In this advice page I ask some questions for you to consider. Your answers may surprise you and get you started making some changes. Each action you take and thing you own requires time and energy. Think about the last time you cleaned out your closets or garage and gave away a bunch of stuff. Didn’t you literally feel a small weight lift off your shoulders? Take a few minutes to think about who you are and what you have been doing. How complicated has your life become over the years? What do you do every day, week, and month that you’d rather not? Look at the things you do out of habit and those you’ve been convinced to do by others. How many items do you own that you don’t use? Ask yourself, do I really need such a big residence? Do you live far from your job and commute hours each day, leaving you tired and without enough time for your family or for yourself? Is what you do, each object you own, really worth it? Be honest with yourself about whether each of these things actually adds to the quality of your life. Simplifying your life doesn’t necessarily mean doing without, but rather living a less stressful, more balanced life. It means having more time for what really does end up making you happier. I first learned this truth back in the late 1980s when I was forced to live out of a suitcase for over a year after I lost everything. What a wonderful surprise that turned out to be, as it introduced me to a truly more enjoyable lifestyle. Once I saw the benefits of having less, my eyes were opened to simplification in general, especially when it came to how I spent the hours of my day – the hours of my life. For me, the result of simplifying was both a greater quality of life and a quicker and easier path back to financial freedom. Don’t wait. You too can enjoy the benefits of simplifying. For more on specific actions to take, check out this short article from Zenhabits.net by Mike Elgan, Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life. If you would like more information and ideas yet, the book Simplify Your Life by Elaine St. James does a good job of explaining the value of simplifying and provides a lot of good, practical examples of how to approach it.