Simplify Life – Having and Doing Less to Enjoy Much More
When we take the time to declutter, figure out our priorities, and simplify life, it creates room for more peace and less stress. When I simplify life, I create an opportunity to connect to something deeper within myself and the world at large.
To simplify life means to reflect on the different aspects of your life and see if there needs to be any decluttering, both literally and metaphorically. This includes simplifying your schedule, job, mindset, home, and priorities.
Do you feel like you’re all over the place; mentally, physically, and/or emotionally? Does it feel like there’s so much going on that you can’t keep up? If you can relate to these, that’s a sign it may be time to simplify your life.
What does Simplify Your Life Mean?
In a physical and tangible sense, to simplify life means to organize and declutter the spaces you reside in. This includes your home, your workspace, and your car. Scientific studies have shown that when we surround ourselves with clutter, we’re more stressed because we’re overstimulated with all the objects we’re taking in.
Perhaps you just have too much stuff and feel that it’s time to simplify. Maybe there are physical objects that are no longer necessary for your life and it’s time to reduce the number of things you own. By simplifying our physical items to just the things we need and cherish, we energetical release the old parts of ourselves that aren’t in alignment with who we are.
Another area of life that tends to become complicated and chaotic is our schedules. Our society promotes a hustle culture, meaning we have to constantly be doing things in order to live a “successful” life. This also includes a lack of boundaries; many of us feel obligated to say yes to every social event, even when we don’t necessarily want to go. By simplifying one’s schedule, one is able to create more time for themselves and the things that matter most to them.
No matter what area of life you apply it to, to simplify life means to let go of what no longer serves you, and the things that are not in alignment with your path/highest self.
Benefits of Simplifying Your Life
There are a number of benefits accompanied by simplifying your life. These benefits will be unique to each person and the area of their life that needs to be simplified. The greatest benefit that most will find when they simplify their life is a sense of peace and purpose. There are also physical benefits, including better sleep and a healthier lifestyle.
Just by simplifying your life, you can reduce your stress, get better rest, have better relationships, and be fully present in your life.
Simplifying life can bring about numerous physical and mental health benefits, including:
- Reducing stress
- Improving focus and productivity
- Increasing mindfulness
- Increasing physical health
- Providing financial freedom
- Enhancing relationships
- allowing time for self-care
- Increasing creativity
Simplify Life to Reduce Stress
When one’s life is chaotic and busy, parts of themselves are scattered all over the place. When one is living such a life, they’re probably not taking the time to settle and bring all the parts of themselves back in. This creates tremendous amounts of stress, and we’re left worrying about all the different parts of ourselves that are scattered. We’re left worrying about our job duties, social obligations, never-ending to-do lists, parental responsibilities, etc.
When one is able to simplify life and take time to settle within themselves, they’ll be able to handle the stress so much easier. This will ripple out into every area of your life. Studies have shown that stress greatly influences one’s quality of sleep, and we all know how important sleep is to our health. Just by simplifying your life, you can reduce your stress, get better rest, have better relationships, and be fully present in your life.
Simplify Life to Be Healthier
Studies from the National Library of Medicine show that the three main causes of death in America are heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The sixth-leading cause of death is diabetes. This study confirms that all four of these conditions are, “made more likely by the presence of overweight and obesity.”
The cause of obesity stems from an unhealthy diet filled with an excessive amount of processed and fried food, sugar, trans fats, and calories. One of the best things we can do for our health is to simplify our diet.
This means focusing on whole foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, and unprocessed meats. Simplifying one’s diet means letting go of what no longer serves, including unhealthy drinks (soda and energy drinks), fast foods, excessive sugar intake, and highly processed junk food.
Coupled with a simplified diet is a manageable exercise routine. Exercising doesn’t have to be complicated, it can be quite simple – just find what feels best for you. That could be committing to going on a long walk three times a week, starting a yoga practice, or meeting up with a friend at the gym.
Simplify Life to Be Happy
One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is time to “fill your cup.” When we simplify life, we create more time and space to be alone and to take care of our needs. This could mean setting time aside for authentic creative expression. It could mean reducing one’s schedule to have more time for self-care, which could include yoga, meditation, or finding stillness in nature.
Simplify your life to take care of yourself. By doing this, you will find sustainable happiness that isn’t reliant on material gain. This happiness is found within yourself. To find this unrelenting source of bliss within your being, you have to nurture your relationship with yourself. This takes time, dedication, and an openness to healing and releasing “baggage.”
Characteristics of Simplifying Your Life
There are many religions, spiritual concepts, and lifestyle trends that encourage us to simplify life. Each of these puts an emphasis on what matters most, such as relationships and spiritual connections, rather than material gain. Today, one of the most popular trends is “less is more” and minimalism, which are basically one and the same.
