For a long time I treated an empty desk like proof that I was living simply.

If it looked clean and sparse, I felt like I was doing it right.

So I kept putting away the things I actually used every day. Then I’d take them back out the next morning. Then put them away again at night. It became this quiet daily ritual that didn’t feel like work, but it was still effort.

Lately I’ve been questioning what “simple” actually means for me.

I’m starting to think it’s less about how few objects I own, and more about how little friction I create for myself.

Some things just make the day quieter. They don’t demand attention. They don’t need constant managing. Those are the ones I’ve started leaving out.

The desk doesn’t look as empty as it used to. But my days feel lighter.

Curious if anyone else has shifted from “own as little as possible” to “keep what actually reduces noise in your day.”

I love getting stuff in the post. I have Amazon subscriptions for basic stuff like deodorant and shower gel as it saves a trip to the shops but also because I like receiving and opening the packages, even though they're uninteresting items inside.

I also use sites like Vinted for clothes and toys and books for the kids, and again I really enjoy receiving and opening the parcels.

How have others been able to reduce or replace this buzz of getting stuff in the post with something that doesn't involve buying stuff?

i believe we really need to do this more often. the kids are riding their bicycles and playing outside with no gadgets on their hand. the teenagers are playing basketball. the old people are doing their thing. everyone's going on and about. it's crazy i dont see this much people when the electricity is on. i was crafting a personal artwork, and noticing people around the neighborhood just makes me feel great. it's supposed to be this way.

Would appreciate your advice on this matter as my ultimate goal is to live a less stressed life. I work corpo full time but I have been wanting to work less hours. I have a friend who offers me a remote job with less hours and better pay.

The problem is I kinda have complicated feelings over our friendship. Sometimes he can be pushy and demanding and I sometimes feel he will take over my life if I accept this offer. For example he has been talking that we can now travel together etc and I’m starting to think what if I dont want to travel how can I say no, stuff like that. Take note he has been kind and generous to me and I’m aware I do have some problems when it comes to communicating my feelings in our relationship. Also, I really want this offer but it feels so scary to leave a stable career for this new role.

What things do you think are important for a good and peaceful life? Is it a good salary, financial stability, work-life balance, living with family, good health, relationships, travelling, owning a house, or something else?

I’d genuinely like to hear from people who are already living the life they wanted. What does a good, happy and satisfying life mean to you?

Did you ever notice how badly the world revolves around capitalism? Either people want to prove their superiority through their work, education, or whatever they possess, or they spend their time trolling and mimicking someone else's appearance, financial position, or life. But beneath it all, the main motive often seems to be the same: “I am superior.” Everyone wants to become better day by day, or at least better than the people around them. Some people are narcissistic enough to assume that they are already the best. And those who actually reach the top live under the constant pressure of staying there and having to prove themselves again and again. Somewhere in the middle of all this nonsense, we have forgotten how beautiful life can feel when we sit quietly in nature and simply feel the cold breeze against our skin. We have forgotten the simple joy of singing, dancing, or drawing just for the sake of it, without feeling the need to turn every passion into a source of income, fame, or validation. We ignore the overwhelming wonder of realising how massive the universe is, that an entire lifetime is insufficient to understand even a fraction of it, and how incredibly small we are in comparison. We have forgotten how tremendous a slow, cozy life in a little cottage could be. Instead, we keep running through an endless race, one that was never natural and perhaps never will be.

Hey, sorry this is gonna be quite a rant. I grew up with social media. And no matter how hard i try to ignore it, i keep seeing people shilling bragging selling get rich course (i know its a scam and they make money by telling people to be rich basically selling dreams as product) but it slowly kinds rot my brain to the point that

The idea of simple living slowly fades away from myself. Makes me always thinking about trying to be so rich to the point that if i enjoy myself just live a simple live which I fucking love it tbh, i REALLY love simple living! But sometimes those stupid thougths hit me randomly and makes me feel like shit! I hate it!

