“Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature.” —Thomas à Kempis
Simplifying your life will bring balance, freedom, and joy. When we begin to live simply and experience these benefits, we begin to ask the next question, “Where else in my life can I remove distraction and simplify life to focus on the essentials?”
Once we’re able to answer that, we will understand what is important in our own lives.
How to Simplify Your Life
Based on our personal journey, our conversations, and our observations, here is a list of the 10 most important things to simplify in your life today to begin living a more balanced, joyful lifestyle:
1. Your Possessions – Too many material possessions complicate our lives to a greater degree than we ever give them credit. They drain our bank account, our energy, and our attention. They keep us from the ones we love and from living a life based on our values.
If you will invest the time to declutter the non-essential possessions from your life, you will never regret it. For more inspiration, consider Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life.
2. Your Time Commitments – Most of us have filled our days full from beginning to end with time commitments: work, home, kid’s activities, community events, religious endeavors, hobbies… the list goes on. When possible, release yourself from the time commitments that are not in line with your greatest values.
3. Your Goals – Reduce the number of goals you are striving for in your life to one or two. By reducing the number of goals that you are striving to accomplish, you will improve your focus and your success rate.
Make a list of the things that you want to accomplish in your life and choose the three most important. Focus there.
4. Your Negative Thoughts – Most negative emotions are completely useless. Resentment, bitterness, hate, and jealousy have never improved the quality of life for a single human being. Take responsibility for your mind. Forgive past hurts and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
5. Your Debt – If
Find the help that you need and learn how to get out of debt. Sacrifice luxury today to enjoy freedom tomorrow.
6. Your Words – Use fewer words. Keep your speech plain and honest. Mean what you say. Avoid gossip.
7. Your Artificial Ingredients – Avoid trans fats, refined grain (white bread), high-fructose corn syrup, and too much sodium. Minimizing these ingredients will improve your energy level in the short-term and your health in the long-term.
Also, as much as possible, reduce your consumption of over-the-counter medicine – allow your body to heal itself naturally as opposed to building a dependency on substances.
8. Your Screen Time – Focusing your attention on television, movies, video games, and technology addiction affects your life more than you think. Media rearranges your values. It begins to dominate your life. And it has a profound impact on your attitude and outlook.
Unfortunately, when you live in that world on a consistent basis, you don’t even notice how it is impacting you. The only way to fully appreciate its influence in your life is to turn them off.
9. Your Connections to the World – Relationships with others are good, but constant streams of distraction are bad. Learn when to power off the phone, log off social media, or not read a text. Focus on the important, not the urgent.
A steady flow of distractions from other people may make us feel important, needed, or wanted, but feeling important and accomplishing importance are completely different things.
10. Your Multi-Tasking – Research indicates that multi-tasking increases stress and lowers productivity. While single-tasking is becoming a lost art, learn it. Handle one task at a time. Do it well. And when it is complete, move to the next.
Simplifying your life is a core aspect of minimalism. To learn more about this lifestyle, visit this primer on minimalism.
Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey says
I found 3 & 4 to be very helpful. A couple years ago I slacked on a major goal of mine simply because I was sidetracked by quite a few others.
Needless to say those other goals took my focus off my main goal. So now when I even think something is sidetracking me I cut it out of my focus immediately with the snap of a finger.
Time management is important too. I totally agree that sometimes we need to simply take time out for ourselves instead of piling our day up with task after tasks. What are we going to do when our body fails us?!
Bill Gerlach says
Great post, Joshua. As a dad of three small children I can’t help but think about how these life lessons are important to learn early. Here is to helping to shape the next generation! Thanks!
Katie Morton says
This list is dead on — especially numbers 1 – 4 for a beginner like me. I’ve found that to become more organized and more punctual, I’ve had to cut back on the stuff, activities, goals and negativity and life has become a lot easier in general. Great reinforcement!
Forest says
Excellent article. I just finished reading news that Mercury has been found in a high amount of high fructose corn syrup…. yet another warning to stay as natural as we can….
Zengirl says
Great tips, mental clutter is harder to get rid of, but it is also as important.
Amy Bowman says
Excellent. (Keeping even my comments simple:))
Taylor Otwell says
Good post! Thanks for sharing…
Stefan Klumpp says
Great compilation. This post describes exactly the happy life I’m living.
Mara says
lovely list, and a correct one. one could almost use it as a focus/mantra while sitting zazen, one thing for each breath in or out. thank you.
Minimalist You says
As always, great post! I especially agree with the one about artificial ingredients… that’s one way of minimizing we don’t often think about!