The world we live in today is busy and hyper-connected. With more than 8 billion people calling the planet home, 17 million of which reside in the Netherlands, the globe is filled with busy people packing their days with work, family, friends, and more.
With so much going on, our daily lives can become stressful and our schedules are often filled with things to do from the time the sun rises to the time it sets. This hectic lifestyle is making the concept of simple living increasingly appealing to a growing number of people in the Netherlands and beyond. Simple living can mean different things to different people, but it often entails prioritizing the parts of life that are most important and reducing stress and chaos for a healthy balance.
Simplify Your Schedule
An easy way to live simply and ease the stresses of everyday life is to simplify your schedule. This is something that anyone can do in order to make their daily life more relaxing and reduce stress.
It’s been reported that 29% of Dutch citizens feel stressed. An overfilled schedule brimming with work and social commitments is bound to make anyone feel a certain amount of stress. To cut away the clutter, learn how to say no. By learning how to say no to unnecessary commitments, you can free up space on your calendar for things that truly matter.
When practicing this, try to focus on quality over quantity. Aim to add things to your schedule that bring you joy, or that are necessary, like working. Try to reduce the extra commitments that are overloading you and your calendar. This will streamline your days so that you can get the things done that you need to, like work, but leave time for the things that bring you joy and happiness, like spending quality time with friends and family or simply relaxing alone.
Simplify Your Finances
Another smart way to live simply is to simplify your finances. Stress caused by finances can be a burden and a huge hurdle to living a simple life. To simplify your finances, you should gain control over your budget. This will reduce anxiety and stress that can be caused by money.
Many people who enjoy simplified finances suggest decluttering accounts as a means to simplify finances. This may look different for different people, but it typically entails consolidating bank accounts, automating bills, and reducing unnecessary expenses. This way, you will spend less time checking various accounts, transferring funds between accounts, or spending money on things you don’t really need. By cutting away the clutter you can gain control over your finances which can help simplify your life.
Another way to simplify your finances is to use simple and safe payment tools. For example, cryptocurrency is a growing trend that simplifies financial transactions. Cryptocurrency is booming in popularity in the Netherlands and all around the globe. Digital coins are known to be efficient and transparent. This means fewer fees, quicker processing times, and easier overall transactions which can help simplify your finances. For those new to virtual currencies, crypto can seem overwhelming. Crypto expert and author Sophialine Marlowe explains that those wondering which crypto to buy now should carefully consider the coin’s profit potential, project foundations, and market interest. Marlowe further shares that investors may want to review expert advice regarding which coins to purchase but then also do their own research before buying in. Crypto holders can simplify their finances by either using digital coins for purchases or holding them as an investment as these coins are known to be simple, easy to use, and allow users to avoid the hassles of dealing with banking institutions.
Beyond consolidating accounts and exploring new payment tools like crypto, budgeting is yet another way to simplify your finances. A solid budget can help those interested in living a simple life achieve this goal. The first thing to do is to create a budget that matches your needs and goals. When you are working on your budget, try to make sure that you’re allocating funds to items that truly matter to you. Sometimes this might mean reducing the amount you spend on last-minute purchases or extra items that you don’t really need or use. It could also mean allocating more money towards experiences that bring you joy, like travel or spending time with family and friends. By putting your finances down on paper with a budget, those who want to live a simple life can achieve greater financial freedom and feel less stress about money.
Declutter Your Physical Space
While clearing your calendar and tidying up your finances will help you live a simpler life, decluttering your physical space can be an important visual change to make as well. For many, living in a home that is filled to the brim with knick-knacks and clutter can be stressful. Full homes can be harder to tidy and clean, leading to feelings of stress.
To combat this, consider removing unnecessary items from your home. Consider adopting a minimalistic approach to your living space and only keep the items that you use daily, love dearly, or need. Decluttering your space is not about throwing everything away. It’s about keeping the things that add value to your life, and removing the rest so that you have room to enjoy the space you live in.
This can be an overwhelming task, so many suggest taking it one room at a time. Start with a small room in your home, like a closet, entryway, or laundry room. Look at each item, asking yourself if that item serves a practical purpose or brings you joy. If the answer is no, it must go.
Prioritize Your Well-Being
Living a simple life can also mean living a healthy life. A healthy body and mind often go hand in hand with living a simple life as feeling sick or unwell often causes stress of its own. To live a simple healthy life, prioritize wellness each day.
While self-care has become a popular topic in recent years, it’s an important part of living a simple life. Take time for yourself. Like many things, this time will be spent differently for different people. Some will want to head out on a run every Saturday morning to prioritize their well-being. Others will opt to take an hour-long bubble bath or write in their journal. Self-care and wellness look different to each person. Take the time to consider what brings you peace, whether it’s yoga, meditation, exercise, spending time with your family, or just spending time outdoors in nature.
Beyond self-care, physical health is also an important aspect of living a simple life. Consider cooking healthy, simple meals that can help fuel your body. Try your best to reduce the amount of processed foods that you eat and consider adopting a regular exercise routine to keep your body healthy. When we are physically well, our lives are far more simple than when we are feeling unwell or sick.
Conclusion
There are many ways to live a simple life in 2024. Some approaches include simplifying your schedule, cleaning up your finances, decluttering your physical space, and taking time to ensure your body and mind are happy and healthy. These things can lead to a more balanced life where the chaos and clutter are cut out and we are left with time to fill with relaxing pastimes or time with friends and family. Remember that living a simple life looks different for each individual and the most important thing is to reduce stress while adding time for joy and happiness.
