In our pursuit of doing more, we’ve created a life that feels more like a race than a journey. The solution isn’t to keep up but to slow down. Simplifying is the quiet revolution we need to reclaim our time, focus, and peace.
Why Simplicity is Revolutionary
Once upon a time, and not so long ago, life moved at a different pace. Meals were prepared and eaten slowly, with family gathered around the dining room table. Letters were written by hand, on actual paper, and sent via the post office. And evenings were spent on the porch, not glued to a screen.
Today, we sprint from one task to the next, barely stopping to breathe. In our pursuit of doing more, we’ve created a life that feels more like a race than a journey. In a recent study, it was estimated that the average person encounters around 74 gigabytes of information daily — the equivalent of streaming 16 full-length movies. Between endless notifications, overflowing email inboxes, and the constant hum of social media, it’s no wonder we feel stretched thin.
The irony? All this information, all this ‘connectivity,’ was supposed to make our lives easier. Instead, many of us are drowning in complexity, caught in a cycle of doing more but feeling less fulfilled. What if the solution isn’t to keep up, but to slow down? What if simplifying is the quiet revolution we need to reclaim our time, focus, and peace?
In an article in Psychology Today entitled “How to Live Simply”, Dr. Tchiki Davis stated that these are some of the benefits people have reported once they have made an intentional effort to live simply.
- “Financial sustainability
- Feeling less stressed about money
- Better work-life balance
- More quality time with friends and family
- Increased spirituality
- Environmental sustainability
- Getting a better sense of what really matters
- A greater sense of freedom
- The ability to discover true passions”
[Davis]
The Quiet Revolution
When you know how to simplify modern life, you may experience a feeling of well-being and freedom from owning fewer things. You’ll spend less time and money buying things and less time and energy taking care of things you don’t really want or need.
Living simply, you focus less on nonessentials and more on the things that are important to you, your essentials. You set limits on technology, remove distractions, and gain time while improving your mental and emotional states.
In a culture that glorifies “more” — more stuff, more productivity, more obligations, simplicity can be a revolutionary act. Simplifying doesn’t mean depriving yourself. It involves stripping away what is not useful to make room for what truly matters.
What is the Quiet Revolution?
The “quiet revolution” of simplicity is a personal journey, an inward shift toward intentional living and freedom from unnecessary complexity. It’s quiet because it doesn’t rely on external validation or big, public gestures. This revolution is uniquely and deeply personal. It looks different for everyone and grows from within.
It may mean having less of everything: material goods, choices, and demands on our finite resources of time, energy, and money. Often it means being “well-enough” organized, able to find what you need when you need it. Importantly, simplicity means whatever you need to feel less stressed, more together, better organized, more freedom from clutter and less searching for things you need, fewer lost papers and unpaid bills.
And remember this, simplicity is more a state of mind than a set of specific practices.
Living more simply may require giving up some things, but only the articles, activities, and, yes, perhaps people that are no longer meaningful or helpful or enjoyable. Instead of focusing on what you’re giving up, look at what you’re gaining: more space, more time, more money, more energy, and more attention to give to those you love.
The Hidden Costs of Complexity
Complexity costs money and valuable time, tries our patience, and undermines trust. It creeps into our lives through the clutter in our homes, overcommitment in our schedules, constant digital distractions, and on and on. But before we look at ways to simplify unnecessary complexities, let’s draw a contrast between complex and complicated.
Think about assembling a computer, or a car, or the motherboard of a smartphone. These are complicated items with hundreds, even thousands, of parts, requiring the work of many different people. But when these and other complicated products are assembled in a specific order, not deviating from established routines, the end result is predictable. [Ashkenas]
In complex matters, there can be lots of inputs, but they vary and there are no routines, or the routines are not always followed. Results, in this case, are unpredictable.
So, to contrast the two, complicated = lots of parts but a predictable result, while complex = no prescribed routine and unpredictable results. Computers are complicated. Human beings are complex.
We can deal with complicated because the results are predictable. But complexity takes a toll on our well-being, because of increased stress, reduced focus, less joy, and weakened relationships. Unfortunately, we may unconsciously choose complexity as a way to feel “busy” or productive, even if it’s not serving us. Let us instead join the revolution of simplicity.
“Our life is frittered away by detail…Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let our affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand…Simplify, simplify!” ~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Clarity Through Subtraction
Removing what’s unnecessary allows the essential to emerge. It’s not an incremental improvement but a change in perspective that reframes everything. [Burkeman] Simplicity allows you to spend your finite amount of time on the things that are important to you.
Simplicity is letting go of things – be they physical items, calendar entries, tasks and chores, or other activities – to focus on the important in your life. Aim to consistently and constantly weed out the unimportant, the merely convenient, and even the essential things that aren’t your essential things.
Look at your stuff. Some things may represent trophies of your success. Some may be toys you thought would make you happier. “But if they’re not tools to help you accomplish your goals in life,” writes Joshua Becker in Things That Matter, “maybe the time is already here for you to start getting rid of a lot of them.”
Intentional Choices Lead to Freedom
Choosing to live simply isn’t merely choosing to have less but choosing with intention. Fewer possessions mean less time spent maintaining and more time spent enjoying.
When we simplify our life, stop buying things we don’t need, shed physical, mental, and emotional clutter, then we can focus on the important stuff. Things like relationships, making meaningful contributions, and giving our best in Service to the world.
