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I’m a fan girl oversimplification. For me, it’s the smooth glide to minimalism that has my burning love like heartburn after an Italian feast. 

I love taking something complicated and cumbersome and turning it into something lighter and easier to clean.

As I’ve been whittling down physical things and virtual to-dos, I’ve noticed it’s been freeing up space and grace for other things like trips, reading, and even the evergreen honey list from Mr. BuLL.

Recently, the best thing I’ve done is go on a bat boat tour. As I glided through a rocky gorge, awe washed over me as thousands of bats came to feast on the buggy bounty. 

If my world was more packed than an extended U-Haul after a bad breakup, I wouldn’t have time, energy, or money for bat boat tours. 

I’ll take my simplicity with a side of clarity and calm, please.

The dictionary retorts that to simplify is to make it easier. Human nature demands minimal caloric burning, so simplification supports our species’ motto by using little energy. What makes simplicity complicated is that sometimes it’s easy to streamline and other times not so much.

Simplifying a meal routine is easier than budget. Meals don’t involve a phone call to a representative in a different time zone. 

It’s easier to simplify a morning routine than anything at work. Whenever a commute and coworkers are involved, they tend to bog things down.

I prefer to start easy with small, easy wins. It’s how to build momentum for bigger things like writing my own will or learning how to play chess.

The simple way to simplify. 

From big to little things, doing research can go a long way. Doing research seems to be the answer to many of my ails. Perhaps, it’s because the internet is convenient and, mostly, accurate. 

There’s a YouTube video or website of someone ranting about how to do everything in the most efficient way possible with hacks, tricks, and advice laid out in a listicle. 

I start with what’s free and accessible online. Occasionally, I’ll call and talk to experts, but mostly, I go with the DIY approach. 

Along with learning something new, that alone is enough to get my nerdy juices flowing, research helps in other unexpected and unrelated areas. 

For example, a few years ago, I wanted to simplify my budget. It was a hot mess express, with too many accounts floating around in my name and diluting what my money could do. So, I started the painful process of figuring out which accounts I wanted to turn into the default account and then the slow, slightly painful process of rolling over money into said default account. 

I used a slow, steady approach and would hack away at one account at a time because moving large chunks of money gives me sitting sweats.

Eventually, I had turned the budget mess into a financial fortress. 

Then, I changed jobs. The new job had a better retirement plan than my old one. So, thanks to the exposure therapy of simplifying my bank accounts, it felt easier to do the same for my retirement. 

It’s hard to predict how short-term actions will result in long-term simplification.

The best stuff to simplify is the important stuff.

As much as I want to simplify all the things, sometimes there isn’t time. I tend to stick with the important ones that cost money or that are so heavy that it feels like an invisible titan sitting on my chest. To date, I’ve simplified my:

Budget;

Wardrobe;

Meal plan;

Morning and evening routine; and

Home.

Amy Morin a licensed psychotherapist over at Psychology Today, states with conviction,

“The less you own, the less you have, and the less time you invest into things you don’t want to do, the simpler life becomes. And there’s a lot to be said for fully enjoying life’s simplest pleasures to their fullest.”

Life’s too short for the good stuff to be complicated. 

Simplify to do more than survive; simplify to thrive. 

I didn’t realize my simple steps would result in a life where I can say yes to dog sitting for a friend in need, a bat boat tour, and nerding out about calculating my net worth. 

Enough subtraction results in additions in all the right places.