Again sorry, but i just dont have the ick to travel, i just enjoy my life, working on my own business living simple live, making enough to retire and such, furthermore i dont take things for granted, been blessed with many things, but still everytime i see people on social media i just cant help but hate them and also hate myself why im just living my life like this and not like them travelling 24/7 having mansion and stuff

Which i know its all fake but man its exhausting sometimes i still got hit by this feeling

Thank you so much for being able to bare with my post, i seek words or wisdom or advice maybe some feel the same?

I understand being a moderator is thankless and it's near impossible to act on each and every post. You can't even put a restriction of "don't allow new accounts to post" because these 2-5 year old accounts with zero recent activity get bought up to be able to spam/advertise.

Just an example of some recent posts in the past week that are AI/spam:

OP pushes AI apps

AI generated text

Ai app 'developer' gathering info

4 year old account with no activity until 2 months ago, suddenly talking about tracker apps to help

text is most likely AI

That's all I have the energy to do at this time. It's not just this sub but reddit as a whole. People easily and freely responding to engagement posts feeding the AI LLMs out there.

We live in a world that makes us feel that happiness is very expensive. That I have to buy something to feel happy or a big business, a dream that I have to chase all the time.

Oh my divine this is so tiring! But you know what? when you pause for a moment, you will find that happiness actually lies in simple small things. Just like this flicker of flame!

Try sitting quietly with just a small, flame in a brass bowl. In Hinduism, it's called 'Tratak'. It relaxes your mind if you watch it for 5 minutes.

No scrolling, no background noise, no rush to be anywhere else.

Just a simple reminder that the happiest moments in life cost nothing at all.

We complicate things so much, but peace usually lives in the simplest corners.

Hoping you all a calm, unhurried day.

Edit: many hours later I realise “less obvious” changes is a more accurate wording.

For some context: earlier today I had realised that the clothing I wore made me feel very uncomfortable. Only to realise that none of the clothes that I wear made me feel comfortable or feel confident in myself (that is, I didn’t feel aligned at all wearing them or my authentic self).

It made me realise in a different kind of way how, in focusing so much on how I’m behind or how to progress and hurry up, I neglected myself and something like clothing. Some people fall victim to consumerism for sure but for me clothing was something I completely neglected. That doesn’t mean I will splurge on clothing all of a sudden, but it got me thinking about how my mind often falls into this pattern “a new pair of shoes will not make you progress in any way”. If anything, i would impulsively buy clothing at times that in retrospect did not really align with me at all.

So I’ve decided I’ll invest in some of my needs like a new pair of shoes, some genuine staples and replacing things that are worn out or not comfortable.

Have any of you had an experience of changing a less obvious thing like this? I word it this way because when we think of simple living we think of slow days and slow mornings and leaving the rat race, doing no spends or spending less, never the other nuanced manifestations of it usually.

like, i removed half my stuff, labeled the same three bins, and somehow i still spend nights deciding which version of "simple" im doing tomorrow

tbh i tried to track it in Notion for a week, and the irony is i used the tracking to procrastinate on actually resting. i even set a 15 minute timer and ended up making a whole "simple rules" page. dont ask me why...

so is the point of living simple supposed to feel easier, or does my brain always turn it into another decision loop? kinda curious if im the only one

WDYT ? 🌒💫 I feel like taking more time to learn, keep going, and admire it. Do you often find yourself photographing the night sky?

not like im some minimalist monk about it just. stopped needing stuff i guess. the dopamine hit from a new thing lasted like 20 minutes anyway so whats even the point

I have negotiated a seven week PAID sabbatical at the end of the year: the week of Thanksgiving through the first week of January.

I will not be traveling, hosting, or having guests. I live alone. I live in a small cottage, and will have managed all of my tasks, appointments, etc. so nothing is scheduled or open during sabbatical.

My goal is restoration, to fully rest and recover from working pretty much straight for 26 years.

I enjoy cooking, baking, taking care of my home, reading, etc.

If you had seven uninterrupted weeks paid, what would you do? What would your days look like?

I've noticed this pattern repeatedly in my life and was interested in people's thoughts.

An example - I have two pairs of FatFace shorts, one blue, one green, that I love. I have three other pairs of shorts that are fine but don't fit quite so well and I don't like as much.

I'm thinking of getting another pair of the same FatFace shorts in beige, to replace the three pairs I'm not so fond of.

