t h e S i m p l e r l i f e
by Sam Spurlin
Living8 Essentials To Practice Everyday
DeDicateD to
All the readers of The Simpler Life. Your support is what encourages me to simplify my life everyday. I get to spend my time doing what I love because of you.
Thank you so much.
Design by Upcycled Love z
What You’re About to ReadWhere I’m Coming From (Introduction) 4
Essentials:
1 Accurate Self-Knowledge 7
2 Purging the Unnecessary 19
3 The Willingness to Say “No” 31
4 A Focus on Conscious Consumption 41
5 Cultivating Patience 49
6 Mindfulness 58
7 A Desire for Less 70
8 An Attitude of Gratitude 78
Simplicity a Journey, Not an Event 89
Resources 90
Credits and Thank You’s 92
W H E R E I ’ M
C O M I N G F R O M
In a world of infinite information and constant
stimulation, it can be easy to float through life instead of
piloting it in the direction I want. Cutting through the
discord and evaluating what really matters will create a
simpler life – a life that lets me decide where my time
and attention will be spent without shutting myself away
from the world.
4
We live in fast and exciting times. Modern technology
makes possible that which couldn't have even been
dreamed twenty years ago. Living a simpler life doesn’t
mean that I have to give up the amenities of the 21st
century. I don’t have to become a monk (although I can). I
don’t have to throw away my T.V. and turn off the internet
(but some choose to do so). Living a simpler life can be
done in many ways but the basic principles, the essentials,
remain the same.
A beautiful aspect of the simpler life is that it means
something different to each person. For some, it may be
similar to Thoreau’s experience at Walden Pond – limited
technology and surrounded by nature. However, for most
of us it's unreasonable to strive for that level of asceticism
when our lives, jobs, and families are all demanding our
attention. Instead, I can strive to simplify my life to focus on
what I truly value. For Thoreau, that meant living with
sparse possessions in a cabin he built for himself. For the
busy professional it may mean figuring out a way to finish
the day’s work early so she can spend time with her family.
Or write the next great novel. Or read a book. The key is
that living the simpler life is different for every person.
5
Through my own experience and the observation of those
around me, I have devised the following list of 8 simplicity
essentials.
1 Accurate Self-Knowledge
2 Purging the Unnecessary
3 The Willingness to Say “No”
4 A Focus on Conscious Consumption
5 Cultivating Patience
6 Mindfulness
7 A Desire For Less
8 An Attitude of Gratitude
I hope that my description, advice, and personal
experiences within each of these chapters will help you
develop the same concepts in your own life. I wrote this
ebook from the position of a student who wishes to
continue learning. I am no expert and I don't lead a
perfectly simple life. Writing this ebook has taught me that
there is no final destination, only a movement toward
progress. Clarifying my thoughts on simplicity through
writing has been a huge form of progress for me and I hope
reading it will help you proceed in the same direction.
6
A c c u r A t e S e l f - K n o w l e d g e
Essential One:
The decision to live a simpler life can be difficult at first.
Many of the messages we're bombarded with everyday
oppose the simplicity movement. We're told that
physical possessions are a manifestation of our personal
success: that bigger is better and that we are entitled to
more. Eschewing this for a simpler life can be the
beginning of a very personal and lonely road. Knowing
yourself, or self-knowledge, is the simplicity essential
that will guide you through this journey. It helps you
develop your reasons for simplifying, the methods you
utilize, and guides you on your unique voyage toward a
simpler life.
8
What I am calling self-knowledge can be defined in many
different ways. For my purposes I consider it in-depth
knowledge and understanding of yourself. This includes
knowing what does and doesn't motivate you, what you are
and aren't good at, and what your passions are. Each of
these categories is extremely personal and unique. What
motivates me may not motivate you and I guarantee my
passions are very different from yours. Our different
approaches to the same problems are what colors our
simplicity experiences very differently and makes writing
simplicity advice a potentially risky endeavor (I'm willing to
try though!).
Self-knowledge is one of the essentials of simplicity
because it drives the underlying reason for simplifying. My
reason for simplifying is to allow me to focus on living my
life aligned with my values. I require the self-knowledge of
knowing what my values are before I can do anything that
will supposedly simplify my life. It is the most basic and
fundamental step.
Secondly, accurate self-knowledge allows you to choose
actions and projects that truly benefit you. My simpler life
will not look like your simpler life, and vice-versa. Joshua
Becker, author of Simplify, calls this "rational minimalism."
Many men go !shing all of their lives without knowing that it is not !sh they are after.Henry David Thoreau
9
You have to decide what actions will truly simplify your life
and not worry about what others are doing. For me, getting
rid of my car would drastically NOT simplify my life; I do
not live in an area where it's feasible for me to do so.
