Decades before the Marie Kondo era of clearing out the clutter, Elaine St. James began simplifying her life and wrote a bestseller about it in the early 90s.
In her book, “Simplify Your Life,” St. James shares 100 ways that you can embrace simplicity and “enjoy the things that really matter.” From living on half of what you earn and saving the rest to building a simpler wardrobe, her advice spotlights themes of living with less that experts still suggest for wellness, decades after the book’s publication in 1994.
For St. James and her husband, “living simply meant reducing the scale, maintaining the comfort, eliminating the complexity, and minimizing the time demands of life as we had known it in the 1980s,” she wrote.
Here are four suggestions shared by St. James that align with the advice we see today for living more simply.
4 ways to simplify your life and ‘enjoy the things that really matter’
1. Downsize where you can
In her book, St. James shared countless tips for cutting down on costs and maximizing the space you have. Her first tip is to declutter by canvassing your entire home and getting rid of anything that you haven’t used in a year or more.
“Getting rid of it can mean any number of things: give it to a friend, give it to Goodwill, take it to a consignment shop, sell it at a garage sale, or put it in the dumpster,” she wrote.
But her advice for downsizing didn’t stop there. She also recommended moving to a smaller house that would be easily manageable to keep tidy but also comfortable and convenient for your needs. Similarly, St. James suggested considering driving a simpler car to lower insurance fees and car note payments.
2. Have a staycation
Even as an avid traveler, it can be a great idea to consider having a staycation every now and then. This is a practice that St. James encouraged people to try, adding that “some of the most fun and relaxing vacations my husband and I ever had we’ve taken at home.”
You can use this step to spend time in your actual home and start a hobby or deep clean your space. Or you can take a page out of St. James’ book and visit different places within your local community.
During a staycation, St. James and her family “took a day and went to all the art galleries and museums,” in her town, she wrote. “We also had picnics on the beach and in a couple of our local parks. All of these things contributed to a new feeling of pride and familiarity with our town.”
3. Get a side hustle
Before the term “side hustle” was introduced, the concept already existed. St. James’ tip #53 is to turn your hobby into your job. She shared the example of her friend Sandra who for years balanced her side hustle with her day job.
After a trip to Italy, Sandra fell in love with sculpting and took up sculpture classes when she returned home, according to St. James. “She resumed her legal practice during her workday, but her evenings and weekends were now devoted to her stone,” she wrote. “Before long she was selling her work at local art shows.”
4. Practice mindfulness
We value mindfulness a lot more now due to the wellness industry boom we’ve seen in recent years. But St. James was suggesting practices to remain mindful back in 1994.
For one, she encouraged everyone to spend one day a month in solitude (tip #77). “Spending time away from the constant barrage of pressures we face can get us back in touch with what is real, and can help to alleviate the tensions of everyday life,” St. James wrote.
She also wanted people to focus on doing one thing at a time instead of juggling multiple responsibilities, and doing nothing at all when they could. One of the simplest, yet useful, practices St. James wanted people to adopt was taking time to watch the sunset.
“The wonderful thing about sunset, and much the same can be said for sunrise, is that it happens every day,” she wrote. “It’s a great time to pause and take notice.”
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