The benefits of embracing minimalism and simplicity

1. You will have more time

I’ve written about this before but, if you take a look at your schedule for the next week, month, year and eliminate all the stuff you do that doesn’t give you any happiness or fulfillment then you will have a lot of free time.

2. You will be happier

The things we buy don’t make us happy. The things we do make us happy. If you are doing activities that make you happy then it is easy to be happy.

3. You can travel more

If you are not spending money on things that don’t matter then it is easier to travel and see the world.

4. You can invest in yourself and others

The best investments in life are the ones that help us learn new skills or help us connect with people we love or help us discover our passions.

5. You can eat well and exercise more

When I first started simplifying my life I didn’t think this would happen but it did. When I was younger I ate poorly and exercised as little as possible so I could spend more money on stuff (since exercise requires clothes and equipment). Now, since I am eating better food (and cheaper food), I feel better and get up early every morning to exercise (which also gives me more time in the day).

6. It makes it easier to say “no” to people who drain your energy.

This is an important one for me right now because there are so many people who want me to work with them or help them in some way or give them money or whatever. And they usually want this right now! It takes discipline to say “no” when someone is pressuring you for something right now instead of later (or never). When i simplify my life, saying no becomes easier since there is less stuff going on in my life.

7. There is less stress about forgetting things or losing things or breaking things, etc…

Since there are fewer objects in your life it’s easier not to worry about losing them all the time since they are fewer objects around that can go missing.

8. Fewer distractions means more creativity can flow through you.

When I first started simplifying my life, writing became much harder for me because there were fewer distractions around me when I sat down at my computer each morning to write for an hour before work. But now creativity flows easily through me so writing has become much easier than ever before even though there are fewer distractions around me while I write than ever before.