Here is a great 6 minute video clip on the importance of simplicity called Less Stuff, More Happiness:

I love this video on why it is important to get rid of your junk, declutter, and simplify your life.  I began getting rid of my stuff and decluttering my life about 3 years ago.  Simplifying the things in my life has allowed me to have more time to focus on what’s important to me: spending time with my family and friends and spending time doing things I enjoy, such as reading and writing articles for this blog.  Not only has it allowed me to focus on the things that matter most to me, but it has significantly reduced our expenses; we are not wasting our money on unneeded stuff anymore, and we are able to live in a smaller place because we don’t have a lot of stuff.  It is also a very calming feeling to have less stuff to worry about and organize.  And cleaning the house is so much easier!  Not to mention you are doing wonders for the environment once you reduce the amount of stuff you are buying and using.  There are so many reasons why simplifying my life makes me feel invigorated; It is such a freeing feeling.  To see my Inspirational Quotes on Simplicity, go here: Simplicity.

How do you get started?  I am the type of person who likes to do things all at once, so I took a weekend and separated my stuff into the following piles: stuff to sell in a garage sale/craigslist/ebay, stuff to take to Salvation Army, stuff to recycling, and stuff to throw away.  If you don’t have time to do it all in one day or you have massive amounts of junk, start to go through one room a week and make your piles.  I imagine you will also feel invigorated as you start to get rid of stuff, and you will be more and more motivated as you go.  Once I got rid of lots of my stuff that first time around, it was easy to keep up on it.  Whenever I get something new, I get rid of something.  I also do a “spring-cleaning” at least once or twice a year.

Here are a couple of great blogs on simplicity if you’re looking for more tips and inspiration: http://www.rowdykittens.com and http://www.zenhabits.net

I will leave you today with the wise words of Henry Ford:

“My effort is in the direction of simplicity.  Our clothing, our food, our household furniture – all could be much simpler than they now are and at the same time be better-looking.”