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Simpler Living: Over 1,500 Ways to Simplify, Streamline, and Remake Your Life
Life moves too quickly these days, as technology, work, and personal commitments make it almost impossible to relax and enjoy life. Finding yourself stressed over the clutter in your kitchen or the mass of paper in front of your computer? Relax. This book will help. Filled with tips on how to uncomplicate your daily routine, eliminate stress at home and work, and more, this book will help you free up your time so you can once again enjoy doing the things you love. Author Jeff Davidson has compiled more than 1,500 ways that you can simplify your life.
Divided into sections for easy reference, this book will show you ways you can eliminate stress in your home, your personal life, and in your professional life. You will learn the six questions you should ask yourself before buying something new, the most efficient way to clean your pots and pans, the pay-ahead technique to get yourself out of debt, ways to make your commute more comfortable, and advice on hassle-free vacation planning for you and your family. This book is the guide you’ve been looking for to lead the peaceful, productive life you’ve always wanted.
Divided into sections for easy reference, this book will show you ways you can eliminate stress in your home, your personal life, and in your professional life. You will learn the six questions you should ask yourself before buying something new, the most efficient way to clean your pots and pans, the pay-ahead technique to get yourself out of debt, ways to make your commute more comfortable, and advice on hassle-free vacation planning for you and your family. This book is the guide you’ve been looking for to lead the peaceful, productive life you’ve always wanted.
456 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
18 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 8, 2019
This is not your average book on the market offering encouragement and a few pages of checklists. Author Jeff Davidson has compiled a comprehensive inventory of ideas how to regain control over different areas of our lives.
The author advises against reading this book cover to cover. Rather, he suggests readers choose chapters that are the most relevant to them. To help accomplish this, the book is laid out in five sections, 24 chapters, making it easy to target your personal clutter demons. Unlike many books, Mr. Davidson does not advocate radically changing our homes to accommodate all the extras we have decided to accumulate. Most of his ideas cost little or nothing. He encourages us to make sensible choices about what to keep while allowing room for those things that have no real value yet are still sentimental items.
The author also talks about eliminating clutter by choosing not to make impulse purchases. He provides six easy questions to determine whether this purchase is necessary rather than buying more clutter to fill our homes. When you think about it, it really doesn’t make sense to pare the unnecessary things from our lives if we are going to fill those spaces with more things.
To help make everything a little bit easier, there are tons of color pictures throughout the book. Some contain a little humor, most are there to make a point about what the author is saying in nearby passages. These helped to break up the text and put visible solutions right in front of us.
This is not a magical tome, enabling you to eliminate everything you really don’t need in a matter of days. It is a gigantic listing of ideas to help you regain control and how to maintain control as you move through your life. Highly recommended to everyone. Five stars.
The author advises against reading this book cover to cover. Rather, he suggests readers choose chapters that are the most relevant to them. To help accomplish this, the book is laid out in five sections, 24 chapters, making it easy to target your personal clutter demons. Unlike many books, Mr. Davidson does not advocate radically changing our homes to accommodate all the extras we have decided to accumulate. Most of his ideas cost little or nothing. He encourages us to make sensible choices about what to keep while allowing room for those things that have no real value yet are still sentimental items.
The author also talks about eliminating clutter by choosing not to make impulse purchases. He provides six easy questions to determine whether this purchase is necessary rather than buying more clutter to fill our homes. When you think about it, it really doesn’t make sense to pare the unnecessary things from our lives if we are going to fill those spaces with more things.
To help make everything a little bit easier, there are tons of color pictures throughout the book. Some contain a little humor, most are there to make a point about what the author is saying in nearby passages. These helped to break up the text and put visible solutions right in front of us.
This is not a magical tome, enabling you to eliminate everything you really don’t need in a matter of days. It is a gigantic listing of ideas to help you regain control and how to maintain control as you move through your life. Highly recommended to everyone. Five stars.
