Life Update: 3 Main Focus

I am still living a slow and simple lifestyle, but over the past few months, I’ve given my attention to three main focus, instead of trying to do a little of everything.

Cruise

I know this seems contradictory to an intention I set earlier this year to reduce travel, but I’ve found myself genuinely enjoying short cruises. There’s something about being out in the open sea that instantly quiets my mind and creates a mental reset. Each time I return home, I feel clearer, more grounded, and unexpectedly more motivated.

Work

I’m still doing freelance work, but I’ve been taking on more shifts to fund the cruises. Having a tangible goal has changed how I approach work. It no longer feels like something I’m simply pushing through, but a means to something I genuinely look forward to. Knowing there’s time at sea ahead makes it easier to stay motivated, focused, and appreciative of the effort I put in.

Au2 Dance

I know I’ve written before about MapleStory being my forever game, but I actually haven’t played it since I started focusing on these three areas. Instead, the dance game has naturally taken its place. I can spend an entire day immersed in it when I have the time, or play in short bursts on busy days. Since my best friends are playing it too, we often play together, which makes the experience feel more shared and lively. With MapleStory, I was mostly playing alone, and while there was comfort in that solitude, it doesn’t quite compare to the sense of connection I get now.

None of these were planned. They unfolded naturally, one after another. As I’ve always mentioned, life is an ongoing journey of figuring things out. What feels right now may shift again in a few months, and I may find myself focusing on something entirely different. Perhaps that proves the point that everything in life is temporary, and we should allow things to evolve without resistance.

How Simplifying My Life Brought Me More Happiness

Since beginning slow living a few years ago, I’ve definitely felt happier. However, after taking things a step further this year by simplifying my life, I discovered a deeper, steadier and more lasting kind of happiness.

So here’s how simplicity transformed my life and brought me even more happiness.

Creating My Space

When I decluttered my space, I didn’t just free up shelves, I freed my mind. Since I wanted to embrace being a homebody, I started with the place I spend most of my time, my desk. Clearing it out and keeping only the things I love and actually use made a huge difference. Now my desk feels like a space that supports me instead of overwhelming me.

From there, I began reducing visible clutter around the rest of my room. I still own plenty of things, because change doesn’t happen overnight and simplicity isn’t about abandoning everything. The difference is that now, most of what I keep has meaning or purpose. When I look around my room, I’m no longer surrounded by clutter, and that brings me a sense of calm.

Freedom of Time

One of the greatest luxuries in life isn’t money, possessions, or status, it’s time. The freedom to choose how I spend my hours has brought me more happiness than anything material ever could, which is why I chose to do freelance work.

Choosing time over money comes with its own responsibilities. I have to budget carefully and live within my means. It might seem pressurising, but to me, it feels empowering. It’s more than just a way of making sure my choices support the life I want to live. It also happens to bring me joy because I get to use tools I love, stationery, planners, and notebooks.

Not Conforming to Society’s Expectations

For much of my life, I felt the weight of society’s way of living. Get a stable job, earn a certain income, buy a house, find a partner, get married, start a family and achieving these milestones means success.

For the introverted and shy person that I am, those expectations felt suffocating. They demanded a lifestyle centered on social interaction, competition, and comparison, which are things that makes me feel anxious rather than fulfilled.

When I stopped measuring myself against society’s standards, I redefined success in my own terms. It meant living in alignment with my values, even if that looked different from what is expected. That shift alone brought me a tremendous sense of happiness and peace.

Embracing my Introversion

As mentioned above, society’s expectations is extroverted, which is overwhelming for me. By being a homebody and embracing my introversion, I discovered I had more energy for what really mattered.

Instead of forcing myself to fit into an overwhelming world, I am now filling my time with things that makes me feel alive. That authenticity has been one of the biggest sources of happiness in my life.

Living True to Myself

In my previous post on 5 ways to embrace simplicity, one of the ways is to live in alignment with your values. Happiness is one of my values and simplifying my life helped me live in alignment with that value.

Another value of mine is health, and I’ve come to see how closely it’s connected to happiness. When I take care of my body, I notice a difference in my mood and mindset. Any progress towards better health, no matter how small, brings me satisfaction and happiness.

So that’s how simplifying my life brought me more happiness. Every step helped me feel lighter and more at ease, but the biggest contributor is allowing myself to fully embrace being introverted.

Simplifying my life isn’t just about having less, it’s about making room for who I truly am. By embracing my introversion instead of fighting it, I’m building a life that feels authentic, sustainable, and deeply joyful.

