The short answer is that it depends on your situation. Many situations make it hard to live a simple life. In some of these, you have little to no control. In others, you have a great deal of control. In discussing these situations, the assumption is that you want to live a simple life. Otherwise, there would be no point in asking if it is hard to do. So we will start by looking at some issues that can make it hard to live a simple life. We will then look at things that you can do to make life simpler. After all, anything that makes your life simpler will make it easier to live a simple life.
Things that make it hard to live a simple life
Let’s face it. Not everyone has the resources to move to that quaint cottage in the idyllic countryside. Many people have to deal with real complications in their daily lives. Here are some of the issues that make it hard to live a simple life:
Family issues
Any kind of family issue can make it hard to live a simple life. These can range from having a death in the family to having a newborn child. Many of these issues happen with little or no warning. Because people are of the highest priority, these are problems that you cannot ignore.
Health issues
Health issues can take many forms. They can range from injuries to long-term illnesses. They can affect your mobility, ability to think clearly, or even your life expectancy. So, health issues can make it difficult to simplify other areas of your life. For example, they can increase medical bills while making it harder to keep a job.
Housing issues
Many things can cause housing issues. Natural disasters, affordability, and relocation can force you to find another home. Also, repairs and climate control problems can complicate things in your home. These issues are often temporary, but they can still complicate your life.
Transportation Issues
Transportation issues include anything that makes transportation difficult. These include car problems, long commutes, bad roads, or traffic congestion. They make it hard to live a simple life for a few reasons. For example, they can make it hard to get to and from work, among other things.
Work issues
There are many ways for work issues to complicate people’s lives. Some people have very complicated jobs. These include surgeons, airline pilots, business executives, and government leaders. Some people work long hours, and some have more than one job. Still, others deal with a combination of the above. All these can make it hard to live a simple life.
Money issues
Many different types of problems can lead to money issues. Some are preventable and some are not. Regardless, money issues can make every part of your life more difficult. This even includes your relationships. There is no question that money issues can make it hard to live a simple life.
Things you can do to make your life simpler
There is no guarantee that everyone will find it easy to live a simple life. But you can do some things that will make it easier to live a simple life. Here are some of them:
Only buy what you need.
Many people buy a lot of things that they don’t need. This complicates their lives by creating both money and clutter problems. Merchants encourage this via ads that convince people to buy things they don’t need. After all, if they really need something, they don’t need an ad convincing them to buy it.
Buying only what you need means only buying something if you need it and don’t have a substitute. So, if your cellphone does everything you need it to do, you don’t need an upgrade. Switching to this behavior means that you stop wasting your money on things you don’t need. This means that you will have more money regardless of your income.
You also save time too. After all, you stop wasting time shopping for things you don’t need. You also stop wasting time maintaining them. The extra money and time will go a long way toward making your life simpler. You also stop adding things that waste your space. In fact, it is the most important step in removing clutter from your home. Failure to follow it will slow down decluttering and will cause clutter to build up again.
Get rid of things you don’t use.
If you don’t use something, you render it useless. And if it’s useless, it’s wasting your space, time, and other resources. It is worth noting that many people keep a lot of useless things in their homes. Also, too many things in your home can cause you to run out of space. If this happens, clutter will pile up on horizontal surfaces in your home. Your home can even become impossible to keep tidy.
Getting rid of useless things will free up the resources that they are wasting. In fact, the size of a useless item you got rid of is about equal to the space you added back to your home. When you get rid of useless things and only buy necessary things, you will declutter your home. You will have more space and it will be easier to keep tidy. You will also have more money, more time, and less stress. This will make your life simpler. You will also realize that you have all the material things that you need.
Realize that you have enough.
Knowing you have enough is a very important life lesson. It is also one of the most satisfying. Many people learn this when they declutter their homes. Their quality of life improved as they got rid of things, and this implies that they had too many things. When they finished, they went from having too many to having enough things. This should be no surprise considering that there are limits on necessity. The limits on necessity imply that if you have enough of what you need, then you don’t need anymore. Here are some examples:
If you have enough pairs of shoes that match an outfit, you don’t need another pair.
If you are comfortable sleeping on a full-sized bed, you don’t need a king-sized bed.
If your car is safe, reliable, comfortable, and efficient, you don’t need one that costs twice as much.
Realizing that you have enough goes well with only buying things you need. Except for special occasions, you only shop if you need to replace or replenish something. It will save time, money, space, and effort. It will simplify and bring contentment to your life.
Live on your own terms.
You shouldn’t alter your lifestyle for people who it does not affect. Doing so wastes your resources while giving you no reward. It can also take many forms:
Trying to keep up with the latest fashion trends
Trying to get “likes” on social media
Trying to display social status
Trying to keep up with the Jones’s
Life is much simpler when you live on your own terms. For example, having your own style is simpler than chasing fashion trends. Also, there is a certain freedom with not caring what other people think.
Answer your phone less often.
Whenever your phone rings, others want you to alter your agenda to match theirs. Sometimes it is necessary, but many times it is not. The same is true for texts and email. But you can check texts and email at your own pace, while calls are taken at the caller’s pace. Now You shouldn’t check texts and emails too often. 0therwise, it would be like waiting by the phone. The point is that life is much simpler when you live it at your own pace.
Be willing to let go of toxic friendships and relationships.
A friendship or relationship should benefit everyone involved. If it does not, then it is toxic. This means that at least one person is better off without it. If you are that person, you should alter the relationship or end it. If your partner or friend won’t change, it’s time to move on. Your life will be simpler if you do so.
In summary, the difficulty in living a simple life depends on your situation. Many issues make it hard to live a simple life. These include family issues, health issues, and money issues among others. But regardless of your situation, you can do some things to make your life simpler. They include only buying things you need and getting rid of things you don’t use. They also include using your phone less often and removing toxic relationships. These come from realizing that you have enough and living on your own terms.