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Simple living is intentionally making more time for the things you value most by removing everything that is a distraction.
It is one of the fastest ways I know to transform a life from stressed and overwhelmed to manageable and enjoyable– and happens to be one of the best antidotes for our modern restlessness.
That’s because when you choose to simplify, you aren’t randomly cutting possessions and commitments, you are carefully pruning what is less valuable to make room for what is more valuable. Your life immediately has less of what you don’t want and more of what you do.
This combination concentrates your efforts and energy in a powerful way. Like nothing you may have experienced before.
Over the past few years, we’ve embraced simplicity in a myriad of ways: started with small changes, decluttered much of our home, used our phones and social media less, began and maintained healthy habits, and applied the principles of minimalism to many different areas.
In that time, some of the changes we’ve made have produced real fruit (extra time to write this blog, for example), and we expect to see much more in the years to come. Here are some of the benefits of living more simply that we have enjoyed so far:
30 Benefits of Simple Living
Simplify your life and you will have…
Less to manage – A minimalist home has fewer items to clean, organize, and manage. A minimalist life has fewer, but deeper commitments and goals.
Less comparison – By choosing fewer possessions, you will be less tempted to compare your life against consumerist standards.
Less reacting – Without careful pruning, life tends towards complexity and disorder, leaving you merely reacting to what happens around you.
Less decision fatigue – Fewer and simpler choices is the natural result of having decided in advance what is important to you.
Less time cleaning – The easiest way to spend less time cleaning is to have fewer things and more empty surfaces.
Less searching – When you have less, it’s easier to keep track of. Simple as that.
Less stress – Simplicity reduces stress by addressing its greatest source: not having time for things we care about most.
Less waste – Simpler living means less consumption and less waste, and living with a lighter footprint.
Less busy – The greater our focus, the less we need to rely on busyness to live a meaningful, productive life.
Less distraction – The more clarity you have on your values, the less tempted you are to chase the next exciting thing that crosses your path.
More time for things that matter – The chief benefit of simple living: more time and energy to pursue what is meaningful and important to you. Many choose to invest in their faith, relationships, health, and projects they are passionate about.
More self-awareness – You can’t prune away the distractions in your life, until you’ve thought long and hard about your priorities.
More intentional living – When you strip away the excess and clutter from your life (both physical and mental), all that remains is what you have carefully chosen to pursue.
More clarity – A gift of the minimalist life is waking up with absolute clarity on the day’s priorities. They are clear because they are not competing for your attention.
More rest – One thing you learn by doing less, but focusing more is that it was never your frantic pace producing the results.
More creativity – The busier and more stressful your day, the more likely you will turn to passive consumption as a way to escape. The simple life invites you to create and build a few things you care about.
More happiness – Much of our boredom and restlessness is the result of consuming too much and creating too little. Simple living creates space and energy to pursue the latter.
More presence – Without margin in our lives, our mind rushes from one activity to another, distracted by an endless to do list. Choosing to do less invites you to be more present in each activity.
More peace of mind – We experience peace by letting go of too much stuff, too many goals, and the expectations of others.
More unstructured time – In the minimalist life, not every moment is planned. Space is carved out for people and play and whatever opportunity arises.
A more visually appealing home – A minimalist home is not empty and sterile, but carefully filled with useful and beautiful items.
More possibilities – A busy, unfocused life can make it hard to keep your head above water. But a minimalist life curates meaningful activity and space to dream.
More self-confidence – Adopting a simpler, more intentional life is a powerful act of autonomy. Instead of reacting, you are choosing.
More productivity – To stall your progress, spread your efforts too thin. Focus is the only secret of productivity.
More flexibility – The double punishment of excess baggage is a more difficult journey and limited options.
More generosity – If you know contentment with less, then you will grasp what you hold less tightly.
More time for hobbies – The practice of minimalism expands your world by showing you what you don’t need to be happy and then giving you your time back.
More financial freedom – Many find that a simple life frees them in the future to make decisions not driven by money, but by how they’d like to spend their time.
More self-sufficiency – In modernity, the stuff we own ends up owning us. The freest person is the one with the fewest needs and the most opportunities.
More healthy living – The decision to make healthier choices is a natural default for those who have decided to live intentionally with fewer goals.
More relational investment – With fewer distractions and less chasing what others think is important, we can give our best time to those we love.
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