Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need: a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink, for thirst is a dangerous thing.

Life can be pretty simple, it's just that we insist on making it more complex than it needs to be.

Including me.

So I created a "simplicity reset". A list of things to ponder when life feels heavy. A list of actions to take when trying to cut loose unnecessary baggage.

This means removing all that is non-essential. Reducing the amount of:

• Input
• Meaningless/trivial choices you have to make
• Bad choices you can make
• Time spent on things that are not worth it, needed or that you simply don't enjoy
• Hours working/commuting
• Social commitments
• Time spent in the future (worrying) or the past (regret)

This reduction frees up the time, money and energy that can be spent on the things that are more worthwhile.

It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it. Life is long enough, and it has been given in sufficiently generous measure to allow the accomplishment of the very greatest things if the whole of it is well invested

Here's the list, in no particular order:

Simple Wardrobe

Having a simple/'capsule' wardrobe. Basically a collection of pants, t-shirts and dress shirts that can all be combined together. Find clothes that don't need ironing, can be washed together and can be worn for longer periods. When you like something, buy multiples of it in a different color.

This reduces time spent washing, shopping, combining clothes and the trivial "what I'm going to wear today" question.

Similar Meals

Just pick some simple, quick & healthy meals you like to eat and eat those all the time. You're probably already doing a variant of this. Imagine all the time saved not agonizing over that equally horrible question: "what am I going to eat today" and reduce the time spent cooking, prepping, shopping, creating meal plans/grocery lists and doing dishes.

Standardize what you eat, rotate the meal plan after a few months. Especially with a family this is a big time saver.

If you have the room for a pantry, buy the ingredients (and others) you need in bulk and freeze them if needed. It can help to never run out of staples and is cheaper.

No phones at the table

There's not many touchpoints during the day to connect with others. In the moments you do have quality time, make the most of it. Get a conversation going, involve yourself in their life, ask a question, bite through the awkwardness and connect. Focus as a family on gratefulness (even when you're not religious) and ask what went well today.

We usually list our "positives of the day", where we go around the table and list the things that went well that day. It helps, especially after a very shitty day.

Even when I'm eating alone, I'm trying to keep doing this. to allow my brain to single-task.

Remove Social Media/Reduce Phone Use

Social media doesn't serve your best interest. Your attention is being sold to an algorithm that molds your brain to be perpetually unsatisfied, restless, anxious, and bored (cherry-picked reference)

Remove accounts, remove dedicated social media phone apps, remove notifications, don't carry your phone everywhere, allow yourself to be bored, install blockers, listen to podcasts in the car, lower the # of apps you have, let the phone go to voicemail, don't pick up unknown numbers.

I keep a list of people I find interesting across platforms and check in on them ocasionally. It's a pull-based system where you first select the signal (people, blogs, news outlets, books) and pull the content from those sources (downloading, streaming, storing) onto your own device.

As opposed to going to their platforms and getting caught in a frenetic attention maximizing algorithm. Phones are there because they serve you. Not the other way around.

No TV (in Living or Bedroom)

Don't own a TV or don't keep one in the living room/bedroom. Humans are creatures of habit and will choose from the options that are available to them. If you don't have a television, you'll automatically choose better activities to relax.

In the time I've removed the TV I've started drawing, writing more, joined a board game club and read several books. It feels like my free time has been upgraded compared to yet another evening of netflix binging or browsing reddit.

Your leisure is worth more than just being "the space between work". Give it a purpose on its own.

Also: drop the news whilst you're at it. 10 times a day it answers the question: "What's the worst thing that's happening right now?". No idea why you'd want that in your life. Rarely anything that affects your life anyway.

Join the ignorant side, it's blissful to be clueless.

Depending on the source, the average person watches 3 hours of TV and spends 3 hours on their phone per day.

Digitize

I've digitized most books, (VHS) movies, CDs, photos, paperwork, notes, calendars, planners, cameras, cash, wallets. The analog age is over. Less things to weigh you down. Special shout-out to Mediafix for digitizing our old family photographs and helping to preserve memories forever (which I still need to AI-upscale).

Here's little chubby Simon:

Own Less

Especially big, heavy or expensive things. Often, increases in income are used to buy 'status' possessions that permanently inflate your lifestyle creating financial obligations that become hard to return from.

Expensive car payments, a vacation home/investment property, watches, expensive drinks, boats, piano, a larger house than you need, heavy fitness equipment, tech gadgets, ... . Increased fixed expenses chain you to your job (because now you need more money every month and you can take less risk to try something different) and a location (because a big object is harder to move).

The ultimate freedom is measured in the number of months you can last without an income.

Humans are rarely able to see the long-term consequences of their actions. The goal of increasing income/resources should lead to less work and less expenditures, not the opposite where you inflate your lifestyle. It creates an environment with more (unanticipated) responsibilities, making it harder or even impossible to return from.

Rules for Buying

Whenever an item costs more than a day of work I add it to a list in my notes and wait at least 24 hours. At the top of the list are some questions to ponder:

• What material goods do I really need? Will it make me happier?
• Is it worth the emotional stress you're going through while thinking about it/deciding on it?
• Is it worth the freedom/time I've spent on collecting the money for it? What other items am I saying no to by buying this item?
• What are day to day objects I use that could use an upgrade instead?
• Is the amount I'm spending on this proportional to the happiness it will give me?
• Am I rushing the decision?
• Is this something I should rent or buy second hand instead?
• Is the price I'm paying according to the amount of times I'll use it/wear it?
• Have I waited at least 24 hours if it costs more than one day of work?
• Stuff brings in more stuff. Phones come with chargers, cases, screen protection, car magnets, ... . Don't just consider the one purchase, consider the additional peripherals as well.
• Get rid of something else when buying something new. 1 in 2 out
• Is it easy to clean/simple shape/multifunctional?
• Is this going to simplify my life?
• If you can't move it alone, don't buy it.

