7 Things I Love About My Simple, Minimalist Lifestyle
After simplifying for eight years, I found peace, and you can too.
If you’re like most people in our capitalist world, slowing down is difficult. I’ve struggled a lot with finding my calm and maxed out my stress levels while pursuing external “success.” Notably, I burned out and quit my “dream job” in tech user experience in early 2020.
Leading up to that, I felt weighed down by people-pleasing and needing to prove my value. Maybe you can relate? Feeling “not good enough” is pretty common, especially for women –but that’s another article.
But over the past eight years, I’ve been on a beautiful minimalism journey. Through letting go of what doesn’t matter, I moved closer to discovering what does matter. I’ve also made changes like moving to California, embracing the biking lifestyle, working on impactful products, earning over six figures, and recreating myself once again.
If you find yourself dreaming about the “simple life,” I’m writing this article for you. Though most people start with clearing out their closets or kitchen cabinets, an intentional lifestyle is about so much more than that. Let me paint you a picture of how my life has shifted as I create my version of a simple, minimalist lifestyle.
But first, let’s define minimalism.
In essence, minimalism means letting go of everything that isn’t important to make space for what is important. It’s an ongoing journey of loving and letting go, of growing and shifting. Living an intentional lifestyle means deciding what you value and adapting your lifestyle accordingly.
Like many people, my simplicity journey started with my clothes. I felt suffocated by my overflowing wardrobe when I moved into my college dorm room; then, I discovered minimalism and let go of nearly 75% of my things. This lifestyle approach has continued to influence my life ever since.
Everyone has their version of how “minimalism” might look. I encourage you to be curious about what feels good for you and experiment with stretching your comfort zone. You don’t need to be the “perfect minimalist.” But taking small steps to simplify adds up.
1. Feeling more at peace
Along with the burnout, I discovered making a lot of money does not bring more happiness. Instead, the stress from my work began significantly decreasing my joy.
Maybe I needed to reach a breaking point before deepening my spirituality. For me, that means accepting that my external world will continue changing and that my “life situation” is not my “life.” More recently, I’ve been rereading “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle and feeling so grateful for this silver lining.
But leading up to these discoveries, I let go of many things. I stopped worrying about impressing people with my clothes, job status, or “cool personality.” I feel like my minimalist journey got me into the habit of prioritizing my needs and values.
When it was time to walk away from my job and dive into my inner world, I made that choice more easily.
2. Finding my personal style
With a simpler wardrobe, I spend less time creating outfits and more time feeling good in my clothes. Every item isn’t perfect, and things wear out. But I’ve designed my style, two “looks” that fit my lifestyle.
Most items work for my athletic look or “day clothes.” When I’m lounging or exercising, I wear yoga pants, tube socks, a sports bra, a tank top, and a sweatshirt. For work or other daytime activities, I wear a high-waisted skirt, a nice top, a sweater, and tights when it’s cold.
Wearing your favorites every day feels delightful. My clothes look good, feel good, and work with my lifestyle.
3. Enjoying my hobbies
It took me a while to let go of the idea that everything needed to be related to productivity. My career became a huge priority, and I needed to be as efficient as possible. Trying to optimize every moment of my life became very draining, and I’m proud to say my life has become far more balanced. Or at least, I accept that “balance” doesn’t quite exist.
Now, I love my hobbies. They’ve been rotating as I explore different ones, but here are a few: pole dancing, baking, making music, crafting, walking, hiking, drawing, and tailoring my clothes. Having playtime and doing things for the sake of the experience has been so fun.
Reconnecting with my creativity has been so joyful. “The Artist’s Way” book/program by Julia Cameron played a significant role in resetting my perspective on hobbies and playtime.
My minimalist lifestyle makes it easier to prioritize my well-being and make space for joy.
4. Embracing my favorites
When you’re distracted by the never-ending quest for “more and better,” you miss out on the simple pleasures. With a simpler lifestyle, I’ve noticed how much I enjoy my favorite coffee mug, that red flower-patterned skirt, the calm in the morning, and the cactus plant on my desk.
The best way to enjoy your favorite things is to only have your favorite things, said Carver, founder of the “Be More with Less” minimalist brand.
Of course, many of my “favorites,” aren’t things. I enjoy the warmth of a hot bath, the glow of candlelight, the magic of presence, mental clarity, and the happy hormones after a challenging workout.
Do you have favorite things? Are you getting to enjoy them?
5. Appreciating small moments
Have you read those job descriptions that say “requires multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and perfect accuracy.” I’m not even exaggerating. Oh, or have you seen people have like 50 tabs open on their computers at a time? I can’t even imagine anymore.
Multi-tasking is a myth and leads to stress and burnout. They’ve researched this quite a bit.
When I began embracing single-tasking, I noticed how lovely it feels to be “under-stimulated.” When I’m doing one thing at a time and not trying to impress anyone, it’s easier to listen to what I truly need. I’ve been making better food choices and more fully enjoying movies when I watch them.
Once you recognize that more never brings lasting happiness, it’s easier to enjoy what you do have. With less noise, you can appreciate beautiful moments that happen every day.
6. Addressing deeper challenges
Our modern, tech-filled world gets noisy quickly. For example, notifications, ads, or neighbors may add ongoing distractions. Plus, we often experience the chatter of our eager, insecure minds. With all this distraction, it’s easy to put off the important stuff.
Taking the time to understand what matters most helped me make difficult decisions. For example, quitting my high-paying job to address ongoing anxiety. My career goals had been a priority, but I made that massive shift because I knew my well-being mattered more.
I got into the habit of letting go, knowing my opinion, and making counter-cultural choices. I learned how to prioritize my needs and interests. This minimalist mindset has empowered me to make ongoing healthy lifestyle shifts, even when life gets messy or noisy.
7. Increasing confidence
Additionally, I’ve noticed being intentional helps with confidence. As you become selective with your time and energy, it’s easier to focus and let go of the need to please other people.
As someone who has experienced lots of imposter syndrome and shape-shifting, I’m becoming more comfortable in my skin. For example, I recently cut my hair from waist-length to an inch above my shoulders. I’d kept the same haircut for ten years; it’s an obvious choice for being “traditionally beautiful.” But my new haircut better reflects my authentic self, and I love it!
As a bonus, releasing the need to make others happy saves a ton of energy. Who doesn’t want more energy and confidence?
Choosing minimalism has brought so much joy into my life experience, and I wholeheartedly recommend this lifestyle. It’s a counter-cultural movement that empowers you to create an authentically fulfilling lifestyle. We can stop overworking ourselves to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t even like.
Over the years I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how meaningful simplicity has become to me. Being intentional has impacted every area of my lifestyle for the better.
If you’re curious to learn more about this life approach, you’re in luck! Here are a few of my favorite minimalist influencers: Courtney Carver, Joshua Becker, Matt D’Avella, Marie Kondo, and The Minimalists. They share loads of inspiration and actionable insights through podcasts, TV shows, books, blogs, YouTube videos, and social media accounts.
Have you already started? What things have you been enjoying? I’d love to know!
I write inspiring, uplifting, and empowering content on transformative topics. Join the Weekly Love News on my website to receive free newsletters each Tuesday in your inbox.