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Summary: Too simple
Review: Great but common sense ideas to simplify your life. Without any doubt. Are they all needed though?The first time you read it, you will start asking yourself if you can actually implement all these changes to your daily life. You will even think that they are extreme. I won't disagree. Simplifying life is a long term process that will require preparation, determination and decluttering. However, this process should allow you to still remain in "the real world". Being able to lead a simplified life and be a part of the world is a real success. By Thei Zervaki...
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Summary: Who would have thought that this would be a best-seller?
Review: I can't argue with anything in this book. It's simple and practical and adaptable to almost any person. There's nothing special about the advice or the writing. What makes this book special is that it was the first book written in this size and format. I know for a fact that the whole "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" series was patterned after this book. But I personally reread this book every year just to make sure that I'm not complicating my life. I now impliment #20 Drive a simple car, #29 Drop call-waiting, #34 Stop sending Christmas cards, #43 Get rid of all but one credit card, #58 Always split a restaurant meal, and #60 Make water my drink of choice. A word to the wise: a few new daily disciplines can change your life. You can't go wrong with this book.
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Summary: Simply Swell for Suburban Soccer Moms
Review: My very favorite piece of advice in this book is "Give up the boat," which pretty much says it all. For grown-ups who are interested in reading actual books as opposed to shallow one-liners, just about anything else is better. Start with the excellent The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs, the equally excellent The Healthy Living Space by Richard Leviton, and the oldie but goodie Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin. Sweeping Changes deals more specifically with your home environment, and books by Andrew Weil offer health and wellness advice and information that incorporate these values. The magazine Real Simple tends toward Martha Stewart slick, but it often contains good advice, and always contains amazing (and simple) recipes. Definitely worth the subscription price. I'm sure there are many others of substance I'm forgetting or haven't yet discovered, but there are books out there worth looking for.
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Summary: simplistic simplification
Review: The book reads like a collection of household tips, e.g., "Hints from Heloise". Truly simplifying your life takes a lot more thought and effort than the tips in this book would imply. We live in a society that strongly encourages us to consume and/or strive for status. Real life simplification for many people, myself included, has meant painfully recognizing and kicking away many ego crutches, summoning up the discipline to let go of a lot in order to focus on what really matters. To her credit, the author has a significantly deeper take on this whole process in her later book, "Living the Simple Life". That is recommended as a complete replacement for "Simplify Your Life"; don't waste your time on it unless your intent is just to free up a few hours in an otherwise unchanged lifestyle. Also consider "Voluntary Simplicity" by Duane Elgin. It offers a sociologist's perspective, which is a bit dry but includes opinions of dozens of people he encountered in his research on the nationwide movement toward a less materialistic, more relationship-oriented style of living.
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Summary: This book is a gem!
Review: There's a few recent naysayers who reviewed this book and were very negative, but remember, a lot of people are very defensive about any suggestions that go against the grain of how they've lived their entire lives. Also, a lot of people are consumed with keeping up with the Jones'. This book is not about being a hermit, being cheap, or giving away all your possessions. It's about keeping those things that contribute positively to your life and discarding the rest. Getting to the essence of things if you will. Most people wear 20% or less of their wardrobe. Why not then give the other 80% to friends and charities and enjoy a clutter free closet where you can easily find what you are looking for? If you find yourself stressed out going to 10 holiday parties, then try going to only 2 and see how you feel. I came across this book in 1994, and have gradually employed a lot of the ideas. I've found a few things that I tried that weren't for me, but overall it's been a huge positive in my life. It's great not being choked with possessions and clutter. It's freed up so much time to do volunteer work, exercise more, enjoy the outdoors more, and just to drink my coffee slow in the morning. This book is fantastic for those who wish their lives to focus on doing and contributing and experiencing, rather than buying, consuming, storing, moving, weeding-through, tripping-over, collecting, and trying to impress.
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Summary: Simplify Your Life
Review: This book changed my life (and still changing it). This is one of the best books I red and thank you Elaine for helping me find myself.
Rating:
Summary: Simple & Helpful
Review: This book is a no nonsense how to guide to make your life easier. The suggestions she offers are nothing outrageous. Her first tip is to clean out all closets and drawers in your home. If you haven't used the item for over a year, get rid of it. Just from cleaning out my clothes closet and a few cupboards in the kitchen, I already feel better. This is a great book that I highly recommend to anyone.
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Summary: there's something for everyone in this book
Review: This book is essentially a brainstorming session - it briefly describes 100 options for simplifying (and from my perspective, organizing) your life. This is a collection of ideas, not a bible. Each reader will have to determine which of the 100 suggestions make sense in her life. Many of the suggestions I took to heart. There's advice on getting rid of clutter, streamlining errands (including grocery shopping), consolidating finances. I developed a standing (daily / weekly / monthly / bi-monthly) to do-list and a standing check-off-what-you-need grocery list in large part based on her suggestions; both are helpful. Others ideas, primarily those in the "special issues for women" section (which is at the end of the book, and seemed like a desperate attempt to figure out how to get to 100), I wouldn't even consider. Throw out the nail polish? No way; I get great pleasure from looking at my bright pink toes from time to time. Skip the high heels & wear shoes of a consistent low heel height? Pack your lunch every day and stop eating out? Grow your own vegetables? (Don't worry -- since you've streamlined your grocery shopping and can pull resources from your own vegetable garden, it will be a snap.) Get rid of your telephone (not just your cell phone or car phone, mind you, but your basic garden-variety local service?) Get rid of your car? (I'm thinking overpriced taxis, long delays on public transportation, trying to track down a friend willing to play chauffeur.) These things are supposed to simplify my life? Moreover, many of Solden's suggestions involve cutting yourself off from people - bow out of holidays, stop sending holiday cards, say no to invitations; stop going out to dinner with friends, stop being a member of organizations if you don't enjoy the meetings. I think that these suggestions might be dangerous for a single adult -- you could really cut yourself off from the world if you followed them. (Not to mention, who would you share all those home-grown zucchini with? Who could you count on for chauffeur assistance?) Overall, this book is definitely worth reading. I think that the handful of ideas I'll actually implement make the book worthwhile, thus I gave it four stars. However, don't try to incorporate all the ideas -- unless they make sense for you.
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Summary: Excellent kick start!
Review: This book offers very easy ways to make life less complicated. Some of the suggestions are so obvious I can't believe they never occurred to me, such as simplifying my wardrobe (from here on in, all of my clothes are washable and none require ironing!) and living near work and getting rid of clutter (I also highly recommend "Clutter Control" by Jeff Campbell for this) and grocery shopping more efficiently. There are some suggestions I thought were not so helpful. For example, she suggests getting rid of houseplants (personally I don't find them too messy, but she does) and boats (I have never had a boat, I don't even have friends with boats to get rid of) and living off half your income (not possible for many people, although "Your Money or Your Life" really helps in figuring out what is worth spending money on and what isn't). Overall, though, I really recommend her book. I still flip through it every now and then to reassure myself that I'm on track.
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Summary: www.ThinChoices.com
Review: This book will forever be on my nightstand. Elaine has made living a simplified life easy. When I started getting rid of the things that were cluttering my life, I also got rid of a lot of stress. I no longer make impulse purchases just because something is on sale. Since we have simplified our activities, we have more quality family time, including family meals together everynight. Thanks for this life-changing book Elaine!
Jill Fleming, MS, RD
Author of "Thin People Don't Clean Their Plates: Simple Lifestyle Choices for Permanent Weight Loss".
www.ThinChoices.com
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