17 things I quit to simplify my life | minimalism & slow living

Thank you to a commenter who let me know that the 20/20 rule is from the Minimalists!! They have super helpful content - I actually just watched their documentary and it was great, highly recommend :)

the infinite cicle of changing your morning routine really killed me as a person. To hear someone online saying its ok not to have one was a relief

Tulips in a teapot would be a good name for a book

My morning routine is dope. I drink coffee and read for a hour or two, then brush my teeth and go to work.

Simplicity was my word for 2023. It was such a game changer. I've simplified my home, cleaning, cooking, make-up routine, work-out routine, and finances! I'm choosing the same word for 2024 to simplify my decor and hobbies!

I guess the common thread is: be more gentle with yourself and listen to what you need, change accordingly. Very inspiring; thank you!

The notion of using my phone as a hobby has stuck with me these past few days and really made me reevaluate how I do things. I often read on my phone but also spend far too much hobby/impulse scrolling. Its given me great pause for things I want to change for this upcoming year. I have had on my goals list for about 3 years now to write in my children’s journals (a birth to 18 book) and am about 3 years behind. Seems like I will be focusing on journaling as a hobby in 2024. Thank you for such thought provoking content. ❤

I can definitely relate to your morning routine comments. I love getting up early but I hate having it structured. So this year I started doing something very similar to you. Some days I'll read in the morning, some days I'll listen to music. Some days I'll stretch or do yoga. Some days I'll work. It really depends on what's going on that week and what "activity" is calling to me.

Hi Anika! Something I've removed from my life is not taking things personally or on a deeper level. It's probably not that deep or that person could be having a bad day. It has changed my life for the better.

Being kind to myself has become so much easier now that I'm viewing my life through the lens of a 28 day cycle. So grateful to people like you who share it <3

I no longer have social media on my phone & it has nearly eliminated my scrolling, plus bringing me an abundance of peace. Like you, I choose my clothing each morning. I enjoy doing this. I feel my best each day.

Purging clothes and old decor, returning to basic eating, cutting way down on Diet Soda, silly spending, and exercising self control in so many ways. All of this is so rewarding. Being mindful of wants vs. needs. Less is more. 😊

This has been one of the most freeing, helpful videos on happiness, minimalism, and slow living I’ve seen. This isn’t one of those videos where someone is telling you a prescriptive list, you “must” do these things. You’re inviting us to examine practices that have helped you and giving permission to freely do what works and ignore what doesn’t! Thank you! I’m saving this video to come back to often. ❤

"Trying to make everyone happy" was a big one for me for many years. As I've gotten older I'm less likely to do/say things just to please others. I appreciate there may be times we need to do things we don't necessarily want to do but consistently putting other people's needs before my own is not something I do anymore, and I'm happier for it.

Unfortunately if you have a 9 to 5 (which I hope I won’t be doing forever) productivity for productivity’s sake is not escapable 🫠 because it very much is part of corporate culture. If you have a healthy work environment putting boundaries with coworkers can help alleviate some of that but it doesn’t get rid of it 😢.

I started dying my roots at home, as well as doing my own nails - total game changer! Freed up so much time for myself. ❤ not to mention I’m saving money too!

My proudest quitting commitment of the year: opting out of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok! Only YouTube and Pinterest for me now. I used to find myself scrolling, especially on Facebook and instagram, for hours and looking at people I knew / used to know's feeds and feeling SO deeply disconnected, even though I was fully aware of the reality that these feeds are 100% highlight reels. And as unpleasant as that feeling always was, they were still so addictive! After a year of not having the apps on my phone and cutting down dramatically on how often I would log onto them on my computer, I began to look beyond mere moderation and fall in love with the idea of not even having social accounts to have the option of logging onto. Three months ago, I ended up doing it, permanently deleting my social media accounts, and I haven't regretted it once since. I no longer have that horrific doomed feeling I used to get while scrolling, and I've found myself more frequently reaching out to friends to chat over text / phone, or set up real life meet ups, which has definitely strengthened the relationships I care most about in my life. Love this video, can't wait for more! 😊

This list was *chefs kiss*. There’s something so satisfying hearing what you removed when there’s so much pressure to add add add all the time.

For Lent, I fasted from “ doing too much all the time”… I built in more rest, prayer walks, time to read, less social media scrolling, etc. Once I fasted from that need to be in everything or for everyone… it was amazing how much more God and His peace came flowing in.

Most of these were really refreshing to hear! We are pulled from so many directions all the time and expected to stay on top of everything constantly, it's eating at our quality of life. Definitely a needed video, thank you!