The Case for Doing Less and Loving Life More

Why Doing Less Might Be the Key to a Happier Life

In a world where there is so much value placed on accomplishing more, doing more and having more it feels like a radical idea to suggest the way to a happier, more fulfilling life is actually doing less.

After many years of buying into the myth of being able to have it all, I realized I was missing out on the real magic of life.

This morning, I sat outside on my front steps and ate my breakfast at a leisurely pace. I noticed the dew sparkling in the sunshine and the warmth of it on my face. I got to watch the robins, hopping around in the grass. They would look at me and hop closer and look at me and hop a little more. I never really noticed it before–the cute little way they move across the lawn. I looked around and appreciated the first daffodil blooming and the yellow crocuses getting ready to open for the day. It felt relaxing and good and exactly the opposite of how I used to begin my days.

The Hidden Cost of Constant Doing

Sometimes, it's what we don't get done that truly matters. I thought I was starting my days well back then. I was organized. I’d have written out my list of priorities the night before and I’d charge into the morning with positivity about how productive I was going to be and how much I was going to get done. And I did get a lot done. Yet what I later realized was that it was what I wasn’t getting done that was more important. And to have time for what mattered most to me, I needed to find a way to do less.

This required me to shift my perspective about how I spend my time. To be honest, at first, this wasn’t easy. I’d spent years and was well conditioned in my daily push for high productivity. What helped was to focus on the real benefits of doing less. In this post, I'll share with you the top benefits I’ve found to doing less. and if you are on a quest to find more time for what matters most to you, you may even want to write these down somewhere so you can see them often and remind yourself of them too. 

This blog is part of a new series I decided to create on Slow Living Strategies. If you missed my first one, you may want to check it out as well. Here is the link for my first video. In that video, I walk you through an exercise to help you make sure you are spending time on what matters most to you. 

The Myth of "Having It All"

We are conditioned to chase achievement. But the cost? Our presence, our peace and often the joy in everyday moments. One perspective I’ve realized in this journey is that: When you do less, you do what matters most, because you have to choose. Choosing means you're no longer going through the motions in life. I realized that when my schedule was too full at the start of the day, I didn’t have time to think about what I wanted to do or how. I just needed to get to it and focus on getting it all done.

The Real Benefits of Doing Less

Here's what I discovered when I stopped overcommiting and started prioritizing presence.

You Do What Matters Most

When you leave more space in your schedule, you can be more intentional with what you decide to do and when. You start doing what you feel is the most important thing for you to do, because you are no longer trying to squeeze it all in. When you do this, you begin to live your life in a way that is best for you and paradoxically, it seems that often this ends up being the most impactful for others as well. So I’m doing a lot more choosing what makes me happy these days.

The hard part was learning that I could choose–that I really didn’t have to do it all. Over time I found that while I was leaving things behind, what I was continuing, I was doing in a deeper, richer and more fulfilling way.

You Are More Present

When you do less, you can enjoy what you're doing more fully because it’s easier to be present. Where this has impacted me the most is with respect to my relationships. I'm now more able to relax and listen. Sometimes I still feel that urge to finish a conversation and dash off to accomplish something–I guess because the constant strive for productivity was so ingrained in my system. When I find myself feeling this inner nudge to hurry up and go get something done, I try to remind myself that I am accomplishing one of the most important things right now–spending time with people I care about and listening to them.

When I relax when I’m listening, I notice that I become more curious about what the other person is saying, what they are doing, and what's important to them in their life. And I learn things that I wouldn’t otherwise because I’m taking the time to ask questions. It feels good. It feels good to be present with other people. I suppose this is just the way we're wired as humans.

You Think More Clearly

If you do less, it gives you time to think. It seems like my best ideas come when I'm sitting quietly, relaxing and allowing myself space to do nothing. I'll think about what I have coming up this week and the best ways to accomplish what I want to get done or I'll think about certain things that I'm finding challenging and consider how to do them with more ease. 

One recent example of this for me was thinking about what motivates me to have a better workout in the morning or to work out at all for that matter. I’m sure you’ve heard before that if you want to work out in the morning, set your clothes out the night before. Well, I didn’t start doing this, but in thinking about how to motivate myself, I did realize that what I decide to wear when I get dressed in the morning does make a big difference. If I'm in my soft, cozy flannel pants, these work well for a relaxing yoga flow, but they will at the same time cause me to not do strength training as hard and forget about any trying to do any cardio in them. For strength training or cardio, I need to dress in something that makes me feel strong and active–not cozy and comfortable. 

If I don’t give myself time to reflect on how to make things better, I do things the way I’ve always done them. I’ve thought of so many ways to make my work more efficient and have come up with so many more creative ideas when I just slow down and allow myself to think.

You Get Better at The Things You Do

For this reason, when you do less, you get better at the things you do regularly. You have time to think about how to fine-tune what you're doing. When you try to do everything there's no time for fine-tuning or learning how to do something better. For instance, I know I still have much to learn in creating YouTube videos that are both entertaining and informative, but I have learned so much more when I stopped trying to show up on every platform and started taking time to listen to other creator’s videos about how they go through the process of filming and editing.

I’ve found I am also more focused when I’m not worrying about everything else that needs to get done. If I am constantly preoccupied with completing everything on my to-do list, my attention always seems to be focused more on the future and what’s next, rather than the task at hand. When I do this, I have a tendency to rush through things.

I used to do this a lot on the weekends when I was trying to catch up on what I didn’t get done during the week. Typically, I’d be a bit grumpy and generally I'd rush through it. While I can’t say I never work on the weekends anymore, I do so much less than I used to. To let work wait until Monday, I have to remind myself there will always be more work to get done and if I don't take the time to do the things that I enjoy and love, I won't find time for them. Weeks will turn into months, which turn into years. Been there. Done that. I spent too many years prioritizing work and did work fall apart when I stopped making it my top priority all the time? No. I honestly couldn’t tell that work suffered at all.

I think this was because I had to start focusing on what truly needed to get done. The rest can wait. As a result, this weekend, I baked bread and transplanted the little seedlings that I started some time ago. The kitchen and gardens are my happy place. Years ago, I wouldn’t have let myself do this if I hadn’t accomplished the work I’d scheduled for myself and even if I did, would have felt guilty. I’m enjoying life much more now.

Final Thoughts: You Deserve to Enjoy Your Days

When you do less, you create space–for beauty, for connection, for reflection. It's not about giving up your drive. It's about directing it with intention.

Here’s a quick recap of the perspectives that have helped me slow down and enjoy life more. 

• When you do less, you can enjoy what you're doing more fully because it’s easier to be present.

• When you do less, you do what matters most, because you have to choose.

• If you do less, it gives you time to think.

• And for this reason, when you do less, you get better at the things you do regularly.