Simplifying Your Life: Less is More
The concept of “less is more” is about reducing one’s physical and non-physical things, to create more room for other things in life. Having less creates more room for abundance. That doesn’t mean material abundance, but rather a “rich” relationship with yourself and the earth. It means deeper and genuine relationships with people in your life. It means more space for self-expression and creativity.
Simplifying Minimalist Lifestyle
Minimalists fully embody the concept of less is more, and they let that flow out into their lives. They let that flow into their home lives, where their physical items are greatly reduced. This includes their wardrobe, their office, kitchen, car, you name it.
Basically, they reduce as much as possible to the limit that feels best for them. Some minimalists are a bit extreme in that they only own one outfit and only have one coffee mug. However, to simplify life doesn’t mean you have to go to get rid of everything you own – find the limit that feels best for you and where you are in your life.
How to Simplify Life
How you simplify life is dependent on what areas need to be decluttered. Is it a physical decluttering, or a mental one? Are you ready to clear your basement out, or are you ready to clear your schedule? Every aspect of life is going to require a slightly different approach.
Here’s a helpful video on how you can simplify your life and why simplifying your life is so important:
Simplifying Your by Clearing Clutter and Getting Rid of Stuff
If you’re ready to simplify your life by decluttering your physical space, I recommend starting with the area that needs the most attention. If that area is large and overwhelming, such as a garage, try dedicating a full day to it without any other obligations. Invite a friend over, or have the whole family join in decluttering the space.
Simplify your life to take care of yourself.
If you have an emotional attachment to your items, don’t be afraid to ask for support throughout the process. Let the emotions flow! If you have to sit on the ground and sob for an hour over getting rid of a certain item, then allow yourself to go through that process.
I believe that one of the reasons we hold onto things (even though we know we don’t need them), is because we don’t allow ourselves to fully feel the emotions associated with that item. If you let yourself purge everything out – let the rage come, let the sorrow come, and let it flow out of you – then you’ll be able to finally release whatever physical items need to be released.
Simplifying Your Life by Downsizing
Bigger isn’t always better, and the same can be said about your house or where you live. If you’re feeling overstimulated by city life, maybe it’s time to start thinking about moving somewhere quieter and less hectic. If your space is more than you need, consider moving somewhere that is smaller and easier to take care of.
Simplifying Your Life by Mindfulness
Are your thoughts scattered and all over the place? Mindfulness may just be your greatest asset to living a simpler life. Mindfulness is paying attention to your thoughts and reactions. We are often unaware of the spiraling thoughts we have in our minds, and this can lead us to live an unconscious life.
When you’re able to be conscious of your thoughts, you have more control over how you want to react to them. You have the choice to believe that thought or to let it go because you know it doesn’t serve you or the situation. In this way, mindfulness simplifies our thoughts, thus creating more room for genuine peace and calm.
If you’re ready to show up fully in your life, and you’re ready to take control of your life, then mindfulness is a great place to start. Meditating is a practice you can try to start noticing your thoughts and the emotions held within your body.
Related Insights
How can I make my life simpler?
Start by reflecting on what areas of your life don’t feel simple. If you feel like it’s every area, then just start with one and think about ways you can make it more simple. This may require you to say no to certain things.
What should I buy to simplify my life?
There’s nothing you need to buy to make your life more simple. Remember that less is more and it starts within you.
The Areas in Life That Real People Want to or Already Have Simplified
Because everyone has different areas in their life they want to simplify, I asked a few of my friends and family members to share three areas in their life they have simplified, or want to simplify. Here is a table representation of what I learned from their responses.
| Area of Life | Times Selected |
| Mindset – decluttering through journaling | 13% |
| Social Media | 14% |
| Diet – eating less complex foods | 13% |
| Apparel | 6% |
| Minimizing my basic necessities | 7% |
| Work-life | 6% |
| Mindful reading | 7% |
| Using what I already have | 7% |
| Getting rid of my phone | 7% |
| Letting go of unused or rarely used possessions | 6% |
| Schedule | 7% |
| Egoic desires | 7% |
Other Resources:
- Slowing Down – My Methods to Do Less and Experience More
- Simple Living – Successful Ways to an Easier Life
- Simple Pleasures – Deep, Genuine Experiences for Happiness
- Good Simple Living – Enjoying Experiences over Things
- Less Is More – How to Find Happiness with Fewer Things
To simplify life is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. By simplifying, you can find greater peace of mind, less stress, and more fulfillment in your day-to-day activities. What is one area of your life you’re ready to simplify?
