11 Things I Quit To Simplify My Life | Minimalism, Slow Living, Self Care

• If you clicked on this video, you are likely focused on improving your life.
• The key to improvement often lies in removing distractions rather than adding tasks.
• Simplicity can lead to clearer thinking and more intentional living.
• Here are 11 things I quit to simplify and enjoy my life more.

Chances are that if you clicked on this video, you are focused on making your life better and improving upon who you were yesterday. And if you're like me, it is easy to think that the first step to achieving this is to add more to your already busy schedule.

However, what has actually improved my life the most has been focusing my energy first of all on taking things away to give me the oxygen to focus on what matters most. The experience reminds me of this Bruce Lee quote: "It is not the daily increase, but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."

It points to the fact that one of the fastest ways to advance our life is to simplify it. Less clutter—physical, mental, and digital—paves the way for clearer thinking and intentional living because nobody performs well when pulled in a dozen different directions.

If you're new to this channel, welcome. My name is Simon Alexander Ong, the bestselling author of Energize International, keynote speaker, and award-winning coach.

And in today's video, I want to share with you 11 things I quit to simplify my life and to enjoy it a lot more.

The first thing I quit was overthinking more than necessary. In the early 2000s, designer and engineer Peter Skillman put an experiment out to three groups. In the first group were kindergarten children, in the second were MBA students, and in the third were CEOs.

The challenge was to build a tower using 20 pieces of spaghetti, a yard of string, a yard of tape, and a standard-sized marshmallow in 18 minutes. The objective was to get the marshmallow at the top of the tower. Who do you think built the tallest tower?

The results were fascinating because the group that won were the kindergarten children. They interacted in a smarter way while the MBA students and the CEOs were so focused on planning and the status games—who was in charge? The kindergarten children got stuck into action straight away, iterating and gaining insights at a faster rate than the other two groups.

So the lesson from this experiment is that clarity comes from taking action. The quicker you can close the gap between idea and execution, the faster the feedback you get, and the more progress you make.

And when you take action, what happens is that you increase the seeds you plant. You increase the opportunity to experience lucky moments. So here's a question for you:

How much longer will you avoid doing what you are capable of in order to continue with what you are comfortable doing?

The second thing I quit was focusing on things outside of my control. Too many of us attach our emotional well-being to things that are outside our control. When this happens, you are outsourcing your happiness to someone or something outside of your control.

When you focus on what is in your control, however small, you feel more empowered. This is why the journey is always better than the destination. When you discover who you truly are, you become less reliant on external validation for your self-worth.

Blaming others is easy. Taking responsibility is harder. Don't be allergic to personal responsibility because only when you take full ownership of where you are and where you want to be can life really begin.

The third thing I quit was making my health a side hustle. When you are healthy, you have lots of hopes and dreams. When you are sick, however, you only have one: to be well again. This is why I make daily exercise a non-negotiable.

One hour a day of exercise takes up less than 5% of your time. When I see it this way, I make sure I prioritize my health. You don't have to put in one hour a day for exercise; it can be less. But be consistent with making your health a priority because consistency always beats intensity.

You may not always want to move your body, but you never regret it after. Once you finish pushing your body, the state of your mind means that you can handle whatever challenges the day may throw your way. If your health is important to you, you will make time for it.

If not, eventually, you will be faced with no choice but to deal with illness—a regret many of us come to.

The fourth thing I quit was sleeping late. In college and the early part of my career, I noticed that if I slept until the early hours of the morning, I didn't function well the next day. The most productive days begin with sufficient rest. The best caffeine is not coffee but eight hours of sleep.

Think back to the last time you had sufficient sleep. You woke up in the morning with the energy to make the most of your day.

The fifth thing I quit was playing small. You have no idea how good you can get. You can get scary good even if you suck right now. It begins with the stories that you tell yourself.

When Jeff Bezos was contemplating starting Amazon, he approached his decision with a framework called regret minimization. He fast-forwarded to the 80-year-old version of himself to see if he would regret not taking the risk.

The answer was yes. He would regret it. So he went to work and the rest is history.

He didn't follow logic; he followed this framework.

If you're going through a dilemma about making a choice, think forward to your older self. Would you regret not starting that thing? Life is too short and too precious to not pursue something that makes you feel alive.

Stop playing small. Be bold, be brave, and play big. Your future self will thank you.

The sixth thing I quit was being around people, places, and things that drained my energy. Energy is infectious. Spend time around negativity, and you'll feel it too. Spend time around positivity, and you'll feel uplifted.

You don't have time to be around people who pull you down. Make a list of things that give you energy and those that drain you. Notice which list you spend the most time focused on.

If it's the list that drains you, what can you do now to stop or reduce that?

The seventh thing I quit was consuming more than I create. It's easy to consume information, from reading books to scrolling social media. However, it's not about how much you consume, but how much of that information you act on.

If you consume more than you create, you won't see the benefits. Flip the focus so you are creating far more than you consume.

The magic happens when you put those ideas into motion. When you create more than you consume, you can have a greater impact and develop your personal brand.

Our value is determined by how much we give to the world.

The eighth thing I quit was comparing myself to others. "Comparisonitis," if you will. It's so easy to compare ourselves to others with social media. We compare our daily lives to other people’s highlight reels.

Instead, use others for inspiration. Get curious, not jealous, and understand what they are doing to succeed. When you learn, you gain insights that can help you build momentum.

Look to others for inspiration, not comparison.

The ninth thing I quit was seeing constraints as bad. Constraints can breed creativity. For example, Ernest Hemingway wrote a six-word story that moved an audience due to constraints.

When we faced constraints with our daughter's nursery, we became more productive. When you have less time, you focus on what really matters.

The tenth thing I quit was the business trap. Many confuse being busy with being productive. As Denzel Washington said, "Don't mistake movement for progress."

We work hard, often forgetting to live. We live for a future instead of enjoying the present—what we truly have. So remember, work and rest are partners. Don't confuse being busy with being productive.

The eleventh thing I quit was living a cluttered life. Instead, I focused on streamlining everything around me, from a simpler environment to fewer decisions daily.

When you live a simpler life that is clutter-free, you think clearer, focus on tasks better, and avoid distractions.

Living minimally helps skyrocket your productivity.

So those are the 11 things that I quit to simplify my life. This process does not happen overnight; it is a journey.

As you begin to remove burdens, you'll find space for more joy, freedom, and fulfillment—isn't that a life we all desire?

Removing things makes way to focus on creating a life you can be proud of. As always, I'd love to learn from you as well.

Let me know in the comments what things you have quit that have simplified your life and made it better.

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