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Why have you chosen to seek a simpler life?

Is it peace that you’re after? Joy? More time to spend with loved ones? Freedom to serve your community? A life with fewer regrets?

I ask because if you’re clear on your “why,” you will have an easier time letting go of patterns and possessions that stand between you and a simpler life.

Transformation begins when we make small changes. This is good news because—wow—transforming a frenzied life into a simple one is a Herculean job. Small changes are about all we can handle at the beginning when we’re still dashing through busy days.

That’s why this week’s focus is taking baby steps toward simpler living.

10-minute missions

Here are a dozen practical ways to inch ahead and experience peace ten minutes at a time. These aren’t shortcuts—they’re catalysts, quick ways gain momentum and create breathing room.

Without breathing room, chaos reigns. Most tension we experience is a result of systemic issues. Things like misplaced priorities, poor time management, lack of boundaries and forethought—these issues don’t go away overnight. It takes a clear head and a clear goal to overcome the big hurdles.

So to seek clarity, we suggest these baby steps. Gain momentum with a few small changes first.

Inching toward simplicity

This is a perfect time to lock eyes with your core values and personal manifesto. (If you haven’t worked through those yet, we can help.) Keeping these priorities front and center will motivate you to make the most of your time.

We’ll address life on the three fronts:

• Digital space
• Physical space
• Inner space

Choose one activity; choose more. It’s up to you.

We suggest setting a timer to stay on track. Maybe throw on some music and race the clock for fun. This is about making space for joy, right?

Regardless of how far you get, be at peace knowing you took small steps today. You can always chip away more tomorrow. Simplicity will come together one day at a time.

Let’s start with baby steps for clearing digital space. You’re at a screen, after all. With a few strategic taps, you can amplify joy and turn down digital noise. Here are some suggestions.

Digital Space

Did you know that according to Linda Stone’s 2007 study, roughly 80% of people hold their breath or subconsciously practice shallow breathing while checking email? She calls it email apnea. Investing ten minutes to cut back on future screen time will literally have you breathing easier. Here’s how.

1. Engage in a rapid-fire unfollow session. The goal here is to act fast and streamline your social media feed. Doing the complete job across all channels is daunting. Start small and don’t overthink it. Unfollow, unfollow, unfollow. One platform. Ten minutes.

Some things worth pondering as you go:

• Does this account push me in the direction of my values?
• Would I be excited to talk to this person at a party?
• Why did I choose to follow in the first place?
• Does this add meaning to my daily life?
• Does this make me question my self-worth?
• Would I want my kids to spend time looking at this?
• Does this tempt me to buy things I don’t need?

“When in doubt, don’t.” This mantra tames bad shopping habits but the opposite is true with social media. When in doubt, do it immediately. Unfollow. The internet isn’t going anywhere. If you experience withdrawal, you know how to fix it.

Remember to set that 10-minute timer so you don’t get sucked into a black hole. Hustle and see how much lighter you feel when you’re done.

Indulge in a notification cleanse. Maintaining a – ding! – clear head when – ding! – you are perpetually interrupted by – ding! You get it. Ironically, push notifications were designed to keep people off their phones. Not so. Take the direct road to sanity. Turn off all non-essential notifications.

There’s no shortcut but depending on the number of apps you carry, you can likely cut notifications way back in ten minutes. You’ll need to immerse yourself in ‘Settings’ and do it manually. If you’re unfamiliar, use these guides for iPhone and Android.

On the fence? Consider this article from Wired. Axing notifications will clear your head faster than you can say “you’ve got mail.” Speaking of…

3. Take an email staycation.

You can dial back Reply Anxiety (and spare yourself from email apnea) in ten minutes or less by writing a simple vacation response. Managing expectations is far easier than managing an inbox.

Something along these lines works well.

“Thanks for reaching out. I’m keeping email to a minimum these days. If your message is urgent, please feel free to call me at 555-555-5555. Otherwise, expect to hear from me in 48 hours. Talk soon.”

Now you won’t feel pressured to check email 37 times a day. Walk away and see how you feel by the end of the day.

Physical Space

The spaces in which we dwell impact our well-being. Simplifying your home is a must but forget about garage sales and thrift store donations for now. Set your timer and master one small corner of your home in ten minutes. Tidying these unexpected spots will deliver a tiny hit of satisfaction.

1. Your fridge door. If anything’s been there for six months and no one’s touched it, evict it. Rinse, recycle, and try not to fill the empty real estate.

2. Your medicine cabinet. Start with removing cough syrup because it doesn’t do much anyway. Pitch expired products and unnecessary prescriptions.

