Why ‘Simple Is Best’ & How to Achieve It
What Does ‘Simple Is Best’ Mean?
The phrase ‘simple is best‘, ‘simple is the best‘ or ‘keep it simple‘ are often used interchangeably to emphasize the importance of simplicity in design, explanations, processes and life in general.
Simplicity is finding the most efficient way to do something and removing anything that could potentially be distracting, unnecessary or overwhelming.
When we keep things simple in life, we can make better decisions, make less mistakes, reduce stress and overwhelm, create more space for ourselves and be more productive with our valuable time.
On the other hand, complexity crowds us with too many options and makes it difficult to stay focused on the task at hand. Pretty compelling reason, but lets look at them a little further…
Reasons Why ‘Simple Is Best’ In Life
Better Focus & Clarity on What’s Important
One of the first steps of simplifying is knowing the intended outcome and what’s important. Like goalsetting, if we start with a clear understanding of what truly matters, it’s easier to stay on track and make better decisions.
When we simplify our lives, we are actively choosing what is important, what is not a priority right now and what no longer serves us at all.
From there, we are able to prioritize our time, resources and mental bandwidth on what is most important, without being consumed by the unimportant.
Less Stress & Overwhelm
When we remove (or even just reduce) the unnecessary and unimportant things we create the space for more time and energy to focus on what truly matters.
It is easy to feel inundated with too much information, tasks and decisions in our everyday lives.
Too many options often lead to analysis paralysis, which often results in being unable to make any decision at all. This then often becomes a vicious cycle of stress and overwhelm.
Yuck.
Instead, when we simplify our lives, we reduce the complexity and make it easier to stay focused on our intended outcome, without being pulled in different directions by all the unnecessary noise.
More Time & Freedom to Enjoy Life
One of the biggest benefits of simplifying is having more time and freedom to enjoy life.
When we prioritize what’s important, it gives us more freedom to enjoy the moments that matter.
We can spend more time with our loved ones, do activities we enjoy or take up a new hobby we’ve always wanted to ‘find’ the time for.
When there is less stuff that need organizing and less in the schedule, we can be more present and mindful with the moments in life that truly matter.
More Efficient
Simplicity makes things more efficient by getting rid of any unnecessary steps or processes that are not important to the outcome.
When we are clear of what is important and what we want to achieve, this also makes processes faster and more streamlined to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible.
In a nutshell, simplicity means fewer distractions, more focus and clarity, less stress and overwhelm and more time to enjoy life. It helps us recognize what is truly important – that which brings us joy and satisfaction – and removes anything that does not serve.
So, when you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or bogged down by too many decisions, take a step back and ask yourself ‘Is this really necessary?’.
Simplifying your life can help keep things in perspective and create space for the things that matter the most to you.
For more on living a more simple life, check out:
