Living the Simple Life

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." - Confucius

Simplification is about decluttering  all of your life - your schedule, home, office and mental spaces too. 

For me, the trip I took  from December 2005 to August 2008, spending the majority of my time in the developing world, was the big breakthrough.  First off, I was limited in what I could carry on my back.  This meant only the most basic of clothes, personal belongings, an iPod, camera, a few books and my journal.  That was it.  Secondly, many of the people I encountered on a daily basis had even less than I did.  And even the wealthier locals had far less than what I had stockpiled in storage back in California.  Sure, over that time, I wore through my clothes and had to buy new ones.  I bought a few new things and mailed them home.  But overall, I lost my urge for "more".  I found a pure satisfaction in the simplicity of it all.  I saw that those with less were no less happy for it.  In fact, they showed me that happiness can be found in the simplest of things.  And that many of those things don't cost a dime, or rupee, or a yen.

Returning to the U.S. came as much more of a culture shock than I ever expected.  All the excess!  Grocery stores with shelves piled high with wall-to-wall items, the cars, the fast pace of life - all of it made me want to flee.  It took nearly a year before I began to feel like an American again.  It was extremely challenging at first to embrace that simplicity here, and downright un-American.  Some would say I'm frugal, or minimalist.  I suppose I'm a combination of both.  Now, I live simply so that I can work less, create more, and save for what’s important.  I've learned to do things myself, and really well - as with sewing and becoming an even better cook.  I do splurge on occasion, because life is too short not to treat yourself.  And when I do, I enjoy it all the more.

“The simplest things are often the truest.” - Richard Bach

There isn’t one way to simplicity - there are as many ways as there are people who seek a simple life.  Some simple tips I've learned are:

Enjoy the simple things in life. The next time you eat a piece of fruit or enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, simply enjoy it. Sounds like a pretty obvious suggestion right? It is, but most of the time we do exactly the opposite. We’re not just eating or drinking, we’re thinking about all sorts of things. We’re thinking about the next thing we need to do, or the past, or future.  The next time you eat or drink, just do that. You'll experience the flavors and tastes at if it were the first time.

Reassess your priorities. Do you stress out about what’s on your to-do list more than living in the moment? We have to find a balance in achievement and contentment. Sometimes it’s not about getting what you want, but wanting what you have. It’s not about achieving the completion of a project, but enjoying the process of creativity.

Work four days a week. But how can you work only four days if you currently work five and are overloaded as it is? It’s funny, but you can somehow make it work. It’s a well-known law that our work expands to fit the time we give it … and the flip side of that is if you shrink the time, you will become more efficient, or shrink the work to fit the time. And, you’ll have an extra day off. Which will give you time for the next important tip...

Make time for what you love. We often get burnt out because we’re busy working and attending to obligations. If we are not doing anything we’re excited about, we’ll likely start resenting our lives. It’s important to make time every day doing things you really enjoy.

Single-task. This is good for those who tend to be all over the place. When you’re working on a project, stick with it.  One task at a time … finish the task … move on to the next. Try this for one day, focusing on it completely for that day. If it works for you, try it again the next day.

Deflect all requests for a week. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, make the decision that you will not say “yes” to any new requests this week. If you get a new request, politely decline. If it’s a request you can’t decline, tell them you’ll get to it next week because you have some projects you need to finish this week. Then pick one or two or even three projects (depending on their sizes) and focus on finishing them this week. You can worry about new stuff next week. 

 
Start your day with peace. It's your best bet on creating a great day. When you first rise, do something that is calming and peaceful. That might be running or walking, having a quiet cup of coffee with a book, watching the sunrise, meditating or yoga … whatever works well for you. It can be 10 minutes or an hour, but find some peace in the morning and use it to calm you throughout your entire day.

30-day rule. This is a great trick for those who have trouble with impulse buying - that great enemy of simplifying. The rule is that if you want to buy something, you have to write it on your 30-day list, with the date that it was added to the list. After 30 days, if you still want it, you can buy it. This doesn’t apply to necessities such as groceries … which helps you distinguish between wants and needs, a great skill for simplifying.

Decluttering. Start with one area you’re trying to declutter - a room, drawer, shelf, desk, or whatever.  Label three boxes: Trash, Donate, Maybe.  Quickly go through each shelf or drawer or flat surface at once, putting things into the three separate boxes.  For the Maybe box - try not to use it if you can avoid it.  If you really can't decide, put items in and store them for 3-6 months.  If you haven't needed them in that time, then they go.  

One in, two out. When you bring something into your house, you have to get rid of two things. The normal rule is one in, one out, but somehow that never seems to work - things still accumulate. Instead, get rid of two things and things will stay simple.

You'll see some of these tips, and more, at Zen Habits.