MapleStory is My Forever Game

In my journey towards a simpler lifestyle, one thing has remained constant. That is gaming, especially MapleStory. It is a part of my daily rhythm and something that brings joy and comfort without complicating my life.

I play a variety of games, but most of my time is devoted to MapleStory. It feels like my forever game. I first started playing when it launched back in 2005, and quickly became hooked. I was still a student then, and it affected my studies. To regain balance, I had to quit cold turkey for a while. Even after that, I returned to the game on and off, juggling my love for it with academic responsibilities.

Everything changed in 2016 with the release of MapleStory M. Since then, it has been my main version of the game. Mobile gaming just fits my lifestyle better now, as it’s more accessible, more relaxed, and blends seamlessly with my daily routine.

I also play MapleStory Evolution, that was launched in 2023, MapleStory Idle, and MapleStory Worlds, both of which came out this year. I did try returning to the PC version, but it has become so complex. I can’t grasp that it looks so familiar yet there’s so much to learn and keep up. I also can’t sit at a desk for hours to manually play a game anymore. The convenience and automation of mobile versions suits me better now.

MapleStory Worlds has an old-school version that captured the charm of the early days. It brought back waves of nostalgia, but also reaffirmed that I can’t keep up with manual grinding anymore. I’ve moved on to a more relaxed way of playing.

Since embracing a simpler lifestyle, I’ve also become a homebody, and MapleStory M is part of my daily routine. I start my day with a short session, then set up the auto-battle function so my character can grind while I go about my day. In the evening, I rotate to another character, and at night, before bed, I check in on a third one to build up my account steadily.

In a world that often pushes for more, MapleStory has become a source of comfort, nostalgia, and quiet joy. It may have started as an addiction, but over the years, it’s grown into a companion that now fits right into my slower and simpler life.

No other game has held my attention for as long as MapleStory has. The original PC version and MapleStory M alone already span years of my life. That kind of consistency is rare for me when it comes to gaming. Most games come and go, but MapleStory always finds a way back into my life.

The fact that I’ve not only stuck with two versions of the game for so long, but also tried almost every spin-off, really says something. I even gave the PC version another shot, because there’s a part of me that always feels connected to it.

I think there’s something about the world of MapleStory, that makes it feel like home. It’s familiar and comforting. Even when I step away, I find myself returning. That’s why I know MapleStory is truly my forever game.

Letting Go of Perfect Through Simplicity

I used to be a perfectionist, but that led me to become half-hearted in everything I did. An example is my skincare routine, which I have been trying to cultivate a habit for the longest time.

Since beginning a simpler life, I have realised why it was so difficult to cultivate the habit, because my perfectionist mindset saw it as all or nothing. It’s either I complete the full routine or don’t do it at all. There will definitely be days when we feel off, tired, or just unmotivated. On those days, doing part of the routine would have been enough, but that wasn’t my thinking then.

Another example is my planner. I’ve tried everything, from bullet journaling to pre-made layouts and digital planners. No matter the system, I always felt pressure to keep up with it. My perfectionist mindset couldn’t make any mistakes. Drawing wrongly or crossing something out felt like ruining the entire page. As for digital planners, I was too obsessed about the alignment. Every line had to be evenly spaced and every font perfectly uniform in size. There was no flexibility, just the need for everything to look perfect.

It wasn’t until I embraced a simpler lifestyle that I changed my mindset about perfectionism. Simplicity isn’t just about having less things, it’s also a mindset. So here’s how simplicity helped me let go of perfectionism.

Focusing On My Values

In my previous post on, 5 Ways to Embrace Simplicity, one of the ways is to Live In Alignment With Your Values. For me, my values are happiness and health, but chasing perfection came with the expense of sacrificing my happiness and health.

Happiness isn’t about grand achievements. It’s about feeling content, peaceful, and aligned with how I want to live. Health isn’t just physical, it’s also emotional and mental. It’s about reducing stress, and treating myself with kindness. When I center my life around these values, I also release the pressure to be perfect.

Adopting the Just Do Mindset

There is a saying, “a small step can go a long way“. Doing something small gets you farther than waiting for the perfect moment to do it all. Even if I can only do something partially, it will benefit in the long run. Progress doesn’t need to be perfect to be meaningful.

Lower Expectations

Simplicity helps lower expectations by encouraging a shift in perspective. When I made the intentional choice to live more simply, I began to redefine what I expected from myself. Simplicity helped me let go the pressure to do everything flawlessly, and I started embracing imperfection. I don’t waste unnecessary energy on obsessing over the smallest details or trying to polish every task to perfection.

