Simple living is all about removing the excess from your life in order to have more time, money and energy for the things that matter most. It’s about seeking out and learning to enjoy the quiet moments—even when they’re short-lived—without feeling guilty or rushing off to the next thing on your to-do list. It’s making peace with slow progress and making decisions that align with your core values and your life vision. It’s personal and will always be imperfect, but it’s worth it. Let’s get started. 1. DECLUTTER YOUR HOME There are so many ways “less is more” can become a reality and in your home is definitely one of them! Less “stuff” means less to clean, to find a place for, to walk around and ultimately means more free time, more space, and more calm. 2. DRESS WITH A SIMPLE WARDROBE As a self-proclaimed former shopaholic, I’ll be the first to tell you that simplifying your wardrobe is far more liberating than any shopping ever has been. Having a complicated closet was costing me money, time (shopping and doing laundry), and my peace. Perhaps you’ve found yourself in the cycle of emotional shopping at some point too. It turns out that wearing pieces from a simple wardrobe that I’ve intentionally accumulated is freeing. Whereas, buying things to make myself feel better brought a lot of extra stress. 3. TRY SIMPLE EATING I think the one place where a lot of people experience stress and chaos is in the kitchen. Meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking … it can all feel like a heavy burden. If this is something you struggle with too, then one of my top simple living tips is to try simple eating. It’s a minimalist approach to food that has helped me drastically reduce the amount of time, money, and stress that usually comes with meals and grocery shopping 4. SLOW DOWN TO DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE When was the last time you slowed down long enough to do something that makes you happy? Perhaps it’s picking up a book, or spending an hour on a hobby, or even taking a walk down your favourite path. It’s so simple yet often overlooked, isn’t it? 5. KNOW WHAT YOU VALUE I’ve found that so many people rush through life doing all the things that society tells them to do … without stopping to ask themselves what they actually value. Do you know what truly matters to you in life? This is so important because when you know what you value and what you don’t, you can create a life that favours the most important things. It allows you to simplify by saying “no” to the things that don’t hold much value with you so you can create more space for the things that do. 6. SIMPLIFY YOUR FINANCES WITH AUTO-PAYMENTS Have you tried autopay for your bills yet? If you find that the answer is “no”, I challenge you to consider how many hours a month you spend paying bills, forgetting to pay bills, and stressing out about remembering to make payments on time. These days, nearly all companies that require payments allow you to utilise an autopay option. It’s life-changing! Knowing that your bills are on autopay reduces the stress of forgetting and the time you spend on it each month. If you haven’t set up autopay for your bills yet, then more sure to give this simple living tip a try! White flowers in a vase with a candle and eye glasses on a table 7. CREATE A SIMPLE SCHEDULE It seems as though our culture acknowledges “busy” as a badge of honour … but does anyone else find it unproductive and exhausting? I used to be busy from the moment I got up until I went to bed only to realise that I still felt frustrated that I “accomplished” nothing all day. Give yourself permission to cut out the busy by using your list of values when building your schedule. First and foremost, say “no” to the things you don’t value. I know it’s not easy but remember that we all have limits. If you don’t say no to things that aren’t true priorities, you’ll end up missing out on the things that are. Next, for the things that do make the cut, simplify tasks by batching similar work, or by setting up your errands to be close together. This allows you to get a lot done at once or to easily flow from one thing to the next. 8. BUILD ROUTINES OR HABITS AROUND THE STRESSFUL THINGS There are some things in life that unpleasant as they are, can’t be avoided. Dishes, mopping the floor, grocery shopping—we all have our things we really dislike doing. One way to find some simple living in these stressful or disliked things (whatever that may be for you) is to build routines and habits around them. Go-to systems that allow you to do the tasks without much thought or added stress. When you know exactly how you’re going to approach something, it often takes away some of the stress of doing it. .