3. Your bedside table. Stray hair elastics, tissues, and cough drop wrappers hardly elicit joy.

4. Your kitchen junk drawer. Ah, the clutter graveyard. Have fun.

Inner Space

This one’s the hardest because we tend to get stuck living in their heads. There’s no mortgage and it’s safe up there.

Except it isn’t. And mental clutter is robbing you of precious time and energy.

Take ten minutes and clear your head with one of these activities.

1. Bow out of a low-priority appointment or social gathering. Knowing something is off the books is good for the soul.

2. Eat a meal slowly. Put down your fork and savor every bite. Zero distractions.

3. Sip a hot drink in peace and extend yourself ten minutes of silence and solitude.

4. Write down your values and tape them in an unusual spot: on your dashboard, beside your bed, on the back of your bedroom door, above your kitchen sink, on your laptop.

5. Breathe. Your inner space could do with some fresh air. Don’t let email apnea take your breath away.

Ten intentional minutes can work wonders. Sometimes a little spark of accomplishment is enough to inspire a serious overhaul. It’s a commitment to making small changes that will get you there.

. . .

Elissa Joy Watts is the Managing Editor of Simplify Media. She believes in sincere community, radical kindness, and piping hot coffee. She channels the power of red lipstick and her love language is almond croissants.

I found it the other day, buried in my inbox beneath digital debris. By “it,” I mean the personal manifesto I created in my twenties.

Twelve years ago, a senior co-worker urged me to write one. She hounded me to pinpoint values and eventually pen this manifesto which, thankfully, lives forever in my inbox. The paper version ran away years ago.

As I opened the vintage email, I braced myself for a cringe-worthy read, one soaked in youthful optimism, void of relevance.

But I was pleasantly surprised. My aging eyes tumbled down the screen, delighted to catch up with the familiar words.

. . .

I remember life is a gift, something to be honored, maintained, and protected.
I fuel my body with proper nutrition, get ample rest, and sweat it out.
I communicate with honesty, integrity, and urgency.
I show love to people in relevant and tangible ways.
I live within my means.
I prize quality over quantity.
I make room for interruption.
I pursue excellence at work and play.

. . .

The simple statements sent icy shivers up and down my spine. My words, my priorities. Immediately, I felt grounded and focused.

In that moment, I understood why my colleague urged me write a manifesto and paste it where I’d see it on a daily basis.

Doing so etched my values on my heart and mind. That personal manifesto indirectly steered choices in the right direction when it was tempting to go with the flow. As a result, I didn’t pour my twenties down the drain.

I’m glad she bothered me. I’m glad I caved. She changed my life.

This is the power of a personal manifesto.

. . .

What exactly is a personal manifesto?

If “manifesto” evokes mugshots and malign headlines, you’re thinking of the other variety. Not all manifestos are created equal.

The word “manifesto” is derived from the Latin manifestum, meaning clear or obvious. Merriam-Webster calls it “a statement in which someone makes his or her intentions or views easy for people to ascertain.”

Personal manifestos are documents that spell out value-centered living according to the author. They vary greatly, just like the people who create them.

Some folks distill manifestos into a handful of sentences, like yours truly. Others dedicate pages to outlining how they intend to live in each area of their lives. Regardless of length, manifestos ought to be clearly articulated. Paper or pixels—it doesn’t matter (though we strongly suggest ink. You’ll see why in a moment.)

And important distinction

To be clear, writing a manifesto is different from living by a manifesto.

“The world has a habit of going on,” says Woodrow Wilson. Without forethought and determination, we easily go along with the dominant culture.

Award-winning author Frank Sonnenberg says that personal responsibility can’t be delegated.  When it comes to walking the walk, grit and tenacity are two prerequisites. Living in line with a manifesto is a daily process and we never fully arrive.

How a personal manifesto simplifies life

Still, creating one and reviewing it on a regular basis is an enormous step in the right direction. Life isn’t a dress rehearsal, right?

The gap between aspirations and reality diminishes.

A manifesto is the literary equivalent of a life coach. When read frequently, it influences us to choose well in our everyday lives. When we do, satisfaction abounds and strengthens our ability to make value-centered choices. Staying on the path to simplicity becomes almost habitual.

Breathing room emerges.

A good manifesto establishes clear priorities. If we choose to live accordingly, things like buyer’s remorse, needless clutter, relational stress, ruthless overtime, avoidable health issues, and regret in general are less likely to occur. Hello, breathing room.

Hard decisions become more straightforward.

