In this blog post, I share with you 25 things I quit to simplify my life. I hope they can inspire you to make your life simpler as well.
When trying to find ways to simplify our lives, we might think that we need to do something to make things less complicated.
That we have to take action on something.
While this might be true for certain things, there are also many things that we should actually stop doing to be able to live a simple life in today’s world.
Quitting some things can be as effective, if not more, as doing something to make things less complicated and keep life simple.
Here are 25 things to quit to simplify your life!
These are all things I’ve stopped doing over the years since I started practicing minimalism.
Quitting them has helped me save energy, time, and/or money, and has made my life so much more enjoyable!
25 things to quit to simplify your life
1. Shopping when you don’t need anything
Many of us tend to go shopping whenever we are bored, sad, or stressed.
We believe it will help us feel better about ourselves and our lives.
However, this is rarely the case.
Buying something you don’t need won’t bring you lasting happiness and fulfillment.
You will only waste your hard-earned money and add to the clutter in your home.
Read more:
- 24 things I stopped buying as a minimalist
- 19 things I do not buy as an environmentalist
- How to want less and be happy about it?
- How to do a no-spend month? 9 helpful tips for a successful no-buy challenge
2. Connecting with people you have nothing in common with
For the longest time, I had tried to stay in contact with people I had nothing in common with, just because I had known them forever.
When I became a minimalist and started implementing it in all areas of life, I realized that there was no point in keeping in touch with them.
We didn’t have any common interests and I didn’t enjoy spending time with them.
So over time, I let those friendships go and I don’t miss them at all.
3. Wanting to have a perfectly clean home all the time
As a perfectionist, I tend to feel bad when my home isn’t looking sparkling clean.
But the reality is that it’s impossible to have a perfectly clean home all the time.
We are all busy and have other, more important things we need to get done every day.
We would have to spend our entire days cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, and moping to have a clean home all the time.
As long as I clean on a regular basis and do my best, it’s enough.
I often have to remind myself that it is unhealthy to strive for perfection.
Read more:
- 10 non-toxic, homemade cleaning products that work
- The only 9 minimalist cleaning supplies you need
- 10 brands selling natural, eco-friendly cleaning products
- The best eco-friendly alternatives to Swiffer for zero-waste cleaning
4. Researching too much before making a purchase
We should all research what we are buying before making a purchase to ensure we’ll not regret our decision.
However, I often found myself overdoing it and spending hours researching a product before buying it.
And I realized it was way too much time to sacrifice for a silly purchase.
I’m now trying to find the right balance.
5. Wanting to be liked by everyone
If you’re a people pleaser, you know how hard it is to stop thinking about what others think about you.
But you have to remember that no matter how hard you try, there will always be some people who won’t like you.
And that’s okay.
Try to be yourself and you’ll attract the right people.
6. Following trends
We live in a world where trends are changing all the time.
And the more time passes, the quicker they are changing, making it almost impossible to always keep up with them.
So do yourself a favor and stop trying to follow trends.
This is one of the best things to quit to simplify your life, save money, and help the environment!
7. Being afraid to quit things you’ve started
We sometimes feel reluctant to quit things we’ve started just because we feel obligated to complete them.
For instance, when we start a book that we realize later we don’t like, we somehow struggle to accept that we should stop reading it.
The same can happen with movies and other types of entertainment, and even with bigger projects.
Do you sometimes feel like that?
When it happens, try to remember that there is no point in finishing things you don’t like.
Life is too short to waste our precious time like that.
8. Washing your clothes too often
In the Western world, we all tend to wash our clothing way too often.
Most of us throw our clothes in the laundry basket after only one wear without thinking about whether the item is dirty.
Yes, we should wash undergarments and sweaty T-shirts after one wear.
But oftentimes, we can rewear other clothes a few more times before washing them.
This is especially true for sweaters, bottoms, or shirts that are not smelly or dirty.
Washing your garments less frequently will help make your clothes last longer!
Read more: How to make your wardrobe more sustainable?
