What's simplicity? A state of not being driven nuts, I think.
You guys have shared so many great simplicity topic ideas in the comments on Monday's post...thank you!
Reading your comments has made me ponder the whole idea of simplicity these last few days. What's simple? What's not? Sometimes complication masquerades as a kind of simplicity.
(Homesteading comes to mind.)
These are the dictionary definitions of simplicity:
I'm not looking for #5 (ha!), or #4, really. And the Amish-like simplicity of #3 is also not what I'm going for.
#2 sounds almost right, but really, I think #1 is where I'm at. There are multiple meanings for simple, but the one that sticks out to me is "not complicated".
When I feel an urge to simplify, it's because life is feeling overwhelming. The complications of my life start to press in on me, and I want to do something to make things simpler.
So for me, simplicity is about trying to make sure my life doesn't drive me nuts.
That's not a very fancy definition, but I think it sums up the way I (and a lot of you) yearn for simplicity. We want to figure out what in our lives is driving us nuts and how we can best fix those things.
I like that this is a pretty flexible definition because what drives me nuts might not drive you nuts, and vice versa.
But no matter what it looks like, all of us want a life that doesn't drive us nuts. 😉
Maybe for some people, that's a 10-piece wardrobe, even though other people would chafe in that situation.
Maybe for some people, that's living off the land, even though a lot of us would lose our minds trying to do that.
Maybe for some people, it's canning home-grown veggies, and for others, it's giving themselves a guilt-free no-canning pass.
Maybe for some people, it's making homemade detergent, and for others of us(!), it's deciding to give up and just buy detergent.
Since an ideal state of simplicity/lack of complication varies from person to person, it's kind of a tricky topic to write about.
But I think that within all of the questions you submitted, there's a common theme of wanting to know how to minimize, reduce, and just manage homes/lives/schedules/events in a less-complicated way.
Sooo, I'm going to try to address the simplicity topics from that angle, and as you read, I'll trust that you will remember that simplicity is about making sure your life doesn't drive you nuts, and you can apply (or not apply!) the posts accordingly.
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In my words, "A state of not drowning in busy-ness and stuff". I like your description too, when life feels like that, I do feel like I'm being driven nutty!
I think simplicity is one of those things like balance, you know when you don't have it but if you aim specifically for it you'll drive yourself crazy. I've had much more success instead focusing on the next important priority and planning for the one after that. I find if I am doing that and something important doesn't get done I cut something from my life. Sometimes that is small things like figuring out I can put baby bottles in the dishwasher (this was a major revelation for me), and sometimes it is big things like limiting our family to one major social engagement per month during the semester. If you are constantly feeling off balance or overwhelmed it might be time to examine your life professionally, spiritually, relationally, etc. Kristen, from the outside it looks like you "have it together" because you are good at prioritizing and living right. It's one of the reasons I'm such a fan.
Having read all the comments, I think what your readers want is fewer things[1] and less time spent on whatever. The consequences of success in these endeavors will be more space, fewer things to deal with, fewer time-consuming obligations, more free time.
[1] Really, the right number of things, but for most of us that means fewer of them.
Yep, and there was more than one person who said that the "just make everything from scratch" type of simplicity is NOT what they're looking for.
A saving time and energy type of simplicity is what most people want.
I agree - I don't see what's automatically simple about making things from scratch. Some are, such as laundry detergent (about as tough as making jello). Some are not, such as bread or clothing.
Having thought about your question more, my answer is "less clutter, more space" and not only in the physical sense.
I like the idea that it is whatever you need or don't need in your life to feel calm. And that's different for everyone.
I laughed at your example of homesteading being considered simple, yet the reality is anything but. For years now, I've been trying to convince people that the so-called "simple life" of living anything close to off your own land (which is actually almost never really done in this modern age) is actually REALLY HARD. And complicated in its own way. I grew up suburban and fell into this country life (through marriage, as is so often the case), and I can tell you that it is much harder in many ways than the typical modern life.
Anyway.
I think the definition of simplicity is not only different for every person, but can change with different stages of life. My definition of simplicity now is giving up pretty much anything that makes it harder to take care of my three young boys. That means--as you also specifically mentioned--guilt-free abandonment of growing and processing my own food (hooray for farmers markets!). Right now. But I suspect that will change when my kids are older.
As with so much else in life, we have to notice and go with the changes with each phase of our lives.
Yes. It fits with that Amish-ish definition of simplicity, but definitely not with the type of simplicity I'm thinking of! Hats off to all of you who manage to live off the land.
I'm a new reader here... I absolutely agree with your words here. Simplicity is different for different people. But uncomplicated? We all get that.
Looking forward to reading more about Simplicity here!
To me, simplicity is about keeping things uncomplicated and streamlined with an end goal of reducing stress, disorganization, and chaos in our lives. Minimization is the soul mate of simplicity. Without minimization, all the "stuff" overwhelms us and like you said, drives us nuts. You simply can't have simplicity without minimization.
It's not just the stuff you own, it's the stuff that clutters up your calendar, as well. Keeping it simple, to me, may mean saying no thank you to invitations to direct-sales type parties, and meetings, knowing it's ok and will keep me from going crazy and dreading those days that I'm over-scheduled.
Last New Year's Day, I hosted a vision board party (at it's simplest: a collage of what you would like to be/do/have, and an easy, super-fun art project!), and in big bold letters on my board, it reads: IT'S UNCOMPLICATED.
