I quit my 9-to-5 to lead a slow, minimalist life as a YouTuber. I'm happier, calmer, and more fulfilled.

• As a nighttime owl, Sophie Daquis felt exhausted by moving a rigid 9-to-5 schedule.
• She started cutting down connected societal obligations and carving retired much clip for hobbies.
• Daquis saved up capable to modulation to part-time while starting a YouTube channel.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Sophie Daquis, a 33-year-old YouTuber. The pursuing has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Growing up, I internalized nan thought that nan busier you are and nan faster you get things done, nan better. But aft 5 years of moving this way, I realized it would ne'er fulfill me.

I made gradual changes until I was capable to unrecorded a slower, much intentional life arsenic a YouTuber.

Now I make videos astir starring a slow, minimalist life. As a YouTuber I person overmuch much elasticity astir erstwhile I activity and tin equilibrium work, self-care, hobbies, and my societal life. I americium truthful overmuch happier, but it took a while to get here.

I'm American-Korean, and some cultures deterioration productivity arsenic a badge of honor. I went to assemblage successful San Diego, and erstwhile I graduated successful 2013, I had 3 part-time jobs. I worked arsenic a waitress, did freelance activity astatine nan phone institution Nokia, and taught English to overseas students.

I conscionable felt for illustration I should beryllium moving arsenic overmuch arsenic I could. It was a wholly different mindset, and reasoning back, possibly I wanted to distract myself from sitting pinch myself.

Almost each hours of my time were taken up by moving truthful I didn't person overmuch clip to myself. This meant I would enactment up really precocious to almost try to get immoderate of nan clip backmost and consciousness exhausted nan pursuing morning.

I moved to Maui successful Hawaii successful 2016 to unrecorded pinch my now-husband, who grew up connected nan island.

I felt unit from my parents to get a 9-to-5 job, and sewage hired successful Maui arsenic a family services head astatine Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit that helps low-income families find affordable housing.

I enjoyed nan work, and I loved my colleagues, but not nan schedule.

I'm a nighttime owl who loves to commencement my time astatine 2:30 p.m. and activity done nan night. When I worked 9 to 5, it felt for illustration I was forcing myself into that mold.

I tried to make it work, but I ne'er really felt fulfilled, and I couldn't pinpoint why.

Change started pinch mini habits

I started reasoning to myself, "Where does this stop?" aliases " How tin I hole this?" because I was conscionable ever exhausted.

Maui slowed maine down. There's a slower gait of life connected nan island. People's mindsets and values location are truthful different from what I was utilized to, and it made maine really reevaluate everything I'd been told astir productivity.

My travel into slower surviving started pinch mini habits for illustration taking a locomotion connected my luncheon break, looking astatine my telephone less, enjoying my cup of java without immoderate distractions, and journaling successful nan morning. At first, that was what slow surviving was for me—rearranging my days and my life to physically slow down. Just those small changes made a world of a difference, and I was like, OK, "What other tin I do?"

During COVID, I decided I was fresh to embark connected thing different career-wise. I had been readying to modulation from full-time to part-time activity for rather immoderate time, truthful I made judge to prevention up successful beforehand to springiness myself immoderate cushion.

My hubby and I had besides conscionable bought a location and were capable to supplement our income by renting retired a information of it

My leader allowed maine to activity remotely and move to portion clip and I started experimenting pinch YouTube. Initially, I was conscionable trying retired different formats, for illustration footage of Hawaii aliases home-renovation videos. When I started documenting my slow-living journey, it resonated and that's what my transmission became.

The first video that really gained traction pinch my assemblage was "My Calm Evening Routine," wherever I shared really I unwind aft a emblematic time successful my life.

My extremity became to create a room of contented connected slow-living and minimalism. I started doing YouTube much and my 9-to-5 little until I was capable to go a full-time YouTuber. I americium truthful blessed to person YouTube because it really allows maine to activity erstwhile I want to work.

In August, my hubby and I moved to Lisbon, Portugal. We lived successful Portugal for 8 months a fewer years ago, and weren't capable to extremity reasoning astir it. Even though we are now surviving successful nan city, I scheme to ever unrecorded a slow surviving lifestyle.

I prioritized uncovering clip for nan things I enjoy

Once I had much elasticity successful my activity life, I became really intentional astir what I wanted to prioritize and really I wanted to walk my time. I did a batch of journaling and reflected connected what's important successful my life and really I tin prioritize those things. I stopped forcing myself to be each activity function. I avoided overloading my weekends and focused connected conscionable 1 aliases 2 important activities.

Over time, slow surviving has transitioned into a full mindset for me. It's for illustration a lens done which I look astatine nan world now.

I've moved distant from nan request to hustle. I grant really I consciousness more, I don't consciousness nan request to rush. I judge that things will hap connected their ain timeline. I do activity difficult erstwhile I request to, but I besides prioritize balance, truthful I'll past springiness myself clip to regenerate and rest.

I've ever enjoyed nan elemental moments successful life, but slowing down has allowed maine to bask them much afloat and without nan nagging emotion that I should beryllium doing more.