9. Answering the phone when you are unavailable
Whenever someone calls me and I’m busy doing something else, I try not to answer it.
I find that answering the phone when I’m not available distracts me from the task I’m doing and I end up losing momentum in the end.
If it’s a loved one, they usually text me if I don’t answer.
And if it’s someone else, they can always leave a message or send an email if it’s important.
10. Collecting physical things
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know how much I believe that an overabundance of stuff complicates everything in life.
Excess physical things suck up our time, energy, and money.
They make cleaning and tidying our homes difficult, and moving houses is much harder because of them.
When I realized that minimalism had countless benefits, I decided to stop collecting unnecessary stuff.
And this has massively simplified my life!
Read more:
- What is minimalism? The ultimate guide to understanding minimalism
- How to stop being materialistic and overconsuming?
- 70 things to get rid of for a minimalist home
- 99 oddly specific things to declutter right now
11. Saying yes to opportunities that won’t add value to your life
Do you sometimes find yourself saying yes to things that you know deep down won’t add value to your life?
Whether that’s events or opportunities, we might feel like we’re missing out if we turn them down.
But if we don’t feel excited about them, why would we waste our time?
Remember that when you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else.
You might be saying no to something more important and meaningful to you.
12. Being busy all the time
One of the best things to quit to simplify your life is being busy all the time.
If you can, stop constantly filling your free time with productive things and chores to do.
Schedule some time at least once a week to do nothing, relax, or do things that make you happy.
To live a balanced, happy life, we should all take a step back and slow down.
We don’t have to be busy doing productive things all the time.
13. Procrastinating
Whenever I put things off for later, I usually end up with tons of things to do all at once at some point.
That is so overwhelming and stressful!
To avoid that, we should do things as they come up and avoid procrastination.
Of course, we all need to put things off from time to time.
But try not to do it all the time.
Schedule when you want to do each task so you actually do them (if you really need to do them).
Your future self will thank you!
If you want to learn more, make sure to read about my 10 favorite ways to stop procrastinating and get stuff done.
14. Pursuing too many goals at once
Most of us have high hopes when setting goals for ourselves, and as a result, we often try to pursue too many things at once.
We can only do so much in a day, so we need to acknowledge that we may not be able to work on ten different goals at once.
And that’s okay.
That doesn’t make us lazy, unproductive people.
We only need to focus on a few, impactful goals.
We can do the least urgent and important ones later.
Focusing only on a few goals at once will also increase your likelihood of actually achieving them.
15. Always rushing through your days
If you want to simplify your life, consider breaking the habit of always rushing through your days.
In today’s society, we feel pressured to accomplish more and do things quicker.
But in reality, we can do things at the pace we want.
We don’t have to rush and be in a hurry all the time.
Where are we rushing to anyway?
I don’t want to rush through my life and realize in the end that I have not taken the time to enjoy it.
Read more: What is slow living & how to embrace it?
16. Mindlessly scrolling on social media
Social media is a great way to stay in touch with people we love.
However, spending too much time on it can become very toxic.
The more time we spend on it, the more we are likely to start comparing our lives to others.
Doing so can make us think that others have happier, better lives when it’s not necessarily the case.
So stop scrolling through other people’s profiles and start focusing on what you can do today to live a life you love.
17. Holding on to bad memories
I know it’s easier said than done, but we shouldn’t hold on to bad memories.
They can bring us down and hinder our enjoyment of the present moment.
We have to accept that what happened in the past cannot be changed, so we shouldn’t think too much about those things.
We should be grateful that they taught us something and that they’ve helped us grow as a person.
But that’s it.
Don’t stay stuck in the past and make space in your mind for the present and future.
Read more: 14 life-changing minimalist rules to live by
18. Being mean to yourself
Life is already tough enough, so why are many of us guilty of talking badly to ourselves?
Nothing positive ever comes with negative self-talk!
We should be kind to ourselves, and only say things that we would say to people we love.