I snapped a picture of that board to use as my screen saver, and so I get reminded several times a day. Throughout the year, I have been untangling some complications, using inspiration I've learned from your blog over the years: finding myself choosing the "buy for life" option to eliminate future shopping trips for the same items, sometimes preferring the "make it from scratch" route when it will save me money, time and packaging in the long run (you may not make detergent, but you make bread and refashion clothes, and assemble photo books, all of which still elude me!).
I appreciate the time you took to ponder this idea, and to get at the question behind the question, and I'm looking forward to reading your further thoughts on simplicity!
what a great idea for a party!!! I'm going to steal it 🙂
Somewhat related - I just wanted to tell you that I also really appreciate the simple elegance of your website. So many bloggers have jazzed things up with lots of videos/ads/moving parts that make it hard (slow) for some of us to load the page... The fact that you keep your website so rich in content and visually appealing and yet so easy to bring up - helps me keep my life simple. Thanks !
I'm so glad that the simplicity here is workin' for you.
I hate it when I go to a buzz-feed-ish site and there's so much JUNK cluttering up the page. I can barely see what I came looking for!
I second this comment!
When I asked about simplicity, I hesitated knowing that it would look different for each person and you probably have a lot of those persons reading your blog. What I guess I would like is how you define simplicity (which you just did) and how you get there for you. A path that worked for you which I might contemplate and maybe figure out my definition and my path.
Agreed!!
To use one example, for me, a minimalist wardrobe is actually more complicated. Having more than enough outfits ready to go saves me time and mental energy on a regular basis.
For me, simplicity is about maximizing the amount of time doing what is important and valuable for me and my family and minimizing the amount of time spent on what doesn't reflect my values. For instance, for my family of introverts, being gone every night of the week feels hectic and chaotic. Planning what activities we will be involved in (and especially knowing when to say "no!") is crucial. Sometimes something comes up which may not reflect my time values (i.e. the mandatory work meeting I had to attend last week in the evening) and I have to work around that, but I try to be realistic with our personalities and the busy-schedule-syndrome.
I think simplicity can be linked to every part of your life. I have a friend who puts her child in an after school club every night to get a bit of time to herself after working all day but she spends most of her time running her daughter there and back and because of this she has a late tea, her daughter goes to bed later than she normally would. I'm sure life would be much simpler if her daughter only went to the clubs she loves. Sometimes we lose sight of what is simplicity. Xx
I agree with your definition. And to add to what another commenter has said about simplicity looking different depending on your stage in life, I would add that it can also look different depending on your health and your age. My grown daughter has a chronic illness that limits her energy and stamina. Simplicity looks different for her than for many of her peers, and it's also more critical to achieve, to allow her to just get the basics done without wiping herself out in the process. I am aging and don't have the energy I used to, also. The things that I used to do that I did not think twice about are now starting to overwhelm me. I need to simplify just to get the basics done as well.
I admire how you cut through the details and get to the heart of the issue, Kristen - with every post.
I realized that my last thought there - "you cut through the details and get to the heart of the issue" - is really what I want to understand more - how do you simplify your thinking? your process? your research? your decision-making? I think these are the things that people are in need of, whether they are phrasing them that way or not. We need someone to teach us to fish, not necessarily give us fish 🙂 Can you give us some insights on how you approach problems, how you think them through, and how you make choices?
Gotcha...the process that helps you decide what simplifying looks like for you.
To be honest, I think I got off track with my request - I was picturing a more global process of analysis and decision making, not just regarding simplifying. My thoughts more properly belonged in the recent survey, but I hadn't thought it through in time to go there 🙂
So, you could either ignore this request, or do it as you described above. Sorry for the lack of clarity!
Here we use the phrase "breathe and be".
For me it depends on what I am applying it to. Aesthetically it means clean lines and minimal decoration. Functionally it means completing a task in as few steps as possible and still reaching a satisfactory result. Mentally it means knowing myself and when to set limits in my life so that I am not easily overwhelmed.
I agree wholeheartedly! My philosophy exactly.
When I think of simplicity, I think of keeping this as simple in my mind as possible. That means putting reminders and events in calendars, to do lists in notebooks, and checklists for anything I do on a regular basis.
By writing it down, I don't have to re-invent the process and, in some cases, I can simplify it even further.
Lastly, I find that getting it out of my head has helped simplify my own life a tremendous amount.
I agree with your definition. Simplicity for me is also the opposite of not feeling overwhelmed and of not feeling there is too much to do.
For me, simplicity means removing things (clutter, bad feelings/relationships, etc.) to make room for what really matters. Simple as that.
The older I get the more I want a simple life! We live it CT and have put our house up for sale and are going to move to South Carolina for a slower paced life. Totally excited for the next chapter of our lives. Enjoyed reading your insights on simplicity all the comments.
For me it is not having more belongings than I have a well-lit, roomy place to be. No clutter.
It is having a calendar that is not filled to the brim with places to be.
It is learning how to say "no." and knowing what is important to me and I enjoy and what isn't.
I forgot to add: like your title CHEERFULLY living on less. Attitude, attitude, attitude.
Oh man, I just wrote a blog post about this. I had kind of an epiphany where I realized that I'm a highly sensitive person and being stimulated makes me act crazy. For me simplicity isn't just about clearing mental clutter, it's about being able to act/think/be normal!
When I get overstimulated/worn out, I tend to just shut down and pull inward...interesting the varying ways people react to stimuli!
I love this. I felt compelled to comment because I found myself nodding in agreement to your words numerous times!
I now have the words to describe my deep-down gut feeling and reasons for pursuing simplicity: ensure that my life doesn't make me nuts! Doesn't get simpler than that!