We all lead busy lives, and it’s easy to be distracted from the simple things which really make us happy. Society would rather you spend your time and money pursuing expensive things; there’s not much money in enjoying a good book with your favourite warm brew after all! Enjoying life doesn’t have to be expensive, and, as this blog will show you, pursuing life’s simple pleasures may be all you need to be happy.
Modern life makes it hard to appreciate the simple things
As I explained in my previous post, Live a simple life and save a ton of money, getting rid of unnecessary stuff will actually make you happier, allowing you to save a lot of money. It’s often the simple things that give people the most pleasure. It can be a revelation to realise that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to be happy.
Having balance in life is not easy, and I personally find it’s a constant face-off between meaningful work at home and in the office, keeping fit, cooking good food, getting enough sleep and relaxing. You may have even more to balance, especially if you’ve got kids. You are more likely to appreciate life’s simple things when you give yourself the time and space to be thankful for it.
“How do I do that?” you may ask. “I can barely look after myself, let alone juggle the 101 other things going on in my life right now!“
The key to enjoying life’s simple pleasures
The answer is scarily simple – organisation. Have a diary or planner and condense your life into it. In fact, make it your entire life. Don’t go anywhere without it. You should plan each day and each week in advance, have goals and tick them off as they are completed. Live with purpose.
With a diary and a properly planned-out schedule, even the busiest person can create time for themselves. To reflect, to meditate, to exercise, to plan, to enjoy where you are in that moment. Creating this time for yourself, ideally once a day, can have tremendous benefits to your happiness and mental health. Life is busy, but take time to slow down.
I’ve tried to live like this for years. I’m far from perfect – sometimes long periods of time go by where I don’t write anything in my diary. However, when I do organise my life, I find I can get so much more stuff done. I’m just a more productive person in general – and that gives me a great feeling of satisfaction.
Be proactive: take control of your time and attention
Being proactive like this – taking control of your own actions and reactions – is actually the first habit from the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. (This is an amazing book on self-development and I highly recommend you read it.) It goes something like this:
Instead of being controlled by external factors, focus on your circle of influence, which includes things you can change or influence. Practice self-awareness and responsibility for your choices.
So, plan your time effectively, and make sure to include time for meditation and self-reflection. You’ll get more done and find time to enjoy life’s simple pleasures by creating a more focused mindset that doesn’t get distracted easily.
The science behind appreciating the simple things
A study by Texas A&M University found that enjoying the little things in life is key to fulfilment: …”intrinsic beauty in life’s everyday moments can contribute to a more meaningful existence.“
This study is in the realm of existential psychology (which aims to understand the “big questions” in life), and academics in this area have long agreed that there are three main sources of a subjectively meaningful existence (that lead to a happy life):
- Coherence – the feeling that your life “makes sense”
- Clear, long-term goals and purpose
- Existential mattering – the belief that your actions matter to others.
However, the Texas study suggests that there is a fourth fundamental pathway towards a meaningful and happy life – appreciating and finding value in experiences, referred to as “experiential appreciation”.
This idea is basically the opposite of what most people’s experience of life is, especially those who lead busy lives. The lead scientist in the study said that “To appreciate the small things in a fast-paced world, people just need to slow down.”
Examples of life’s simple pleasures
Everyone has different interpretations of what enjoying everyday moments are, but to me, this includes:
- Watching the sunrise or sunset.
- Staring at the sky and watching the clouds roll past.
- Enjoying the sound and sight of long grass swashing in the wind on a summer’s day.
- Reading a good book (ideally whilst sitting in the sun).
- Enjoying a mug of (Yorkshire) tea.
- Appreciating the beauty in the music that I listen to.
Enjoying the simple things in life – like this early Spring sunrise. I had to get up early on a cold morning, but it was well worth the effort.
Notice that all of these everyday moments are free (or can be made free quite easily). I’m not suggesting you should immediately stop buying anything – of course you should be able to have nice things, and buying something nice that you really want can bring joy – especially if using delayed gratification to prevent yourself buying too much too quickly. The point is, a life of greater meaning and joy can be easily made without spending too much money.
Hygge: the art of finding joy in simple things
Hygge – you may have heard the word – “A feeling of cosiness, contentment, and well-being found in life’s simple pleasures”. It’s a Danish/ Norwegian word that has gained popularity in the English-speaking world in recent years – and it epitomises this blog. You now have the knowledge to put Hygge into practice – make good use of it!
Once you start to appreciate the simple things in life, you’ll notice them occurring more often, and you’ll find yourself naturally creating the time to enjoy them. There is beauty in the everyday, you just need the right mindset to appreciate it.
Modern distractions, especially our phones, computers and TVs, are especially bad as they constrict our lives and our mental ability to appreciate the simple joys of life. Restricting time spent on these devices is generally a good thing for our happiness and sense of meaning.
On Slow Down and Save, we value intentional living over consumption – indeed, slowing down, appreciating simple pleasures, and spending money intentionally all form part of this mindset. Learning to appreciate the simple things in life is less about doing more – it’s more about doing less.
What simple things do you most enjoy? Let me know in the comments below.
Want to find out more? You might be interested in the following posts:
- Why you need to do hard things.
- 14 ways to live an easier life
- Live a simple life and save a ton of money
- A no-nonsense guide on how to live a healthy life
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