What Does It Mean to Simplify? There is growing talk these days of living simply. This, I think, is a healthy reaction to our Western cultures of excess, affluence, and too much. Our excess is evident not just in our mountains of stuff, but also in our overbooked schedules, cluttered psyches, overwhelming options, and many other surprising parts of our lives. Of course, like any reaction to any part of life in any era, we can let the pendulum swing in the opposite direction. We can even allow living simply to become its own sort of idol. Still, in the grand scheme of things, it seems the message most of us need to hear and apply is to pare down, to get rid of excess, and to focus on doing more with less. It’s also important to remember that simplification is a tool to aid us, not a law by which to crush others. It’s going to look different for everyone, and different for each individual during different seasons of life. Simplifying does not mean living a life of choosing the easiest path. And it’s more than just keeping your sock drawer tidy. It’s eliminating the unnecessary, getting rid of distractions, and saying “no” to too much, too many, and too fast. It’s minimizing and maintaining. And of course, there’s the good ‘ole dictionary definition of simple. Why Simplify? 1. Energy While reading Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project earlier this year, I was somewhat surprised at one big way Gretchen set about working towards her goal of having more energy. One might correctly assume that getting more sleep and exercising would be part of this endeavor, but it may be surprising to learn that another of the big ways of improving her life in this area also involved cleaning out her closets (as well as other decluttering, organization, and simplification). This affects us in many ways, but I think most people can attest to the energy they feel when they sit down to a clean workspace versus the drain it can feel like when sitting down to a desk covered in mountains of paper, piles, and paperclips. Once you get started, particularly in a task like decluttering, you may be surprised by energy you feel as you set goals to continue. For instance, this month I’ve set a goal to get rid of at least one excess item a day. I’m afraid I’ve become a bit of an overachiever,…