How to Live a Simple Life: 7 Practical Ways to Get Started
Inside: Want to live a simple life? These practical tips will help you begin the process of simplifying your lifestyle.
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the stuff and distractions in the world and long for a simpler lifestyle?
Thanks to cell phones, tablets, televisions, and being ever-connected to the internet, we’re fed a constant stream of information – from the media, influencers, friends, and family.
Many rely on the convenience of fast food and fast fashion. Some people’s calendars are packed with meetings, outings, appointments, and social obligations.
In our consumer-driven culture, many are constantly saving up to buy the next big thing. While acquiring something new may be exciting for a time, it isn’t usually fulfilling long-term.
But what if it didn’t have to be that way?
What if you could be even happier than you are now by simplifying areas in your home and life?
Living a simple life looks a little different for everyone, but at its core, simple living is all about focusing on the things that truly matter.
For many of us, those things include our family and our friends. It can also include hobbies, health, well-being, and work if you really enjoy what you do!
By living a simple life, you can cut through the craziness of the world we live in and focus on the things that are most important to you.
And in doing so, you might be surprised to see that you don’t need all of that stuff to get you through the day. In fact, chances are you’ll feel much better without it.
Benefits of Living a Simple Life
Living a simple life can benefit you in a big way.
By living with less stuff, making fewer plans, and getting back to basics, you’ll find yourself less stressed and less anxious. You’ll be able to sleep more easily at the end of the day and wake feeling more rested than before.
You’ll be able to concentrate better, express your creativity in new and different ways, and stay focused on what’s important.
And by living a simple life, you don’t just benefit yourself – you benefit the world around you, too. By making more eco-friendly, sustainable choices, you benefit the environment.
By being more conscious of your choices, you’ll feel great about working toward a simple lifestyle and enjoying all of the benefits that come with it.
Here’s How to Live a Simple Life and Be Happy
Ready to embrace simplicity in your life?
Some of these steps may be a big or just a little change from where you’re currently at. For the ones that feel bigger, remember that every small step will help you get closer to your goal.
Focusing on these areas will help move you toward living a simple, less stressful life.
1. Declutter your home.
Having a house full of stuff is the opposite of living a simple life. If you’re looking for a great first step to take toward living more simply, consider decluttering your space.
Many of us hold onto all kinds of things we no longer need or particularly want.
Maybe you’ve got closets and drawers filled with clothes you’re never going to wear again, or shelves filled with books that you have no intention of ever reading.
You might have a kitchen overflowing with pots, pans, and utensils you don’t actually use, or a garage packed with boxes that haven’t been opened in years.
Whether or not you realize it, all that stuff contributes to overwhelm and increased stress.
Living in a cluttered space stifles our creativity, suffocates our spirit, and makes it impossible to ever truly relax.
There are many benefits to be enjoyed from having a decluttered space. By decluttering your home, you can say goodbye to the stuff that no longer brings you joy – and boost your happiness.
Not sure where to start? Begin with some of these easy high-impact areas you can declutter quickly.
2. Buy less stuff.
And once you’ve decluttered? If you want to live a simple life, don’t let yourself fill it back up with stuff.
Instead, try to be more intentional about the things you buy. If you struggle with impulsive shopping, set a rule and make yourself wait at least a day before buying anything that you don’t truly need.
By giving yourself time to consider whether or not you really need it, you can often talk yourself out of purchases that won’t add value.
Using some minimalist rules will help save money and also keep clutter from piling back up in your home.
3. Unplug more often.
Many of us are constantly distracted by electronics.
Between your cell phone, your laptop, the television, and the smart devices throughout your home, it can feel like you’re always connected – like it’s impossible to truly unplug.
By creating boundaries with technology, you might be surprised to see just how much more clearly you can think. You’ll sleep more easily, feel more creative, and be more present in your conversations with others.
Not sure how to make it happen? Here are a few ways you can unplug and live a simpler life:
- Make your bedroom a place for sleeping. Get rid of the television, and don’t let yourself scroll through social media from bed. Instead, keep a book on your nightstand and use an old-school alarm clock.
- Limit your screen time throughout the week. There are apps that can help you track your screen time – if you haven’t tried it, you might be shocked to see how much time you actually spend on your cell phone.