Look at your life with fresh eyes and ask “What truly matters?” This question can help guide you through the decisions about what to keep and what to let go. It gets you “to the heart of your own convictions, beliefs, and goals in life. It’s the question that can help you separate the truly important from the trivial and can help you maneuver through the minutiae in pursuit of the momentous.” [Ryan]
The Beauty of Slowing Down
Slowing down leads to deeper relationships, greater creativity, and more joy. Simplicity and contentment go hand-in-hand. As you learn to simplify your life, your desire for new and bigger things wanes and your contentment with what you have grows. And as you become more and more content with your simpler life, you’ll look for more ways to simplify, creating a virtuous circle.
When you choose simplicity, you say “No” to things that do not improve or enhance your life, that do not lead to contentment, that you do not value or find useful. This makes more room for the things you do want and value.
When you have the capacity to say “No” to those things, you have more room and more energy to say “Yes” to the things you do value and that are important to you. Your objective is to find the balance that is right for you.
Keep in mind that simplicity and simplifying don’t mean you stop dreaming or setting BIG goals, but you can practice contentment with where you are while continuing to strive toward your goal. For example, your goal may be to become debt-free and financially independent, which could be a long-range commitment. But you can track where you are and see the progress you’ve made and let that be OK. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished even as you continue to work toward your end goal.
Practical Steps to Join the Quiet Revolution
- Start with one area. Choose one area of your life (home, schedule, digital habits) and simplify it. Start small—clean out one drawer, say no to one obligation, or log off social media for an afternoon.
- Adopt the “less but better” mindset. Focus on quality over quantity — in your relationships, your possessions, and your activities.
- Ask the right question. You may find these questions helpful as you look to reduce the things in your life. For each item, ask:
– Do I use this time at least once a year?
– Do I own another item that does the same (or a similar) job?
– Could I afford to replace this item if I needed to?
from https://nosidebar.com/8-tips-to-help-you-declutter-when-your-income-is-small/? - Reflect regularly. Take some time periodically to reflect on what adds value to your life and what feels like unnecessary noise.
“Decluttering and simplifying start out as a physical task, but as you transform your living space, you will transform your life. All of the tools that help you get there will become less and less important. It won’t be an overnight process. It won’t be easy, but it will become easier as you start to experience freedom.” ~ Courtney Carver
Here are additional steps you can use to get started on the path to a more simple life.
- Identify and prioritize what’s important
- Get rid of the clutter
- Reduce and unplug
- Get out of debt
- Use rules of thumb
- Learn your “clutter archetype”
Simplicity has a Ripple Effect
Adopting simplicity practices is like dropping a pebble into a still pond. The changes you make in one area of your life ripple outward, touching and transforming other areas in ways you might not expect. When you take the time to simplify your physical space — perhaps by decluttering your home or organizing your workspace — you might discover an unexpected sense of clarity and ease. This newfound clarity often inspires a deeper desire to simplify other aspects of your life.
For instance, after simplifying your home, you might notice unnecessary complexity in your finances. Perhaps there are subscriptions you don’t need, accounts you’ve forgotten about, or spending habits that no longer align with your goals. Streamlining your finances becomes the natural next step. From there, the simplicity mindset could extend further: into your calendar, where you prune back overcommitments; into your relationships, where you focus more on those that truly nourish you; and even into your thoughts, as you let go of mental clutter and unnecessary worries.
This is the beauty of simplicity: it doesn’t require forcing a change in every area all at once. Start small, in one manageable space, and allow the benefits to spread organically. Each simplified area creates more mental and emotional bandwidth, giving you the energy to tackle the next.
Simplicity starts with you, but its ripple effects can create waves of transformation — in your life and in the lives of those around you.
The Call to Join the Revolution
“Things of lasting value come through our own efforts. They are of a spiritual nature.” [Sterner]
Simplicity isn’t concerned with giving up or missing out; it is uncovering the life you truly want to live. Take a moment to reflect on your current situation.
- What feels unnecessarily complex?
- What do you want to create space for?
Do you want more time, cleaner surroundings, less clutter, more savings? Maybe you’ve already taken some steps to simplify. Or maybe you’re just beginning to feel the urge and see the potential benefits. What is your next step? Maybe it’s your first step! At any rate, start small, make changes you can keep, and build on your progress. Join the quiet revolution and let the small changes compound into a beautiful, simple life. That is embracing your Excelerated Life™!
Are you yearning for less complexity and a more simple life?
What step will you take today to join the quiet revolution?
Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Excelerated Simplicity™ — freeing yourself from unnecessary complexity — is one practice for creating your Excelerated Life™, a life of flourishing and well-being, and a life of meaning, purpose, and service.
Read more about the Excelerated Life™.
Resources:
Ashkenas, Ron. For Stronger Leadership, Cut Through Complexity. Duke Corporate Education. Duke Corporate Education, September 2013. Web. November 28, 2020.
https://www.dukece.com/insights/for-stronger-leadership-cut-through-complexity/
Becker, Joshua. Things That Matter. New York: WaterBrook, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2022.
Burkeman, Oliver. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021
Davis, Ph.D., Tchiki. “How to Live Simply.” Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC, June 20, 2022. Web. January 21, 2023.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-for-happiness/202206/how-to-live-simply
Ryan, James E. Wait, What? And Life’s Other Essential Questions. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2017.
Sterner, Thomas M. The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life. Novato, CA: New World Library, 2005, 2012.
This blog post includes research information provided by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI. To learn more about ChatGPT and its capabilities, you can visit the OpenAI website.