Small Steps to a Simpler Life

These 8 tips can help you lighten your load and uplift your life

Sometimes it just takes a few small changes to tilt the balance in your day-to-day living.Halfpoint/Shutterstock

Don’t be like me.

When I come across a good idea for my life, all I can think about is transforming myself all at once. It’s great to be motivated, but the cost is that you begin to see the journey as an obstacle, instead of the precious gift that it is.

If you’re just beginning to simplify your life, try taking it one small step at a time.

Enjoy the changes you’re making and the progress you see.

Believe it or not, this is something you can teach yourself to do. For example, my wife and I have made a lot of progress with living simply with kids, but I still can’t help but feel that there are always toys scattered across our house.

In the past, this would have driven me crazy. I wouldn’t rest until I came up with a perfect plan to conquer the “toy problem” once and for all. But you know what? We actually have made progress in this area. And I know we'll keep making progress as we learn and try new methods. There’s simply no reason to rush through the season we’re in (and not enjoy it) just because I wish everything were perfect all at once.

Getting started with a simpler life is really as easy as taking one small step and seeing what you learn.

Want to try? Here are 8 small steps that have been particularly valuable to me and my family this past year. Just pick one and get started.

1. Declutter 100 items in 100 minutes. 

You don’t need a master plan to start decluttering. Every item you remove from your home that you no longer need is a small victory and a step in a new direction. There’s no wrong way to do it. But if you’re looking for some structure, start with a simple formula to declutter 100 items from 10 areas of your home in under 100 minutes. Those areas can be your closet, pantry, bookshelf, kitchen, or garden shed. Got ten old cans of beans you'll never eat? Time to give them away.

2. Set a time limit on your favorite apps. 

Achieving a simpler life is sometimes as easy as adding friction in the right areas. I noticed that when I was bored, or switching between tasks, I was a little too quick to pick up my phone. The solution has proven to be simple but effective. I used my phone’s built-in functionality to set daily time limits on the various apps I’m prone to overusing. Of course, I can easily turn those off, but just that small bit of friction is enough to slow me down and then decide how I really want to use my time.

3. Do a month of no spending. 

When I say no-spend month, what I really mean is no spending on nonessentials and keeping your essential spending as low as possible. Mollie and I are doing this now and learning a lot about our various impulses to spend and the conveniences we’ve begun to take for granted. A no-spend month is a simple way to reset your spending expectations back to a new baseline without having to commit to any permanent changes.

4. Create a meal plan for the next week. 

My wife has come up with a great system for improving the experience and simplicity of meal planning in our home, in part by preparing in advance. But, if you were to take just one part of that plan to implement today, the biggest bang for your buck would come from setting aside one day each week to write down your meals for the next 7 days. This one little step, as straightforward as it sounds, simplifies so many other decisions around meals.

5. Do it now. 

This tip doesn’t sound super practical, but hear me out—it’s actually one of the most powerful tools on this list. How much of the complexity in our lives comes from the fact that we put off small things that later turn into a source of stress or frustration? Instead, try asking yourself: What can I do now to make my life easier later? My wife got this “magic question” from Kendra Adachi’s bestselling book, “The Lazy Genius Way.” Once you’ve decided on the task, just do it right then. Maybe it’s not that simple ... but maybe it can be.

6. Do one thing at a time. 

Choosing to focus on one thing at a time is perhaps the quickest way to simplify your entire life. Complexity comes from trying to carry too much at once or juggle multiple things at the same time. But anyone has the power to bring clarity to their world by deciding that the one thing they’re doing right now will get their full attention. As you read this article, don’t think about what you’ll be doing next, just read. And when you’re done, put all of your focus and energy into the next thing that you do. If taken seriously, this idea can completely change your life.

7. Get enough sleep and exercise.

Maybe some people don’t consider this to be simple living advice, but I find it hard to see it any other way. When you don’t take care of yourself, particularly in the areas of sleep and exercise, it’s like you are going through your entire life in “hard” mode. If you’ve been neglecting good sleep or daily exercise, it’s probably the lowest-hanging fruit on this list to make your life feel simpler.

8. Start small.

Am I allowed to use “start small” as an item on my list of small steps? Why not—it’s my list, after all! The truth is, I end this list with the encouragement to start small because I know how tempted I am personally to “go big,” and maybe you are too. If you’re trying to create the biggest possible change all at once, then sure, go for it—try accomplishing every item on this list. But if your goal is to adopt a lifelong change, then the speed in your first few weeks doesn’t matter nearly as much as finding the habits that you can stick with for the long run. Find a way to love the journey, not the destination.