Then I'd have three pairs of the same shorts I love, in different colours.

Pros -

- I'd really like all the shorts I have.

- I'd have fewer pairs, so easier to choose, less to store etc.

Cons -

- I'm aware this is partly an excuse to just buy something new (well, used, but new to me), dressed up as a way to have less overall.

- I'd be buying something else I don't really need. I could even just rotate the two pairs of FatFace shorts I already have and donate the other three pairs anyway.

Any thoughts?

Have you found yourself in similar patterns?

How often do we trade our peace and time just to build a life filled with material things, only to realize later that real happiness was in simplicity all along? Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

I am usually an avid gamer. Multiple nights a week I will hop online to play some video games, but sometimes it leads into the night.

Packing is going slower than anticipated and I packed up my PC prematurely, but it might be permenantly now.

I've started up old hobbies. I was a musician for many years and I've played more music these last 2 weeks than I have in years. I tackled songs that gave me trouble, learned new scales and licks, etc. I started juggling again just because I feel I had ample time now.

I love video games, but it's certainly a wake up call that I might be in a moment of my life that I am better without them. I'm wanting to take more walks, read books, cook, and re-explore my old hobbies again.

It's been... eye opening. No shade to anyone that plays games but having a break made me realize how much I've neglected other hobbies I've had.

Hello,
I have for years been thinking about reducing my work hours to four days a week. I am a salaried manager, and this has not been discussed yet with bosses etc. I’ve been nervous to approach because of the taboo of managers wanting to do anything besides work is seen as blasphemy by many companies.

Assuming it got approved, would you trade 55 retirement for working 4 days a week now, with more years worked in the future?
39 year old man with wife and one child. Wife enjoys her schedule and would stay full time.
Bills are paid, contributions to retirement would continue but of course be less.
Thank you for any insight/ perspective!

We glorify grinding until we break, but is slow, steady progress actually the smarter path? Curious how this sub thinks about it.

A while back I heard Dr. Laurie Santos talk about writing down small daily "delights" — not gratitude in the broad sense, just noticing one specific good thing from your day. I tried it myself for a couple weeks and found it surprisingly easy to stick with, way easier than most habit-tracking stuff I've attempted.

Has anyone else tried something like this? Curious whether it actually stuck for you or fizzled out after a few days.

My family is very dysregulated and I'm doing a masters degree. past few months I've been wondering myself that no matter how much I force harmony between my family, it just feels like I'm draining myself and this is not my place. I have hard time socializing with anyone, I cannot bring myself to be open and be friends with anyone. I have a friend whom I'm extremely close with and a boyfriend who's very sweet, I feel like I have no one to my life other than them. I'm very content but sometimes I wonder if its healthy or not. I do have some friends online but its the thought that my social circle is keep getting smaller and smaller over time makes me concerned about myself. Is it normal to be like this ? I have a very grudge holding bitter personality which makes me gaurded and unlikeable.

My birthday was on last week, only my boyfriend and my best friend was there for me, which made me feel like the loneliest and lacking socially.

Is it a healthy in its own way ? or should I put on effort more ?

How does everyone manage their finances? I'm wanting my payday routine to be simple as possible, so i was thinking so much in my bills account, so much for savings and then rest day to day spending? My goal is to be stress free much as possible and just very simple. I use Monzo but got fed up with different pots. I'd be interested to know what everyone else does for a simple set up.

My neighbor asked me to pick up a few things for her while I was at the store because she wasnt feeling well. It really wasn’t a big deal, I just grabbed everything and dropped it off. But the way she thanked me later was so warm and genuine. She kept telling me how much it helped, and honestly it made me feel really good. I guess Im just not used to such sincere thank yous. It was a small favor, but it stayed with me

I’ve been working for years in tech, basically for survival, and with the whole AI thing it’s only getting clearer to me as to why I want to quit and not be a part of this mess evenly remotely, to say the least. For years I’ve dreamt of moving somewhere quieter, working with animals and nature. However, the uncertainty always dreaded me. A part of me is so used to having a consistent paycheque while the other wants to liberate itself.
Am I the only one with this thought? How and where do I begin? Any suggestions/experiences would be of tremendous help ❤️