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Not Comfortable with Minimalism? Try These 7 Simple Living Tips Instead.
Change your mindset, not what's in your closet.
Contents
Simple living is gaining popularity because minimalism often focuses more on what we own than how we live. Even though many of us would like to own less, most of us aren't ready to reduce our lives to 100 possessions.
Even when we feel burdened by the weight of what we own, most want a better quality of life, not a rule limiting how many items we can own.
We want to gain control of our homes and lives, not get rid of everything. Simple living can help you achieve both of those goals.
Simple Living as an Alternative to Minimalism
Simple living and minimalism are different concepts, even though they sometimes get thrown together in the same pot.
Some people choose to be minimalists and live simply. Others don't. Instead, they choose minimalism or simplicity, but not both.
If minimalism feels like a step too far, but you want to change how you live your life, simple living is a good alternative.
If minimalism feels like a step too far, but you want to change how you live your life, simple living is a good alternative. It allows you to make life easier and more rewarding without getting rid of most of what you own.
7 Tips for Embracing a Simple Life
Here are seven helpful tips to help you start living simply.
Tip #1: Remove unnecessary tasks from your day.
Sometimes we get into the habit of doing things that don't need doing. You can simplify your life by letting these tasks go.
I used to clean the kitchen sink every evening after dinner, even when it looked and felt clean. Scrubbing a dirty sink makes sense; scrubbing a clean one does not.
Even though cleaning the sink only took a few minutes, removing that task when it wasn't necessary freed up time I could use elsewhere.
Tip #2 - Be intentional with your time and effort.
Being intentional is the key to simple living. Make decisions after considering what you want to prioritize in your life.
You can start prioritizing by asking yourself this question: What is the most important thing I can do today to make my day easier?
You can start prioritizing by asking yourself this question:
What is the most important thing I can do today to make my day easier?
Once you identify the areas of your life that need simplifying, think about what steps you can take to simplify them.
Tip #3 - Develop micro habits
Micro habits are tiny actions you can take to make life easier. They're great because they simplify your life without requiring much effort.
Here are three micro habit examples to get you started:
Walk junk mail straight to the recycle bin, shredder, or garbage can.
Take the garbage out when the can is full but not overstuffed.
Keep a running grocery list on your phone or a piece of paper.
The key to making micro habits useful is to choose easy activities that can be done faster and easier now than later.
Tip #4 - Make your space easy to live in
Our days are complicated enough without dealing with the frustration of living spaces that don't work the way we want them to. When you're tripping over toys or furniture or struggling to keep the kitchen organized, it's time for a change.
Fortunately, you can solve many of these issues in one of three ways:
If you don't need it or use it, get rid of it.
If you need it and use it, but it gets in the way, move it to a different place.
If moving it around is the wrong solution, put it in containers to keep it neat and organized.
Tip #5 - Break big goals into small ones
It feels great to set big goals and awful when you don't achieve them. To simplify the project and reduce stress, break big goals into a series of small projects.
As you work toward your larger goal, the little wins along the way will keep you motivated and help offset the challenges you face.
And remember, simple living is as much about your mindset as your actions. That's why breaking big goals into small, manageable projects is a successful strategy.
And remember, simple living is as much about your mindset as your actions. That's why breaking big goals into small, manageable projects is a successful strategy.
Tip #6 - Don't sweat the small stuff
My father used to tell me not to sweat the small stuff, and then he'd remind me it was all small stuff.
As someone with a world-class worry mindset, I struggle with this one. What I've learned, however, is that my biggest fears rarely ever come true.
In the grand scheme of life, the annoyances we face and the pettiness around us are just that. They pass through our lives, and then they're gone.
Tip #7 - Slow down
We reward fast: fast cars, fast food, fast shipping. And fast is nice, except when it comes to how we pace our lives. When we move through life too fast, we miss out on the people and events that make life meaningful.
When we're living too fast, we don't experience life. Instead, we watch as it swooshes past us in a blur.
When we're living too fast, we don't experience life. Instead, we watch as it swooshes past us in a blur. Once it's gone, we can never get it back.
One of the best things we can do to simplify our life is to slow down. Take the time to experience life instead of watching it rush past us.
You'll find inspiration for slowing down in these 14 quotes.
Key Takeaways
You can simplify your way to a better life with a few changes in how your actions and mindset. To summarize, here are seven things you can do to simplify your life:
Remove unnecessary tasks from your day.
Be intentional with your time and effort.
Develop micro habits.
Make your space easy to live in.
Break big goals into small ones.
Don't sweat the small stuff.
Slow down.
What to Read Next
33 Amazing Blogs on Simple Living
When I Embraced Simple Living 11 Years Ago, My Life Changed
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