How to Live a Simple Life Without the Stark White Walls, 100 Items and Tiny Home

Editor's note: This is a guest post by Charlie Brown of Simple and Straightforward.

Too many people worry about how simple living or minimalism is supposed to look. The wardrobe, the home decor, the lack of clutter. The empty diary.

These external signifiers tell the world that you are now a “minimalist.”

The problem is, coming at minimalism from this POV is kind of pointless if bright white rooms and muted wardrobe colors leave you feeling cold.

Many of us approach minimalism the wrong way. We look at the external signifiers and decide it's if it is or is not for us purely based on the look of it. Whereas the more useful thing to do is to consider what a simple life can do for you from the inside, and work from there.

Otherwise, what's the point?

Consider how much simplicity you need to make your life yours.

If you're going to build a simple life from the inside, this is question numero uno:

How much simplicity do you need in order to make a life you actually want?

Most of us consume more than we can ever afford, that we can ever use, that we need in order to seek fulfillment and contentment. We've gone way past the point of “enough” into a realm where more is better, bigger is better, excess is better.

It's the reason simple living advocates bang on about living with less. It's not because they think happiness can be found in an empty room, it's because they know that most of us live with waaaaay too much.

How much simplicity do you personally need in order to live a life well-lived is a question only you can answer but here are some areas to think about to get you started:

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Charlie Brown is a British writer and full-time traveler. She is founder of Simple and Straightforward, a weekly mail-out focusing on simple living, minimalism, and living life on your own terms.