Read more: 56 inspiring quotes about self-love and worth
19. Having tons of unread emails in your inbox
If you work a lot on your computer, you might have a lot of emails in your inbox.
I definitely do!
To simplify my digital life, I try to go through it at least once a week.
I set some time aside to unsubscribe from unwanted emails, delete any I don’t need anymore, and reply to those I didn’t get around to answering.
I also try to organize the ones I need to keep in folders, so everything is organized and easy to find.
20. Watching the news too often
While it’s great to stay informed and know what is going on in the world, I find that watching the news too often can negatively impact some of us.
As a highly sensitive person, I’ve realized that whenever I’m watching the news, I’m often sad or in a negative mindset afterward.
So I try to limit my news consumption, and I don’t think it makes me a bad citizen or person.
Sometimes, we have to do what we need to do to protect our energy and mental health.
Read more: How to develop a minimalist mindset? 13 simple tips to think like a minimalist
21. Ironing
I try to only have clothes that are low maintenance and that don’t require ironing.
I don’t even own an iron in my home!
When I wash my clothes, I straighten them up before line drying them, and that way, they usually don’t have many wrinkles.
And if they do, that’s okay: I work from home so I don’t mind some wrinkles.
If I ever need to dress up for an event, I hang my pieces next to my shower and the steam helps reduce wrinkles.
Doing this saves me time and simplifies my chores!
22. Going to bed with an untidy home
I hate that feeling of waking up in the morning to a cluttered, untidy home.
It means that I have to start a new day doing chores from the previous one.
That’s not motivating at all!
So I always make sure to spend a few minutes before going to bed to put things where they belong and tidy my home.
That way, I can start fresh the following day and tackle what is important first thing in the morning.
Read more: 16 relaxing night routine ideas to unwind and sleep better
23. Being indecisive
I’ve always disliked having too many choices because I feel like there is always a better choice than the one I’m making.
Because of this, in the past, I used to be very indecisive when it comes to small, unimportant things.
For instance, I would spend a lot of time figuring out what to wear in the morning, what to eat at lunch, or what to watch on Netflix.
I was constantly thinking about what the best choice was.
This is one of the many things I quit to simplify my life in the past few years.
Now, it doesn’t matter if there’s a better choice out there because I know I can choose it next time.
I don’t want to waste so much time and energy on unimportant things.
So I try to listen to my gut feeling and not think too much.
24. Seeking validation from others
If we want to live a life we love, we all need to stop seeking validation from other people.
Society and people in our lives expect us to live a certain way, but that way isn’t necessarily the right way for us.
So we should choose what is best for us, no matter what others think of it.
I used to struggle with this a few years ago when I chose a different career path after university.
However, I quickly realized how much I loved my new life and that need to seek validation from others disappeared.
Following my dream was the best thing I ever did and I don’t regret any of it.
25. Doing things you don’t really enjoy
One of the best things to quit to simplify your life is doing things you don’t enjoy, just because others like doing them.
I have definitely done that in the past!
It could be anything from hobbies to jobs to self-care rituals.
If you don’t like doing them, do not feel obligated to do them because others like doing them.
Focus on what you like and enjoy doing.
As an example, when I was in high school, everyone liked partying but I hated it.
Yet, I chose to ignore my feelings and attend a few parties, thinking I could force myself to enjoy them.
That never happened!
I realized we can’t force ourselves to like something if we truly don’t enjoy it.
Final thoughts on things to quit to simplify your life
There you have it!
Those were 25 things to quit to simplify your life!
I hope this blog post helped you decide what you can stop doing to make your life less complicated.
If you’re looking for more inspiration, you will learn a lot by reading these articles:
- 11 habits you should break to live your best life
- 7 ways to simplify life and live intentionally
- 10 minimalist hacks to live a simple life
- 50 simplicity quotes to get inspired to live a minimalist life
What things have you decided to quit to simplify your life?
Please, share your experience in the comments.
Don’t forget to share this blog post with your friends to inspire them to stop doing some things so they can live simpler lives as well!