Value-centered solutions emerge quickly when priorities are on paper. This doesn’t mean difficult decisions are easier—it’s one thing to write a manifesto and another to live it—but if you visit your manifesto regularly, you’ll likely identify solutions swiftly.

It’s important for each of us to identify how we want to live. If we don’t, the dominant culture—harder, better faster, stronger—will decide for us.

Choosing simplicity takes strength and courage. Stepping away from the noise isn’t easy but it’s straightforward when we own our identity and values. How? By writing a personal manifesto.

Creating a personal manifesto

People go about this task differently. Here’s our suggestion. Make it your own.

1. Grab a pen and journal. Studies show that writing taps into greater creativity and embeds thoughts in your memory more effectively than typing.

2. Identify your values. We suggest focusing on your top 5. We’ve included a list at the bottom to help you out.

3. Divide your life into categories. You might consider family, friends, work, health, digital life, your home, spirituality, alone time, finances and so forth.

4. Focus on one category a time. Ask yourself how you can I embody values in that particular area of your life?”

5. Jot down your beliefs and intentions. Write freely. Edit later.

For example:

Paul values integrity and relationships.

For the sake of the illustration, he divides his life into two categories: home and work.

Here’s how things play out for Paul:

Home Life

Integrity – When I say I’ll be home, I’m fully home. I park devices at the door and leave work at the office.

Relationships – I schedule intentional time at home with my partner and friends.

Work Life

Integrity – If I say I’ll meet a deadline, I do. If I can’t, I’ll reach out and reset expectations.

Relationships – I foster friendship by scheduling “just because” lunch or coffee breaks with colleagues.

. . .

As you go along, you’ll likely start to notice themes. Capture these in one or two sentences.

For Paul, he notices maintaining integrity with his words comes up several times. His manifesto might include a sentence like, “I am impeccable with my words.”

Notice it doesn’t say, “I try to be as honest as possible” or “I attempt to live up to my word.” Use strong language. Remember Yoda’s immortal words: There is no try.

Once you’ve worked through your values, take a step back. Read your sentences aloud. Do they give you goosebumps? Congratulations. If not, keep going.

Once you’re done, put the manifesto in a place where you’ll see it daily. Maybe it lives on a bedroom wall. Maybe you keep it at your desk. Maybe it becomes wallpaper on your phone. Whatever you do, just make sure you read it frequently.

One last thing: A manifesto is not a contract; it’s a living document. People evolve; so do manifestos.

This document shouldn’t defeat you. If it reeks of oppression, something’s off. Mix it up. Stay with it until it inspires you.

. . .

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

Despite neglecting my manifesto for almost a decade, its influencing power is evident. It left an indelible mark and promoted personal responsibility. In subtle ways, it continues to shape my life, like waves smoothing rocks along a rugged coastline. This is precisely what strong manifestos do when used effectively.

I whispered thank you to my former self after reading that old email. Washing my face that night was not a chore but an act of integrity and self-care. I went to bed centered and encouraged, not burdened by the day’s shortcomings. After all, each day is a new opportunity to get it right.

If your intention is to make space for simplicity and freedom, a personal manifesto is paramount. It clears a path for purpose. It helps shed needless burdens and gain strength to shoulder the ones we choose: investing in relationships, prioritizing health, thriving at work, raising strong children and so on.

When we live our manifestos one day at a time, clarity and strength grow. Ultimately, we earn the satisfaction that comes with spending our days well. Isn’t that what everyone wants?

Here’s to moving through life without regrets.

In case you need a refresher, check out our list of suggested values.

On a recent trip to my neighborhood library, I rediscovered Choose Your Own Adventure books. Remember those colorful childhood paperbacks? They pulled readers in and challenged them to interact with the story, ultimately altering the narrative.

What a clever dress rehearsal for real life.

Every day is a choose-your-own-adventure experience. We advance by evaluating options, considering outcomes, and choosing accordingly.

But there’s one other thing at play when we make decisions: our values.

Whether we’re aware or not, values—the principles or ideals we uphold—play a significant role in making decisions. Sometimes they fly under the radar but regardless, values influence choices.

So if everyday simplicity is the goal, it must also become an everyday value. Only then can it influence our decisions and guide our narrative.

This is why it’s important to slow down and get real with our personal values right away. In order to build a solid foundation and cultivate sustainable lifestyle changes—ones that frees us to live simply and impact others for good—we’ve got some big-picture work to do.

The Choices We Have

This week’s dispatch is a bit dense but completely worthwhile. We know you’re up for it.

