in life was simple – happiness (which I think most of us can agree on!).
Obviously, what will make us happy in life will differ between every person – that’s what makes each of us unique and wonderful! But, I was able to find happiness in simple living and I think you can too! Keep on reading to get all the details on the what, the why and the how-to of simple living so you can start to get the most out of life and simply, be happy.
This Article…
WHAT IS SIMPLE LIVING?
Even though it’s got simple in the name, defining it isn’t quite simple or straightforward – because the definition is personal and unique to each individual. But, I will tell you all about how I live my simple life and all of its benefits PLUS 5 tips to get you started with your very own simple living life to boost your happiness.
To me – simple living is about living life with intention and purpose. It’s about getting ‘simple’ – breaking down your life into the very most basic things (besides all of the actually basic things, like food, water, shelter… you get it) that you need to be truly happy in your leisurely time. I choose my life priorities (the things that bring me the most happiness and joy) and then I develop myself and my time around those priorities. It’s really that simple (poor pun intended ;)).
WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF SIMPLE LIVING?
The biggest and best benefit of simple living is that it makes your life more fulfilling. You fill your time with the activities that bring you the most happiness and joy and ditch the things that don’t – it’s about living a life true to you and not what society or others you feel may have dictated for you.
Now that you know ‘the what’ and ‘the why’ behind simple living, keep reading for my Top 5 Tips to get you started with simple living. Happiness awaits you in the simple living life!
5 TIPS TO START SIMPLE LIVING
Below is a quick list summary of 5 easy ways to start simplify your life and make the most room for happiness. Read on for more details on each step.
- Define Your Why
- Be Honest With Yourself
- Tackle Your Physical Space
- Commit Time and Schedule It
- Try Things the Long Way
TIP 1: DEFINE YOUR WHY
In order to dedicate more time to the things that bring you happiness – you need to know what those things are, of course!
I have a great post on how to define your personal core values – this is a great place to start if you’ve never thought about it before. The post includes an introduction to what personal core values are and what they can do for you AND a step-by-step on exactly how to determine what they are! If you’re pretty confident about what the specific values are that bring you happiness, you can keep going with my simple living tips…
Defining your why can be as simple as asking yourself the following questions:
- Why do you want a more simple life?
My answer to this was simple – I was reaching the end of every day and feeling like I hadn’t accomplished anything, hadn’t done anything particularly fun or important and that was an exhausting feeling! I was living my own life on auto-pilot! We only get one life to live and I seriously needed to hit the reset button and start boosting my joy and happiness!
- What do you need less of in your life?
Shoes? Fancy, designer things? Activities and hobbies? … Work? As much as ditching work would be nice – I am realistic. But! There were lots of things that I didn’t need in my life – joining and signing up for hobbies because I thought I ‘should’ because others in my life were doing it, shoes (I go back to the same few pairs I love anyway), designer items (they didn’t bring me much joy, so why keep them). The things you need less of will certainly be different then me – but that’s good, tailor your life for you and your happiness!
- What do you need more of in your life?
Time with friends? Time alone? A hobby you love? When I cleared the things I needed less of in my life it made more room for the things I love – definitely a quick way to add more happiness to your life!
Answering the 3 questions above will help you shift the focus of your life to start simple living.
TIP 2: BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF
That living life on auto-pilot thing I was talking about under Tip 1? It’s easy to get into a rut or run with the same old routines you always have when you’re not focusing on how you’re feeling or take the time to reflect. Get in touch with your emotions – journal, reflect, meditate – whatever feels right to you. But, try and name the emotions you typically feel day to day. Too busy? Too overwhelmed? Why might that be?
Be honest with yourself, know how you’re really feeling and allow yourself to deal with those feelings – take a break, ask for help, add more activities that bring you joy. Don’t let yourself drift through each day in and out – take the time to focus on yourself and how you’re feeling – you’d be surprised how much bringing a little focus to how you’re feeling throughout the day can remind you to be happy or do something small that makes you happy!
TIP 3: TACKLE YOUR PHYSICAL SPACE
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when your physical space is overwhelmed. When you’re consistently looking at overflowing closets, mountains of stuff on every surface, and exploding storage areas it’s hard to feel happy or calm when so much stuff is weighing you down. Try to do away with things that don’t bring you happiness, if you don’t need it to live or feel a little smile come on when you see it, it’s not adding to your simple living life and you can probably get rid of it!
There’s nothing better than a calm, tidy space to help your mind also feel calm and tidy.
TIP 4: COMMIT TIME AND SCHEDULE IT
A lot of the things we tell ourselves we want more of in our life (for example, spending more time with family) we don’t do or just never get around to because we’re so busy with life’s obligations and don’t feel we have the time. So, take that excuse away from yourself by making the time!
We schedule almost everything in our lives (work, seeing the dentist, dinner time, I could go on and on!) so, why not schedule the things and activities that we actually want to do. Schedule it as an appointment like you would anything else and don’t cancel on yourself, add the date(s), the time, the place – as many details as needed so you’ll be less likely to cancel on yourself.
Some ideas to get you thinking… every Sunday morning from 8:00 am to 9:00 am I will make pancakes with my kids. Every Friday evening from 7:30pm to 8:00pm I’ll have a tea and read some of a book. Every day when I get home from work I’ll send a quick message to my friends to check in. Whatever you want or need to live your simple living life.
I know it can be difficult to schedule a regular thing especially when you have lots of commitments – but hey! you make those other commitments work – so commit to yourself and your happiness and make your ‘simple living’ appointments. Soon that schedule might just become a habit and you’ve made your life simpler and more meaningful for the long term.
TIP 5: TRY THINGS THE LONG WAY
I know this idea might seem counterintuitive since life is normally all about shortcuts and finding the fastest and most efficient way to do things but sometimes when we take the extra time to do something special things can happen…
- It can fill us with new meaning we may not have noticed before.
Bake bread from scratch and you might notice how therapeutic the process is or how good you are at it! - It can give us the time to appreciate the small joyful things in life.
Walk or bike to your destination instead of driving and you might notice how strong you are or how lovely the flowers are along the way. - It can give a new purpose to ordinary tasks.
Dry your laundry on the line and you might feel joyful that you’ve helped reduce your energy consumption – giving a little back for the planet (and your wallet! :)).
I believe simple living is an individual journey – unique to each person. It’s about knowing yourself well enough to identify the priorities you have for your life and making time for them. It’s a continuous journey of personal development. It’s about being intentional with your limited time here. It’s about being purposeful with the choices you make. It’s about living a life true to you and not what is expected of you. It’s more of what you need and less of what you don’t.
… and they all lived simply ever after.