However, for Tammy Strobel, author of Simply Car Free,
getting rid of her car is a key component toward her
simpler life. Anything you do to remove distraction and re-
focus your attention and energy on your values will lead to
a simpler life. Self-knowledge is the vital skill that will help
you do that.
10
Hopefully I have convinced you by now that developing
your self-knowledge is a worthwhile endeavor. Luckily, this
is not an ability that you are or aren't born with; it must be
developed. The following is a brief list of ideas that have
helped develop my self-knowledge or are things that I am
currently doing to clarify my understanding of myself.
11
Make Progress Now!
Take an online personality test: I'm leery
of online personality tests but I do think
they can be useful. If you answer the
questions truthfully and don't try to guide
the test toward a particular outcome, I
think interesting insights can be made. At
the very least, it might open your eyes to
where your strengths and weaknesses lie.
Re"ecting on passions
Your passions are going to be derived from your values.
Taking the time to sit down and figure out what it is that
you really and truly care about at the most basic level will
go a long way toward developing your self-knowledge.
What do you spend most of your time on? During what
activities do you find yourself getting "lost"? If money was
not a concern, what would you spend most of your time
doing? These questions will help shed light on your
passions. If you are honest with yourself you might be
surprised with what you discover. I am a teacher by
training, but once I allowed myself to define my passion as
"helping people" and not "being a school teacher," I
became aware of a multitude of different ways to fulfill it,
including this ebook.
12
1
Assessing your weaknesses/strengths and minimizing/maximizing
their impact
There are two schools of thought when it comes to
strengths and weaknesses. Some people say that you
should focus your self-improvement efforts on your
weaknesses in order to become more "well-rounded." The
other approach is to accept your weaknesses for what they
are to minimize their impact while focusing on improving
strengths instead. I am more inclined to take the latter
approach. I believe in improving weaknesses enough that
they do not completely handicap you and concentrating
the majority of attention and focus on making your
strengths truly world class. Focusing on weaknesses will
make you mediocre at best. Focusing on strengths will
make you stand out and be noticed.
13
2
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will make
everything you do much more effective. Do you have a
group project that requires a leader? Do you know that is a
role you enjoy and in which you thrive? Step up and be
that leader! Are you in the same situation but know that
you are a much more effective worker if you don't have to
be the leader? Take that role and dominate in it! Putting
more effort into situations where you are more likely to
have success is the logical thing to do. Your self-knowledge
will make those situations obvious.
14
Asking others
If you aren't sure about your strengths and weaknesses, try
asking other people. Starting with the people closest to
you, ask them to help you figure out what you are and
aren't good at. If you interact with them on a regular basis
I'm sure they have plenty of feedback. It won't be hard to
get them to talk about your strengths, however, the greatest
possibility for true improvement in self-knowledge is by
discussing weaknesses. Identifying but not necessarily
focusing on improving your weaknesses is a great way to
tap into your self-knowledge. It's your responsibility to
approach the conversation in such a way as to make your
conversation partner comfortable enough to share what
they think your weaknesses are. How can you send your
strengths into overdrive while minimizing the impact of
your weaknesses?
Developing self-knowledge is a never ending process. You
never stop growing so why would the quest to know
yourself end? I firmly believe that learning about yourself is
15
3
one of the most important processes to living a simpler life.
This will always happen to a certain extent regardless of
your intentions. However, once you make up your mind to
actively improve self-knowledge, the rate you start learning
about yourself grows exponentially.
16
Make Progress Now!
Delegate something: I'm sure you have plenty of items that are on your to-do list that you aren't
particularly good at. Chances are, it might even be something that has been festering on your list for a while
because you are resistant to doing it.
I'm a terrible editor so whenever I get a chance I try to delegate that to somebody else. My girlfriend is
usually up to the challenge. Your job is to find one item on your to-do list that you aren't very good at doing
and delegate it to somebody else.
There is a difference between delegating and avoiding the work you're supposed to be doing, however.
Work that distracts you from your passion or doesn't align with your values is what you should be looking to
delegate. Not only will you be focusing on your strengths by removing a task you are not well-suited for,
hopefully you will be helping somebody focus on their own strengths through the work you give them.
I want to leave you with the idea that the development of
self-knowledge and the process toward living a simpler life
are inseparable. As you improve self-knowledge it becomes
easier to take action toward a simpler life. As your life
becomes simpler and you spend more of your time and
attention focused on your passions and values, your self-
knowledge will grow at an even faster rate. The key is to
open your mind to the possibility of understanding itself
better and then taking steps to make it happen. A simpler
life is passion and values laid bare. Tapping into your self-
knowledge will help you figure out what you will be
sharing with the world. It is the crucial first step on your
journey.
17
Ninety percent of the world’s woe comes from
people not knowing themselves, their abilities,
their frailties, and even their real virtues.
Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to
ourselves.
SYDNEY J. HARRIS
p u r g i n g t h e u n n e c e S S A r y
Essential Two:
Simplification is the process of expelling everything that
isn't central to your values in favor of what is. Depending
on the amount of stuff you own and the state of your
mind, this step could vary in difficulty and in time to
achieve. When I first started thinking about living a
simpler life, I had a ridiculous amount of things to purge.
I had to reduce my wardrobe from its absurd state. I had
to get rid of the absolute mess that had become my book
collection. Nothing was safe from my probing eyes. I
also had to declutter my mind because it was filled with
partially completed projects, worries, regrets, and other
annoyances. This can be a tough principle to adapt on
both levels but removing the superfluous from your
surroundings and your mind has an amazing, energizing
affect on the rest of your life
Your physical environment is probably the area that
could most obviously benefit from a good purge. It
finally seems after decades of conspicuous consumption
(at least in America), some people are beginning to see
the benefit of having less. However, years of Westernized
lifestyle has probably left your living space a cluttered
mess. Physical decluttering, or purging, is the act of
identifying the clutter in your life and removing it. This is
simple in theory and usually much less so in practice.
Before tackling this project you must be sure that your
motivation is sound. It will do you no good to spend time
decluttering your house if the mindset that led to its current
state is not addressed. Why do you want to remove the
clutter from your life? When I first began this process I
20
realized that the tranquility and serenity of a decluttered
room was a wonderful feeling. I loved walking into a room
that had been decluttered so I decided to try to create that
feeling throughout my entire life. It can be difficult to
appreciate just how much stress and subconscious thought
your mess is causing until it's gone. For others, motivation
may be financial. Decluttering your home will result in all
sorts of items you can sell on eBay, Craigslist or at a garage
sale. Your motivation can be almost anything as long as it
excites you for the task ahead.
If you're interested in purging an area of your home I
recommend following this rough guide:
21
Determine what you’re going to do
with the clutter.
Get empty garbage bags, boxes and labeling
supplies ready. Do the necessary research to figure
out where you can take your clutter once you've
identified it. Where is the closest thrift store that will
accept clothing donations? Where is the closest
recycling center that will take your old electronics
equipment?
Often, the biggest impediment to getting started on a
decluttering project is identifying what you will do
with the junk afterward. I recommend getting an
empty garbage bag and three boxes. The purpose of
the bag is obvious, but each of the boxes has a very
important role. Label one "Donate," one "Sell," and
the last one "I'm Not Sure." Having these boxes on
hand and ready to go will make the actual purging
process much easier. If you take care of the legwork
beforehand, the rest of the process will go much
smoother.
Identify one area.
Don't try to tackle everything at once. Your entire
apartment may need attention, but you are only
setting yourself up for failure if you try to do it all at
the same time. Instead, pick one room (or even one
part of a room) to declutter at a time. As you
conquer these smaller projects your momentum will
build and embarking on something larger and more
difficult (like your garage or attic!) will be easier.
Remove everything.
Take everything out. Dump that drawer, empty the
closet, or take all the books off the bookshelf. It's
going to be a mess, but it gets better, I promise.
22
2
3
1
Replace items while asking tough questions.
Handle each item once and only once. Quickly
deci de whether this is something you are going to
keep or get rid of. You already have your boxes
labeled and ready to go, so deciding to get rid of
something means all you have to do is drop it in
the proper box. If you can't decide whether you
should keep something or not, ask yourself some
questions. Do you use this regularly? Do you love
it? Does bring beauty into your home? Does it
work? Err on the side of overpurging. Very rarely
will you get rid of something that is truly
irreplaceable. What may seem like an impossibly
austere space quickly becomes normal and you
may surprised yourself with how little you truly
need (or come to want!).
23
Make Progress Now!
Research the places you can donate old clothes: Hop on the internet and do some quick research as to where you can take old clothes. Or, if you don't need to purge your closet, do some research about where you can take your other clutter. Some electronics stores will recycle old computer components and many cities have locations to drop off hazardous material like old paint.
4
Get the clutter out immediately!
Don't let the stuff you've designated as clutter sit
around. Don't give yourself time to change your
mind. You went with your gut and decided you
were going to sell it, donate it, or throw it away --
so get it out of your house as soon as possible!
Take some pictures and throw your stuff up on
Craigslist or eBay. Do whatever you have to do to
get rid of it quickly.
Maintain
Now that you have a beautifully decluttered area,
the key is to keep it that way. Luckily, I've
discovered that once you have spent the time to
purge an area it becomes much easier to keep it
that way. Before, when random things were laying
on the floor and your bookshelf was overflowing,
what did it matter if you added "one more thing" to
the pile? Now, if something is out of place it will
stick out. You will feel compelled to take care of it
immediately and prevent yourself from ever having
to go through this ordeal again.
