“Simplify, simplify…” More than a century after Henry David Thoreau wrote these words, his insight has more significance than ever. We work hard and play hard, filling nearly every moment with activity. Most families believe they need two incomes to pay for a standard of living that has doubled in the last 50 years. But do we? In my three-year study of more than 200 people who simplified their lives, I found that we can work less, and spend less, and be happier and more fulfilled in the process. Here are some suggestions for simplifying your life. Most people need an initial period of three to five years to complete this transition.

Don’t let any material thing come into your home unless you absolutely love it and want to keep it until it is beyond repair. Too much stuff—it’s suffocating us. Buying, maintaining, insuring, storing, and eventually disposing of our stuff sucks up our precious life energy.

Practice saying no. Say no to those things that don’t bring you inner peace and fulfillment, whether it be more material things, greater career responsibility, or added social activities. Be vigilant with your time and energy; they are limited resources. If you say yes to one thing (like a job promotion), recognize that you are saying no to something else (perhaps more time with family). Live consciously and deliberately.

Spend at least an hour a week in a natural setting, away from crowds, traffic, and buildings. Three to four hours spent in a natural setting each week is even better. There is nothing more basic, more simple, than the natural world.

Limit your children’s extracurricular activities to one to three a week, depending on age. Otherwise, you will exhaust yourself, and your children will grow up addicted to constant stimulation.

Do whatever you need to do to connect with a sense of spirit in your life, whether it be prayer, religious services, journal writing, meditation, or spiritually related reading. Simplicity leads to spirituality; spirituality leads to simplicity. Cultivate a practice of silence and solitude, even for just 15 to 30 minutes a day.

Seek the support of others who want to simplify their lives. Join or start a simplicity circle if you enjoy group interaction. Living simply in our culture can be a lonely journey. Your friends and family who are still on the work-and-spend treadmill are unlikely to give you support. Participating in a study group will give you the sense that you’re not alone.
If possible, select a home and place of employment no more than 30 minutes away from each other. Commuting time is dead time. It nourishes neither the body nor the mind and soul.

by Linda Breen Pierce

Linda Breen Pierce is the founder of the Pierce Simplicity Study. This was adapted from Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World. www.gallagherpress.com/pierce