First, some words on choices.

“The more choices you have, the more your values matter.” — Michael Schrage

According to Sheena Iyengar, two-time TED speaker and best-selling author of The Art of Choosing, the average American makes 70 choices a day.

Cycle or snooze.

Cookies or kale.

Convenience or the extra mile.

Each decision charts a plotline. These everyday choices, big or small, accrue and construct our stories: identity, career, relationships, self-esteem, health and so on.

Of course, sometimes our only choice is our attitude. Life happens. Most of us can agree though: When it comes to our situation, responsibility falls on us for making good choices.

If our choices align with the ideals we uphold—our aspirational values—we experience a sense of satisfaction.

The opposite is also true. If we spend our days passively making decisions that oppose our values, stress and dissatisfaction come knocking. I think we can all agree stress is the last visitor we need when faced with 70 choices a day.

Social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister coined the phrase “decision fatigue” to label the noticeable decline in our ability to choose well over time. In the face of stress, we often default to a proverbial easy button.

Choosing Your Values

The best defense? Get ahead of the stress cycle. Slow down. Work on strategic offense. When we’re in touch with and inspired by our values, decisions almost take care of themselves.

The sooner we identify our values, the sooner we reap less stress and more simplicity. Sound good? Let’s get to work.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

The goal with this 20-30 minute exercise is to isolate your top 3 values. Sure, you’ve got more. This activity is intentionally simple. It’s a high-level assessment.

Grab a notebook and a pen. A few sheets of paper will do fine too. If you prefer your device of choice, by all means. You do you.

Read the list of values below and scribble 12 that resonate. Take your time. Notice simplicity is not on the list. We figure that’s a given. It circles back a bit later.

• Authenticity
• Achievement
• Adventure
• Authority
• Autonomy
• Balance
• Beauty
• Boldness
• Compassion
• Challenge
• Citizenship
• Community
• Competency
• Contribution
• Creativity
• Curiosity
• Determination
• Fairness
• Faith
• Fame
• Friendships
• Fun
• Growth
• Happiness
• Honesty
• Humor
• Influence
• Inner Harmony
• Justice
• Kindness
• Knowledge
• Leadership
• Learning
• Love
• Loyalty
• Meaningful Work
• Openness
• Optimism
• Peace
• Pleasure
• Poise
• Popularity
• Recognition
• Religion
• Reputation
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Security
• Self-Respect
• Service
• Spirituality
• Stability
• Success
• Status
• Trustworthiness
• Wealth
• Wisdom

Next, trim your list in half. Remember, the values you part with now still matter. We’re just putting them aside to make way for more important ones.

Finally, remove three more values. It’s difficult, we know. Take your time.

You should be left with three, three words that stir your heart and cause you to sit up straight. These represent the aspirational values you prize at this stage in life. Add simplicity, and you’ve got four.

Now that you’re done, it’s time to assess if these values shape your present reality.

“Show me your bank statement and calendar, and I’ll show you your values.”

My friend Toby is a straight-talking shoot-from-the-hip ex-cop from London. This is one of his catchphrases. He will happily call anyone’s bluff with a twinkle in his eye when discussing priorities.

You say you value community? Great. How are you choosing to spend your time?

You want to give generously? Terrific. Do your spending habits line up with your intentions?

It’s a reliable litmus test. The way we allocate resources—specifically our time and money—reveals the values that influence our decisions, for better or worse.

The Value of Consistency

In her book Daring Greatly, Brené Brown makes a distinction between what we say we value and what we demonstrate with our actions.

“The space between our practiced values (what we’re actually doing, thinking, and feeling) and our aspirational values (what we want to do, think, and feel) is the value gap…We have to pay attention to the space between where we’re actually standing and where we want to be.”

The key is paying attention. Not judging, not criticizing. Just paying attention.

We say we want simplicity, but we’re not quite there, right? There’s a value gap somewhere. Are we prepared to build a bridge? Close the gap? Let our truest values steer our choices and influence how we spend our resources? Now’s the time to evaluate your top three aspirational values, plus simplicity, one by one.

“One is often so busy doing life that it is easy to avoid evaluating whether you are putting your energy in the direction you value most.” — Deborah Day

If you’ve got a journal, you might consider dedicating an entire page to each value. The goal is to explore how you invest your resources in living your values. Remember, self-awareness is the goal. No shame allowed.

We’ll do each of the four values in three steps.

1. Assess – take stock of what we practice
2. Identify the gap – look for discrepancies between values and actions
3. Imagine – consider possible opportunities to embody aspirational values

Work through each of these steps before moving on to your next value.