24
5
6
This is the series of steps I took to purge my closet several
years ago. I located the nearest Salvation Army and verified
that they accepted clothing donations. I got several empty
boxes, garbage bags, and a permanent marker. After I had
collected all my supplies, I took everything out of my closet
and laid it on my bed. After cleaning the closet shelf and
vacuuming the floor, I took each article of clothing one at a
time and asked myself some questions "Do I love this and
wear it regularly?" If I answered in the affirmative, then it
went back into the closet. If I answered in the negative, I
either put it in the garbage bag to throw away, the Donate
box, the Sell box, or the I Don't Know box. The key
component to this system was the I Don't Know box. Items
that I knew I should get rid of but couldn't bring myself to
for some reason went in this box. It would then get put
away somewhere out of sight and mind. If I found myself
really wishing I had something in that box, I allowed
myself the liberty to retrieve it. However, a year after the
25
box went into storage, I donated it without ever opening it
again. Since I lived a year without something, particularly
an article of clothing, I really didn't need it. I then also
promptly took the items in the Donate and Sell boxes to
their respective places. I didn't want to give myself any
time to change my mind about any of the decisions I made.
Going through this process represented a significant initial
time and effort investment. However, I've been able to
keep my closet neat, minimal, and organized ever since
with little effort. These steps can also be applied to nearly
anywhere else in your home.
While physical purging is the most visibly obvious step you
can take, mental purging is just as important. Mental clutter
is an ambiguous term that is not easily defined. Think about
everything that is currently weighing on your mind. I'm
willing to bet that a lot of your mental clutter is thoughts of,
"I should do this," or, "Don't forget this!" or, "Remember to
fix this." An untold number of tolerations and annoyances
compete for your attention and brainpower every second of
every day. Getting them out of your head is like purging
your closet: everything fits much easier, you can find what
you're looking for, and you are less stressed. My experience
with David Allen's "Getting Things Done" system was the
starting point for purging my projects and getting my life
26
under control. It doesn't matter if you use a system like
GTD or something of your own devising, the principle is
the same. You need to sit down and write down every
single thing that is on your mind. A complete mind dump.
Once you have everything out and on paper, you can start
clarifying your commitments, tossing out irrelevant
projects, and planning. The act of putting every worry and
every project on paper is very refreshing; purging the stuff
that doesn't matter is even more so.
My favorite ways to mentally purge are:
27
28
1
2
Do a mental ‘RAM’ dump:
Sit down with a piece of paper and write down everything that's on your mind. All those ongoing projects, everything you should do, everything you want to do, everything, everything, everything. Now is not the time to filter what you are thinking, just get it all down on paper. Try using this checklist for inspiration.
Make a list of all the tolerances in your life:
A tolerance is something you notice from time to time but never do anything about. Maybe it's a broken lightbulb in the bathroom or a door that squeaks every time it opens. These little tolerances add up to a significant amount of brainpower and stress over time. Make a list of these and start knocking them out.
3 Close “open loops”:
Open loops are the small projects (often recurring) that aren't necessarily difficult. These tend to build up over time until you suddenly have a whole gaggle of open loops staring you in the face and weighing down your mind. I've discovered that taking a couple of hours and knocking out a few open loops is a great way to build momentum to work on my larger and more important projects.
4 Spend some time with your “someday/maybe” list:
Your someday/maybe list is where all your crazy ideas and dreams live. If it goes on your list it doesn't necessarily mean you have to do it; putting it on your list just means that you have it written down and aren't going to forget it. When you are looking for a new project or hobby, take a gander at this list and you find all the things you want to do and haven't yet. Most importantly, this means that your subconscious knows that any good idea you have will not be forgotten. It's not up to you to remember it forever if it's written down.
The last idea I would like to address in this section is
purging your emotional and spiritual problems. Guilt,
outdated traditions, and addictions are all aspects of your
life that you could consider applying the principles of
purging. Advice in this area is especially personal so I will
keep it short. There are many negative emotions that you
can attempt to purge from your psyche. For instance,
feelings of anger or past injustice can be purged just like an
overflowing closet or a scattered mind. Letting go of past
hurts and forgiving those who have hurt you can have an
incredibly powerful effect on your own well-being. It is
much simpler to forgive and forget than it is to carry anger
with you. It's up to you to determine what is truly essential.
Once you've done that, everything else is just extra weight
holding you down.
29
Make Progress Now!
Set up an eBay or Craigslist (or both!) account: It's simple and only takes a matter of minutes. Once you have an account you can very easily start posting your clutter to make some easy cash.
Sometimes you’ve got to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything…whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.Tina Turner
Top Related