Using Affirmations and Mantras

I love affirmations and mantras. They act as calming reminders of what truly matters, and can be repeated during moments of stress, indecision, or self-doubt. It takes time to fully let go of the perfectionist mindset, so sometimes I still find myself obsessing over the smallest details. When that happens, a simple affirmation or mantra can bring me back to my new values and expectations.

Slow Down and Be Present

Another way, as mentioned in my previous post, on ways to embrace simplicity, is to slow down and be present. When I am doing things at a more relaxed pace, I become fully present with what I am doing, instead of being on autopilot.

That sense of awareness helps me catch myself when I start obsessing over the smallest details or trying to be perfect. In those moments, I can pause and remind myself of my new values and expectations, through affirmations or mantras.

Simplicity pulled me away from perfectionism. It reminded me that life isn’t a performance, but a journey. The more I let go of the need to control or perfect every detail, the more peace and happiness I find. I don’t have to do it all and I don’t have to do it perfectly.

Why Budgeting is Important as a Freelancer Living a Simple Life

I’ve been a freelancer for a few years and have always worked mainly to cover my monthly expenses. I had other ambitions, to grow my income, travel more, and be a digital nomad, but recently chose to let go in favour of a simpler life.

I’ll admit that I still want to grow my income, but not as ambitious as before. I believe you don’t need a six-figure, or even a five-figure business, to live a meaningful and peaceful life. What matters most is how you manage what you have and not how much you make.

My overall income is modest, with a small portion coming from a passive source. Most weeks, I go out to work two or three days. Now that I’ve started this blog, I’ll be spending the rest of my week trying to build it. So if you’re also a freelancer living on a low income, but committed to a simpler lifestyle, budgeting is not just helpful, it is empowering. It gives you clarity, control, and the confidence to live well within your means.

Budgeting Keeps You In Control

Income from freelancing is unstable and unpredictable. Some months are steady, but other months can be slow. My income varies from month to month, depending on how many days I end up working. When your income is already limited, this variability can feel even more stressful.

Having a budget gives you a sense of control, as it keeps you in the know about:

  • How much money you have
  • What your essential expenses are
  • How much you need to cover the basics
  • Where every dollar is going
  • How much you are saving
  • Whether you might be over-exceeding your resources

In other words, you have control of what you can and can’t afford. It becomes easier to navigate ups and downs without panic. You’re not just reacting to your finances, but managing them with clarity.

Make Confident Decisions

Should you take a break this week, or do you need to pick up more work? Can you treat yourself to a nice meal out, or is it time to cut back on little extras like bubble tea and coffee shop lattes? 

When you have a budget and full knowledge of your money, you can answer those questions with confidence. You know what’s possible and what isn’t. You don’t have to guess and that takes a huge mental load off your shoulders.

Keeps You from Falling into the Debt Trap

A budget can help you decide whether you should buy something. Without a plan, those decisions can be driven by impulse and spiral into a long-term stress. A budget helps create a pause, giving you a moment to question whether you can really afford this. With that awareness, you’re far less likely to rely on credit cards or buy-now-pay-later options.

Even with a low income and knowing that you can’t afford, it doesn’t always stop the temptation. Without a budget, it’s easier to justify purchases with thoughts to make up for it later. Those habits can quietly lead to debt, and over time, that debt can snowball into long-term financial stress.

Helps With Emergency and Retirement

This is the reason why I still want to grow my income, because I need to consider long term. We don’t know how long we’ll live or what will happen. What if we live a long life but reach a point where we can’t work anymore, whether due to age, illness, or other circumstances beyond our control?

Having a budget allows us to pre-allocate part of our income for future needs. Even on a modest income, setting aside small amounts regularly for emergencies and retirement builds a sense of security. We may not know what the future holds, but we should do what we can today to care for our future self.

Improves Overall Well-being

Having full control and clarity over your finances also positively impacts your mental and emotional health. You no longer need to second-guess your spending decisions or feel anxious every time money leaves you. Instead, you can make purchases with confidence, knowing that everything has been planned for.

This sense of financial stability reduces stress, increases peace of mind, and allows you to enjoy life more fully, without the constant background worry about whether you can afford something.

Even without a high income, you can still live well, with awareness, intention, and a plan. That’s where budgeting comes in.

As a low-income freelancer living a simple life, budgeting becomes my anchor. It helps me stretch my income, stay aligned with my values, and move forward with calm and confidence.