Simple Living: How to Simplify Your Life And Be Happy

Thinking it's time to simplify your life? Here are four questions to ask to inspire simple living and positively impact your life - business AND personal...

4 Questions To Ask To Inspire Simple Living And Positively Impact Your Life - Business And Personal

It’s everywhere: "Simplify your life and be happy!"

But what exactly is simple living and how does it work to improve your life?  Simplifying your life can affect:

• Business productivity
• Health
• Organization of your surroundings
• Stress Levels

And ability to effectively live a mobile lifestyle.

In this article we’ll go over the basics of simple living and how it can positively impact you. 

What Is Simple Living?

Simple living is the conscious practice of voluntarily simplifying your lifestyle. It encompasses a broad range of practices that you can choose to carry out or not. Often, people are drawn to simplifying life out of desperation, since the stressors of everyday life are getting to them, or as a way to reject the emphasis on materialism and consumption that society has created.

Common simple living practices include:

• Minimizing possessions (minimalism)
• Getting rid of cable TV
• Moving into cheaper accommodations
• Eating simple meals

Or even moving off-grid.

This is only the tip of the iceberg since there are still many other simple living practices that the proponents of such a lifestyle might incorporate into their lives.

Why Does It Work?

Simple living is sometimes described as a way to streamline your life, so your main focus is on the important things. In turn, you have time and money to dedicate yourself to your highest priorities.

It can sometimes seem like a simple lifestyle means losing out on the good things in life, but most people who try this lifestyle don’t feel that way at all. It is widely accepted that simplifying your life can help to reduce stress, which in turn has lots of mental and physical health benefits.

By reducing the background noise of life, such as the TV with a constant stream of negative news, and the gym membership you don’t actually need but drains your bank account, or the fancy dresses that you buy for one special occasion and then never wear again, you make space for what is actually important and can contribute to long-term happiness and peace of mind. This differs from person to person, but common themes include:

• Time with family and friends
• Time to cook and eat proper meals
• Time to look after yourself

And the money to invest back into your own life.

When Does It Become Useful?

Those who intentionally try to simplify their life often find it becoming useful at unexpected times. For example, when a family member falls sick, it might be a lot easier to drop everything and travel out to see them if you work from home, with money you have saved instead of spending it, allowing you to quickly leave and be by your relative’s side.

Another occasion is the addition of a new family member. Expectant and new mothers are often particularly drawn to simple living due to the stress-relieving benefits it can provide. You won’t be so worried about doing all those loads of laundry if you don’t actually have that much of it to do.

Quality Or Quantity?

An important aspect of simple living is minimalism, which is the practice of getting rid, of and minimizing your possessions, in order to make space for the more important things in life and reduce stress. However, one common misconception about minimalism is that you need to chuck everything out and never buy anything again.

Instead, minimalism emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity.

When you are looking to buy something, think about whether you really need it.  If so, then shop around to find an ethical, quality version of that item that will last you for years to come. Websites such as extensivelyreviewed.com can be quite helpful, as you can judge whether or not a product is worth the expense and ownership, without even having to leave your house.

Summarizing The Simplification

Simple living is more than just a lifestyle, it’s a way of thinking. 

Initially it can be difficult to re-work old habits, but once you have, you may well find that your life is a lot less stressful. Hopefully this article has inspired you to give simple living a try yourself.