Step 1: Assess

As you ponder your first aspirational value, ask yourself these questions:

1. Does my calendar support this?
2. Does my bank account support this?
3. Do my digital habits support this?

For example, Sally values friendship. Here’s how her assessment plays out.

• Does my calendar support this? No. I have gone three weeks without a legitimate face-to-face connection. I can’t spend large amounts of time with friends right now. I’ve said yes to a big volunteer project.

• Does my bank account support this? Yes. I recently bought a gift for a friend’s new baby. Pink onesie. Super cute.

• Do my digital habits support this? Sort of. I’m able to maintain friendships in other time zones, but local relationships are lacking. I have to catch up on work at night when I could otherwise be connecting.

Don’t forget also to assess how you live up to valuing simplicity.

Step 2: Identify the Gap

This stage happens naturally. Listen to your gut. Jot down your thoughts. Most likely, something’s gotta give.

Step 3: Imagine

Where are the possibilities? There’s no need to plan and execute. We’ll get there eventually. For today, simply escape to your thoughts and imagine.

If we run with Sally’s example, here’s what she might dream up.

Can I loop a friend into volunteering with me?

Sneak in a brief lunch visit or an early morning coffee?

Maybe fall back on simple tools to monitor screen time?

Possibly plan an evening commitment to step up the urgency at work?

Your turn. Repeat until you’ve completed all four values.

Simplifying Your Life

Ironically, simplifying life is laborious at first. Modern society specializes in peddling unsatisfying values and profiting from decision fatigue, literally and figuratively. If we’re stuck in a stress cycle, it’s painfully easy to live by default, not design.

But there’s a way out. It begins by articulating our personal values. Next time we connect, we’ll put them to work.

The road to simplicity and satisfaction might feel like charging up a steep hill after a long day but, in the end, the reward makes it all worthwhile. Messy, but worthwhile.

If life is the sum of choices, the goal is to make each one with aspirational values at the helm. We’ll know we’re on track if we’re spending resources accordingly. We’ll need grace—lots of it—but we’ll get there one day at a time.

We’ll make space.

We’ll say no.

We’ll say “I don’t care for those values. I’d rather use my own, thank you very much.”

It’s your adventure. Choose well.

. . .

Elissa Joy Watts is the Managing Editor of Simplify Media. She believes in sincere community, radical kindness, and piping hot coffee. She channels the power of red lipstick and her love language is almond croissants.

Welcome to the first official offering from Simplify Your Life.

First off, thank you. Thank you for choosing to spend time with us when countless valid things also beckon for your time. We mean it. We trust our visits are worthwhile.

Something like Simplify Your Life has lingered in each of our hearts for ages, buried like a seed enduring the cold, waiting for spring. Finally, its time has come.

So here we are, thousands of people foraging for fresh air in a stifling world.

Is now a good time to address how ironic this feels? To thoughtfully craft a simple message and then catapult it across the web? And see it land next to shipping confirmations and coupons? We get it.

Here’s the thing. Inboxes are like front doors. They stand between our personal lives and the busy world outside. The email traffic beyond the threshold is often a chaotic stream of noise. It’s easy to avoid opening the door.

But inboxes are how we enter each other’s lives. And how lovely is it to step outside in a moment of stillness and experience nothing but fresh air? That’s the kind of email we can all get excited about.

This is what Simplify Your Life will deliver. Email enables us to visit each of you with the push of a button and tempt you to pause and step outside with us.

But it won’t all be poetry.

In some ways, Simplify Your Life is a necessary call to arms. The fact that we are engaging in this conversation reveals our privilege.

We possess far more than we require. We busy ourselves beyond our means. Our inner lives need attention. Digital distractions loom large.

Our world needs committed people who are free of needless burdens and engaged in their communities. Something needs to change and soon.

Simplify Your Life is designed to help you take back what is rightfully yours. Our goal is to offer an oasis in an otherwise noisy space. You deserve to hear yourself think and to create the room necessary for your heart and mind to breathe.

We’ll knock on your door every other Saturday. You’ll receive a clean and simple email to explore and enjoy at your leisure. One theme. Different angles. Always fresh.

Expect down-to-earth reflections and research-driven articles. For those of you wanting more, we’ll point you to toward other inspired information.

We look forward to spending more time together.

. . .

Elissa Joy Watts is the Managing Editor of Simplify Media. She believes in sincere community, radical kindness, and piping hot coffee. She channels the power of red lipstick and her love language is almond croissants.