By CLAIRE JOHNSON
Staff Writer
The word simple is most often perceived as basic, straightforward, effortless, and easy. On the other hand, living is defined as the pursuit of a lifestyle. The term simple living is not complex to understand but takes effort to achieve. Simple living is pursuing a minimalistic, healthy and organized lifestyle. Simple living is not one single definition, it is many definitions.
Simple living is a lifestyle choice that is becoming more and more popular in today’s hectic society. The general idea to get rid of the extra, unnecessary parts of our lives and focus on fewer, more important and significant things. Simple living is buying and storing only what you need and know you’ll use. Organizing and decluttering your house regularly will ensure everything has a place; unnecessary items are donated, recycled or tossed. A less cluttered home allows for less stress. Regular cleaning and maintenance of everything prevent giant messes, giant projects and feeling overwhelmed.
On the whole, to achieve simple living takes some planning. It is not spending hours at the grocery store several days a week. For example, instead of rushing to the store right before dinner each night, plan ahead and create a list of items for the whole week. Getting in and getting out after buying only what you need will save time, energy and money. Knowing what will be for dinner each night will make preparing food easier. Living a simple lifestyle is not waking up in the morning and pursuing a hectic routine that changes day by day. However, it is getting into a good habit of waking up in the morning and knowing how the day will go. It is having an understanding that you will wake up at 7:00, put on the outfit that was selected the night before, eat breakfast with your family at 7:30 and then leave for school at 8:00. By doing so, you will save time and stress in the morning and start your day off well.
To conclude, this lifestyle choice may seem very complicated to pursue, but there are many who believe it is beneficial to maintain a healthy state of mind. Magazines, books, brands, blogs, television shows dedicated to simple living proof that there is a popular movement of this lifestyle. The natural simplicity is desirable in today’s rushed, over-complicated and overbooked world we live in today.