Simplicity and minimalism are pretty hot topics. If you Google “How to simplify your life” or “How to minimize your life” you will most certainly get a lot of hits with a ton of different ideas.
Many people equate simplicity with minimalism. Certainly minimalism represents the ultimate in simplicity. But minimalism isn’t for everyone. I for one am not ready to embrace the level of minimalism that some people seek.
For me what distinguishes simplicity from minimalism is this: the point of simplicity is not that you strive to have as little as possible, but rather to ensure that everything you have and everything you do makes life easier and contributes to your happiness and well-being. Simplicity also does not just refer to physical things but almost everything – what you eat, how you spend your time, what you think about and so on.
In my own quest for simplicity I have identified four main principles:
1. Identify what is important to you. Whether it’s family, work, travel, hobbies, exercise, or financial freedom, decide what to focus on and live intentionally. Slow down and be mindful of how you spend your time.
2. Eliminate everything else. In the cabinet industry we talk about “lean” manufacturing. The main focus of lean is the elimination of waste - extra time, extra steps, extra material, etc. that do not add value for the consumer. In life there is also a lot of waste – wasted money spent on things we don’t need, wasted time spent doing things that don’t make us happy, wasted emotion (anger, regret etc), wasted mental energy spent focusing on distractions, and ultimately, wasted potential.
3. Set up systems and automate as much as possible. Whether it's calendars, apps, automated reminders, etc, setting up systems you can depend on means you can relax, be creative, and generate new ideas, rather than having to think about all the things you need to do.
4. Invest in services that save you time. Rather than spending money on stuff you don’t need, invest in services like house cleaning, yard work, grocery shopping, and other work that you dread. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that spending money on time-saving services is linked to greater life satisfaction. However people tend to feel guilty about spending money on things they could do themselves. Instead of feeling guilty, refer back to Principle #1 and ask yourself whether the task contributes to what is important to you. Consider whether spending the money to have someone else complete the task would allow you to spend time doing something that contributes to your happiness and life purpose.
These are the principles I am striving for in my own life, and are the focus of this blog. So why is a cabinet company writing a blog about simplicity? Well, it’s what we’ve built our company on and it’s something I'm pretty passionate about! In the coming months we will be talking to other Calgary businesses that help to make life simpler and sharing some great local resources. I hope you will follow along!
Jolanda