It helps to pause and reflect. To by-pass the rush you get from buying something new and evaluate if you really need it.

Own less

Subscriptions are better than owning for most things. Gym, board games, movies, music, housing. You avoid maintenance, upkeep, upfront cost & storage.

On the same trend: don't start collections. Find hobbies that are a consumable experience instead. Get a subscription for the things you want to dive more deeply into.

A record player is no substitute for a personality, you hipster.

Limit Spares

How many brushes, chairs, plates, forks, knives, glasses, towels, socks, ... should a family have? For most things, a simple rule is maximum twice the number of people living in the household.

So if there's three people in your household, max 6 chairs, towels, glasses, ... .

Don't become a stage-2 hoarder of spares you "might eventually possibly need one day". To keep multiple versions of the same item but still only use "the good one", whilst the seven others clutter 80% of your storage space and are never used.

Here's a pro-tip: put the things you never use in a box with a future date on it and put it in storage/garage (try 1 year). If you encounter any box where the date has expired and the box is still closed, just throw it out.

Multiple Use Items

Let the items you have, work more for you. A bed that can be used as storage, a multi-season jacket, foldable furniture, .... .

Limit single-use items. eg: plates just for pasta, glasses for 1 type of drink, specific vegetable/fruit tools, ... . Be like Seneca, who walked into a market and said:

There exist so many things, which I do not want.

Leave Shoes at the Door

Home feels more like a sanctuary.

Most of the cleaning comes from bringing the outside in. Get a shoe rack for the entrance and some slippers for guests.

Don't commute

Work where you live or live where you work. Long commutes are a curse and no way to live your life longterm.

It's worth earning less for the additional free time and sanity you regain. Especially in countries where traffic is hell.

Slow Down

When you eat, wait in a queue or are in a conversation, focus on the moment. Don't automatically grab your phone. Allow your brain to be bored once in a while.

Don't compulsively fill every crevice of downtime with distractions, scrolling or "productive" tasks.

Don't just do something, sit there.

Say No More Often

Over time, our calendars become filled with activity traps that we don't truly enjoy but have stuck out of habit. Sit down and see if you wouldn't rather spend the time on other things.

Cancel, say no, schedule some me-time.

When was the last time you had a free evening during the week?

Block Most Mail

I block constantly.

Any mail I didn't want to receive gets blocked. Many keywords go through an automatic filter to trash. When filling in forms online, I usually hand-out fake ones like: [email protected]. The mail I want still arrives at [email protected], but everything that comes after that I just block.

If possible, just change your mail and phone number if you get too much spam. It's well worth it.

I wish the same was possible for physical mail (stickers/removing from lists don't work IMO). I'm counting down the days until a physical postal box isn't required anymore.

Gifts

Ask for consumables or experiences. Be specific about what you don't want. Gifts are for the benefit of the receiver not the joy of the giver.

Unwanted gifts usually linger for decades in long-forgotten closets.

Socks

This is a personal pet-peeve.

My girlfriend had this enormous sock drawer of all non-matching different socks of different sizes and color. Many discolored, single and with holes in them. A treasure-trove of little feet blankets built up over more than 20 years.

We simplified by throwing everything out and just got 20 pairs of the same socks.

Update: new socks have entered the drawer. Stay vigilant everyone!

Drop Off Points

Have a place for everything and keep everything in its place.

I like having a key/clothes hanger at the entrance (imagine time saved never looking for your keys), laundry baskets in the bathroom/bedroom so there's no stray clothes on the floor.

If you want to go crazy, try labeling the shelves or clear plastic containers.

After use, put it back. Everything that doesn't have a drop-off point can go in a "junk drawer". Clean out the junk drawer periodically.

Automate/habitualize the non-import

• Drive on the GPS: Just follow the blue line. Don't think about where you're going.
• Have a (conscious) morning routine. Do the same things in the morning, in the same order. Consider one in the evening as well
• Schedule when you'll do groceries, laundry, emptying bins, cleaning, walks, ... .

There's a nice comfort in knowing what needs to happen at every point and having good defaults to fallback upon.

Give your days to the effortless custody of automation and the accumulating rewards of daily habits. There is no more miserable human being than the one in which nothing is habitual but indecision.

Conclusion

That's it for now!

Not all these tips work for everyone. Try some and see for yourself what works. Or try none and call me an autistic idiot in the comments below! Hey, you do you.

Anyway, making your life lighter is a pursuit worth considering. We only have 1 life and time is precious. Try to consciously emphasize the real luxuries of life instead of getting caught in its trappings.

Watching a sunset/sunrise. Taking a long walk in nature where you lose track of time. Having a chat with a friend. Browsing in a bookstore. Reading a good book. Puttering in the garden. Taking a nap. Spending quiet time with our spouse and children. Immersing in a hobby, getting a good night's sleep, enjoying a slow morning, creating space for fun and play, home-cook your favorite meal, listen to your favorite music.

It's all cliché, but true nevertheless. These tips have all helped me, although I don't follow them 100% of the time either.

You know, something about planning and then life happening.

Let me know: what has greatly simplified your life that others could try?

Sources

• Simplify Your Life - Elaine St. James
• Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More - Elaine St. James
• The Quest of the Simple Life - William James Dawson
• Slow - Carl Honoré
• On The Shortness Of Life - Seneca
• https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2019/03/01/hobbies/