SS May: Essentialism - Simplicity

We feel strongly called to a life of essentialists. It's kind of fashionable right now to practice essentialism, but I think it's more needed than ever. As we load our lives with more and more it restores our sanity to come back to the question "is it necessary?"  "is this essential?" constantly. 

Simplicity doesn't change who you are, it brings you back to who you are. 

- Courtney Carver, Soulful Simplicity 

A few things that are essential to me and thus to my spirituality as well - these all help me greatly to keep it simple: 

• Have a simple morning routine that I try to stick to 
• Eat regularly and basic food (veggies, fruit, grain, legume, egg) - make a menu plan and stick to it
• Don't buy anything that you only use once
• Don't keep anything in your house you don't use (or that doesn't bring particular joy to you daily such as art pieces)
• Don't compromise your time with the people you love over doing things that really don't matter
• Choose a job that you genuinely enjoy (at least 70% of the time) 
• Spend time in the nature or at least outdoors daily 
• Read books 
• Keep your desktop and inbox clean, don't keep unnecessary Apps on your phone
• Make something with your hands (cook, clean, bake, sew, draw, paint, mold, cut, saw, weave, felt...!) 
• Eliminate useless noise from your environment if possible 
• Don't over plan your weekly or daily schedule - leave some days/weekends completely free without any planned activity or task
• Do everything you need to do right away - avoid piling up to-do-lists (remind yourself that you don't have to do everything) 
• Listen to music without doing anything else at the same time: golden rule - do one thing at the time
• Join or self-organize retreats or silent retreats at least once per  a year. 

Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. If you have them, you have to take care of them! There is great freedom in simplicity of living. It is those who have enough but not too much who are the happiest. 

- Peace Pilgrim

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. 

- Hans Hofmamn