Q is for Quality Over Quantity: A-Z of Simple Living

 This January, we're taking an in-depth look at the why and how of simplicity with the A-Z of Simple Living. If you want to make 2015 the year you create a simpler, slower life, why not join us?

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"Quality over quantity."It's such a cliche. So much so that I nearly didn't include it in the A-Z of Simple Living.But it is just too important to ignore.I think we need to look for quality over quantity in all things. But today I'm not really talking about the clothes you wear or the furniture you own. I'm not discussing the house you live on or the make-up you wear, the toys your kids play with or sporting gear you exercise in. I'm not really looking at stuff at all. Because simple living is about so much more than stuff.Hell, life is about so much more than stuff.No. What I'm talking about are the immeasurable things. The really important things. The things that actually matter. I'm talking about the quality of those things.Friendships. Spirit. Character. Faith. Relationships. Love. Community. Connection. Humour. Joyfulness. Curiosity.Think about the quality of these things:

• 15 minutes of good, real, honest conversation with your best friend is so much more significant than shallow small-talk with a room full of acquaintances.

• An hour reading with your kids is so much more important than a whole weekend passively watching TV.

• A morning chat over a coffee with your lover is so much more fulfilling than half a day trudging through IKEA.

• Watching a seriously great television show once a week (Walking Dead, anyone?) is so much more enjoyable than hours on the couch each night, flicking between channels.

Quality over Quantity

When you weigh up the options, it's hard to disregard the importance of quality. But so often we float along, doing what we've always done and getting what we've always gotten.If you adopt the idea of quality over quantity for everything in life, you will, ironically, discover more.More time, more joy, more space, more fun, more meaning, more love, more presence, more mindfulness.If you focus on more of these things:

• Quality relationships
• Quality time
• Quality words
• Quality play
• Quality rest
• Quality food
• Quality entertainment
• Quality friends
• Quality reading

What do you stand to lose by focusing on quality over quantity?And, more importantly, what do you have to gain?