Begin by setting aside a quiet space and time to focus without distractions. Use the prompts to explore what simplicity means personally, starting with small areas like your daily routine or living space. Reflect on what can be removed or minimized to create more ease and clarity. Write freely about moments when you’ve felt overwhelmed and contrast them with times of calm simplicity. Consider how simplifying your commitments or digital life might impact your well-being. Revisit your entries regularly to notice patterns and shifts in your mindset. Allow yourself to be honest and gentle in this process, knowing that simplicity is a journey, not a destination.

Read more tips on how to start and keep a journaling practice that can guide your wellness and personal growth.

Journaling about simplicity helps you clarify values and priorities, making it easier to let go of excess commitments and possessions and to sustain simpler, value-aligned habits; research grounded in self‑determination theory shows that acting on intrinsic values (like autonomy and meaningfulness) supports greater well‑being. Studies on expressive writing (Pennebaker and colleagues) demonstrate that regular journaling reduces stress, improves mood and cognitive processing, and can free up mental bandwidth for clearer decision-making, so reflecting specifically on simplicity both reduces mental clutter and strengthens the practical steps needed to live more intentionally.

Learn about the science-backed benefits of journaling along with primary sources.