- Don’t leave the television on for ‘background noise’. Instead, be intentional and deliberate about watching television when you do choose to use it.
4. Enjoy simpler meals.
Our diet is one area where many of us could benefit from embracing a little more simplicity.
Living a simple life can also extend to your kitchen. Declutter your pantry and let go of overly processed snacks, and try to limit take-out and fast food.
Instead, double down on cooking simple meals with wholesome ingredients. Embrace seeds, nuts, fruits, veggies, and proteins from sustainable sources.
Make your own dressings, sauces, spice mixes, and dips when possible.
You might be surprised to see just how delicious things can be without all of the additives and preservatives.
5. Do one thing at a time.
Many of us spend our days stressed out because we’re trying to do too much at once.
Instead, try to slow down and focus your energy on doing one thing at a time. Get lost in a book without interruption.
Have a lot on your mind? Take a walk – and leave your headphones at home.
Have a conversation with a friend and really focus on the moment instead of endless distractions.
Stop worrying about what you need to do later.
Learning how to do one thing at a time is easier said than done – but once you master the skill, you’ll never go back to multitasking.
6. Minimize distractions
If you want to live a simple life, consider what other things in your life are distracting you.
If your schedule feels packed, reassess your commitments and decide which things you may need to let go of.
Make sure that your time and energy are being used intentionally. Spend more time on what matters and take back your time from what doesn’t.
Having a greater awareness of how you’re using your time will help you to recognize where it’s being wasted.
The goal of living a simple life is to limit the distractions in your life so that you have more time and space cleared up for the things that matter most to you.
7. Create daily habits.
Creating daily habits in your life is a great way to simplify. When a repeated action becomes a habit, it requires less thought and mental space.
Habits are something you do without even thinking about it. As you work to create daily habits in your life, you will also be working towards your goal to live a simple life.
Creating decluttering habits will help you maintain your decluttered space. Habits are key to your success in creating lasting change in your life.
What habits could you create to help you live a simpler life? Here are some ideas to help you get started on your simplifying journey.
How will living a simple life benefit you? Leave a comment and let me know!
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I’ve done two extensive declutters and a few deep cleans. Finally my home is exactly as I envisioned it. I love the peace that is here. You use the word “sanctuary”. I like that word. I’m recently retired and desperately wanted my home to be a space that I enjoy living in the bulk of a day and week. Also I wanted to be proud enough of it to entertain and will soon begin hosting a bimonthly literary salon. I created that the space to do that. And if I must say, it’s a welcoming and beautiful space.
These suggestions are all great. I particularly agree with inclusion of noncomplex meals. Generally I follow a heart healthy, vegetarian, Mediterranean diet with slips of sockeye or yellow tail twice monthly. My meals are easy to prepare – lentils, grains, beans, nuts and seeds, an array of fresh vegetables and plenty of fruit. Decaf coffee always! Cherry and sumo orange seasons are my favorites. Fresh food invariably tastes better than ultra-processed and is much better for the body. Uncomplicated always makes cleanup fast and easy. Who doesn’t love that?
The one thing I am learning is the joy of being unplugged. Recently I discovered that I love my reading chair, the chair I bought 13 years ago but never sat in. Generally I read at night before sleep. Last week I made a playlist of contemporary classical music – violin, cello, bass, and piano. It’s so soothing that I found myself just sitting in that virgin chair listening. For hours. I started reading there in the middle of the afternoon. Short pieces – literary essays, travel and food writing, poetry. I felt like I’d struck gold. My entire days habits have changed, centered around a noon nap (also just discovered) and afternoon reading set to music. I didn’t think it possible for me to unplug. I’m addicted to Facebook and Substack. Unplugging happened organically. Now I relish the afternoon reading time. My to-be-read pile has moved from the right side of my bed to the left side of the chair and it’s getting smaller. Unplugged. It’s grand!
I would love to clear out things in the kitchen that we have not used for years. My beloved husband wants and seems to need to keep things so I try to block out the vision of so many things. My own belongings are cleared out about twice a year.
Brava you for finding a compromise both of you can live with harmoniously.