There is no doubt that simplicity is one of the keys to finding joy in all aspects of our lives.

It can be seen over time, that the more complicated our lives get and the less connected we are to the environment around us, the more unhappy and unsatisfied we become.

Simplifying our lives is certainly a practice we can all participate in, but it is something that will look different for everyone.

I often feel people look at our lives, and conclude simple living is not for them. It’s too remote, too dirty, too simple.

Fair enough, not everyone wants to live in the country side playing in the dirt.

For us we feel like we want our lives to be more simple, we already feel comfortable in this lifestyle, so we wish to dive deeper.

There are also a lot of people that are really hardcore. Like off-grid, cabin building, self sustainable superhumans that take this idea to the extreme.

Simplicity is a spectrum, and it differs for everyone.

So what are a couple simple practices that anyone can use to uncomplicate our lives?

Less Time In Digital World

Always a good place to start.

While technology is certainly something that can be used wisely, with right intention, it is so easy to get sucked in to the vortex of mindless consumption.

Whether your go-to is global news, celebrity lives, latest fashion trends, video games, or just scrolling short form content and letting the algorithms choose for you— I would argue that these things don’t truly enrich our experience of reality, and they often lead to involving our energy in matters that naturally we wouldn’t even have awareness of, for good reason.

We are not wired, biologically speaking, to have access to the amount of knowledge and content there is in the digital world. What it’s doing is taking us out of our present moment and redirecting our attention to often fleeting and meaningless intrigue and desire.

This is coming from someone who used to passionately love video games.

All of these activities are fun, dopamine boosting actions, but they often leave us feeling empty and wanting more. They are okay in small doses, but it’s very easy to lose yourself in them.

The more time we spend in the real world, honing a skill, pursuing our passions, building relationships, and learning about ourselves, the more simple and fulfilling each day becomes.

Declutter Your Life

We all probably have too much stuff, and simplifying our lives can run hand-in-hand with simplifying our environments.

Whether its clothes, gadgets, food, memorabilia or décor, we tend to accumulate a lot of stuff as we move through life.

This can lead to crowded homes, kitchens, offices, closets and subsequently crowded minds.

Removing these extra unnecessary things from our homes and our lives can restore a sense of order and focus.

My rule of thumb is: If I have not used or thought about an item in 6-12 months, I don’t need it anymore. It serves no purpose to me, and most likely could benefit somebody else.

I will find somebody that can use whatever it is, or I will donate it to a second hand shop.

The entirety of my possessions fit in less than a 2 square meter space.

That works well enough for me, but it won’t work for everyone.

My simple piece of advice would be to think about which area of your home you would be most embarrassed for somebody to see if you were giving them the tour. Or even better, the one that causes you feelings of anxiety just being in.

Take an afternoon to sort through everything and really ask yourself, “Will my life be any lesser if I didn’t have this anymore?”.

If you’re honest with yourself, you will be surprised at how many unnecessary things we keep around us.

Decluttering our lives can have many benefits that extend beyond organization as well.

After many years of practicing my personal rule of decluttering, I have noticed it has extended to my habits of consumption.

I often ask my self many serious questions before purchasing something new, and often dissuade myself from making purchases based on superficial desires.

This in turn simplifies my life, because I inherently focus more on what I have rather than what I lack.

I hope these two tips have helped you think about all the ways your life could simplified, regardless of circumstance.

If there is something your practicing right now, or any other useful practices you could share with us about simple living, we would love to hear about it in the comment section of our latest video! (provided down below)

Have a great week!

Journey well friends.

Things I Enjoyed This Week

🎬 Video - Isabel Paige is one of my favorite Youtubers, and This Video is her most popular. She lives in an off-grid tiny home somewhere in the Washington mountains and is a big inspiration to us. Her ability to blend cinematic shots & ASMR audio, while eliciting the emotions of the seasons through storytelling is unmatched. This video somehow made me miss winters in Canada, something I generally despised.

🎤 Podcast - This podcast with Jordan Peterson and Harvard psychology professor Ellen Langer was truly incredible. Ellen has studied the power of mindfulness throughout her career, wrote several books on the topic and shared some really amazing insights and experiment results in this conversation. Highly recommended, I will be picking up her new book soon. There is also a video version on YouTube if you prefer.

Our Video This Week

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