Simplicity, like many other terms, in our society can seem to have multiple meanings and can mean whatever each person deems it to mean for them. Let’s get back to the heart of the matter and peel back the layers to the raw truth of what simplicity is and how it can improve our everyday lives.
DEFINING SIMPLICITY
The 1st listed definition from the Webster Dictionary is “the state of being simple, uncomplicated, or uncompounded.”
Another definition from the Webster dictionary for simplicity is “freedom from pretense or guile: CANDOR”
One more definition from the Webster Dictionary of simplicity is “directness of expression: CLARITY AND: restraint in ornamentation: AUSTERITY.”
These definitions all go towards what I wanted to unpack today. Simplicity even in its basic form, has less to do with the amount of stuff you have physically, but more about the amount of stuff you have or carry around mentally, emotionally, and the ebb and flow of daily life. Keeping things uncomplicated is the goal! Now, to that end, having less physical belongings that you need to tend to, upkeep, and be burdened with can also be a big help towards that goal as well.
No more toxic thought patterns, chemicals, or people in our lives. Keep it uncomplicated!
Back to Basics and Simple is the standard we are after!
Whether you are a minimalist with hardly anything in your living dwelling or someone who is surrounded by stuff at this moment due to who you live with (toddlers or messy roommates or your job being a vet or a caregiver or whatever the case may be), it is possible for YOU to achieve simplicity in your everyday life.
Now, you may be thinking that because you are a minimalist you have achieved simplicity…nope….not the case. You see, you may not have many material belongings, but you may carry around guilt, anxiety, depression, worry. Or it may even be just as simple as not being able to plan your days and get much done because you can’t find your planner or know how to focus your day.
You may be surrounded with constant messes of toddlers, or running a plant nursery, or being a personal trainer which requires lots of equipment, or any number of jobs that REQUIRE lots of actual stuff, but because you have figured out the ebb and flow and rhythm of your day, you have achieved for the most part SIMPLICITY!
Simplicity is simply knowing how to be back to basics in your ebb and flow of your everyday life. It’s uncomplicating life by reducing any unnecessary steps, processes, or obligations that don’t have room in your life right now. This then leads into handling the tough stuff when it comes along because you already handle the regular stuff with great ease because you have learned to focus on your space, speak truthfully, and leave things as simple and basic as you can which allows for more free time and time to serve others and grow through your ever-evolving life.
If anything is related to simplicity, it would have to do more with organization than minimalism in my humble opinion. Organizing has so much to do with planning and simplifying they could be sisters! Having a place and a time for things and people means that flow is there in your life!
Simplicity, as it refers back to the dictionary is the “freedom from pretense or guile”. Wow! Just steep in that like you are a teabag for a minute…just steep.
HOW DO WE ACHIEVE SIMPLICITY?
So, how in this world do we go about achieving this state of freedom?
Well, let me start by saying I am not sure we ever fully get there because I personally believe there is a danger in saying that about anything in life. “Ok, I get it…I got this down pat…I’m good over here…the rest of you just carry on”. Um, yeah, if you ever hear me say that, just smile, wave to me as you back away quickly! ha!
What I do believe is there is hope for us to retrace back to when life really was simpler and there weren’t so many distractions and time felt longer and interactions with people were something to look forward to and hang onto!
I believe (in my own silly mind of course) that just like a lot of areas in life, that simplicity has more to do with contentedness with our present circumstances than anything. If we can fully accept where we are, then we are able to be at that moment (I know, I know…you hear me say this a lot!) and just be thankful and then focus on what needs to be done.
To achieve that freedom of simplicity, I believe there CAN be less physical stuff (and that is ideal of course), but there HAS to be less mental and emotional stuff for sure. That has a lot to do with what we are feeding ourselves in those areas, right?
It involves a lot of saying NO to what doesn’t work right now, cutting out unnecessary steps, tasks, obligations, and even people if it’s causing overwhelm.
It’s all about streamlining and being the most efficient with your time, energy, and money so that you can say YES to more of what matters most to you and your priorities of life.
If you are wondering why you should take the time to simplify your life or why simple solutions even matter, you can read more about that here.
REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF SIMPLIFYING
Simplifying, as we have already mentioned, is not about reducing physical clutter (although that can end up being a byproduct in certain situations and is a GREAT ONE). Instead it focuses on streamlining your life and implementing organizational systems that then help reduce mental and emotional clutter as well as cutting down on the chaos in your brain and/or in your life.
Let’s unpack this a bit, shall we?
Simplifying in my own life as looked like many different things at different points in my life:
One example was when I was a single lady and decided to give up the 2 great jobs I loved, my lovely little apartment, and pet all to go live in a dorm room to go back to school. Why? Because I was commuting 3 hours round trip daily, trying to juggle my 2 jobs, home life, studying, and classes and something had to give. I had to say NO to so many things I loved in order to simplify life and focus on my studies and move closer to school and be all in.
Another example would be when I was caregiving for my mom. The number of physical belongings we had to have to care for her day in and day out was literally mind-blowing. It didn’t dawn on me until that day they brought her home from the Spinal Center. The bags and bags and bags of medical supplies kept coming and getting dumped on the living room floor. The big equipment, back up equipment and so much more kept coming. I quickly had to reassess how I had set her room up, the functionality of the layout of her room and the rest of the house, the flow of her daily routine and revamp it all. I had to say NO to what I had pictured in my head and all outside responsibilities in order to simplify, zone in on her care alone in order for it all to work out.
One of my favorite examples of simplifying is in everyday life no matter where you live or what life looks like. One of the reasons I started this site was to give EVERY PERSON, no matter WHERE THEY LIVE, or what their present circumstances simple solutions that work whenever wherever so it’s one less thing they have to think about. Things that work ACROSS THE BOARD!
Anything that helps unclutter our lives is what we are all about! To that end, I am never done thinking of and researching simple solutions.
Everything from the tape mounted triple compartment soap dispenser in our bathrooms that reduced the bottle clutter in the shower to making detailed printable binders that are editable and thereby reducing all the excess books that I no longer have to tear random pages from and make my own notebook. I love label makers and that is no secret to those that know me as well. There are so many great ways to go about reducing the steps, tasks, and clutter of life so that you can get back to living yours!
In fact, HERE Is a FREEBIE to get you started on simplifying in the world of belongings…this is a FREE SET OF WALL ART PRINTABLES I made to give you. The best part? You can keep them on your computer as a background, print them out and either frame one and hang it, or all, or slide them in a notebook cover, or save it as your screensaver. Multiple USES across the board, and it’s always yours…unlike other wall art that you may not have room for and are single use only. It’s on the house! Go snag yours here! Check out our many other FREEBIES while you are there!
SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE
There are countless other ways you can imagine that simplifying can play out in someone’s life.
It’s a process that involves: recognizing the overwhelm, deciding what is really worth it AT THIS MOMENT, and being willing to and following through with letting go whatever doesn’t fit into your life at that time. It involves a lot of that beautiful freedom of saying NO that you can read more about here.
The next part of the process is as simple as cleaning out unnecessary clutter (physical, mental, emotional, or any kind) and streamlining your everyday processes. This is why I love printables so much! Ever since I have found these and am working on so many life simplifying binders, it changes the ballgame. I no longer need to order a new specialty organizer every year that I then wish I could rip my notes pages out of and put in my new one but there is no way to do that. I no longer have to retype up an organizational routine as the kids grow….they are editable papers so I can simply go back in and change it and print it anew! I no longer am tied to redoing an entire book. They all go in my 3 ring binder so I can replace only the pages that need replacing! It reduces so much excess physical clutter, cuts out unnecessary steps, and improves the ebb and flow of everyday life. That’s simplicity for you!
Simplifying can be painful. It can also be fun and eye-opening! It can involve hard choices. But, it is so freeing and allows you to be right where your life is right now and excel in that! It can take time on the front end to simplify your life, but will give you back so much more than you can ever imagine in the space of time, freedom, energy, and even money in your life!
Comment below with when you have simplified in your life and how that helped ease any unnecessary complications in your life!
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