February 24, 2011
I just read a curious review. There is a reviewer who requests a book and
then says one of her first tests as it arrives in the mailbox is, "Just how
eager am I to read it?" The book, which is featured on Amazon and all other
book vending sites in the world, is listed as:
a) containing 456 pages,
b) 8.8 x 11.1 x 1.1 inches in landscape format,
c) weighing three pounds,
d) having this subtitle: "A Back-to-Basics Guide to Cleaning,
Furnishing, Storing, De-Cluttering, Streamlining, Organizing, and More."
This reviewer, however,
a) is surprised at the book's size, hard cover, and glossy pages
filled with 950 photos
b) laments that the book won't fit into her purse,
c) concludes that "a book of this kind of heft and size isn't going
to be simple to carry with me for the kind of reading I have to do on my
schedule",
d) complains that the author used 950 stock photos as opposed to
paying a photographer a fortune over the course of a year to take unique,
individualized pictures,
e) has decided that this coffee table book doesn't belong on her
coffee table, which is reserved for books and magazines on art, travel, and
poetry. She asserts that this book would clutter her coffee table, "just the
thing that this book is trying to tell us to avoid."
"It Won't Fit in My Purse"
The reviewer laments that she was "forced to tote it along in my
briefcase so that I could do some lunch hour reading." She points out that
the author told her up front it's not the kind of book one reads cover to
cover, but then couldn't figure out how exactly she would use this book: "As
I started to skim through, reading a page here and a page there, I had to
consider just how I would use such a book? And is it formatted for that kind
of best use?"
She says that her plan is to retire to a one- or two-room cabin, so
extra stuff will definitely have to go, and concludes that "this book would
have to go... Not only because it is so large and so heavy, but because it
attempts to cover too much – some 1800 hints on how to simplify one's life."
She then decides that "perhaps the author should have considered his own
advice and simplified in order to be more relevant, timely, and accessible,"
and concludes, "the book is a clutter of far too much information. Less
really is more. In this day and age of easy access to the internet, I'm not
sure I see the purpose of this book at all."
"It's All About Me"
Here we have the reviewer who is unable to surmise that
anyone else in this world (you know, the kind of people married to each
other with two or three children and perhaps a house of more than four
rooms) could possibly benefit from this book.
"The idea of Simpler Living seems to be that when I am contemplating
what to do about this and that... I would go looking for this book for
advice?" For this reviewer, the profound answer is, "Um, no." When her car
has stalled, she'll go to a mechanic, not a book. When she's redecorating,
she'll employ her local handy person. When she's considering her finances,
she'll set up an appointment with a financial advisor.
When looking for specific advice in a highly timely manner, hardly
anyone will go grab a book. They will go to the Internet. So, let’s chuck
all multi-topic self-help or reference books! that Simpler Living is as a reference book, not a page-turning novel:
the same could be said of any reference book, self-help book, or how-to book ever
written.
"At First Blush"
The reviewer goes on to say that "Among the 1800 tips offered, a few
nuggets of wisdom are useful, but they're too hard to find. In fact, at
first blush, I can't recall any." She adds, for emphasis, "Most everything
in the book is very general and painfully obvious." She also comes to the
conclusion that there is some "questionable and odd advice", and goes on to
nitpick ad nauseum.
She observes, "Here's another painfully obvious example of questionable
advice: 'When you send a fax, remember to indicate who it is for and who is
sending it. Keep a supply of transmittal forms near your fax machine.'
She says that she "had to blink at this one, because most of us in
2011 no longer use fax machines, but if we do, we surely know this basic
information about sending a fax." Really? More than 19,500,000 solo
entrepreneurs operating out of their homes, half of whom own fax machines,
receive faxes at least once a week that do not clearly identify the sender
or how to get in touch with the sender. Our reviewer has no inkling of this,
and aptly demonstrates it.
The reviewer concludes that because of her vast knowledge in the
game of life, and because so much of this book, ADVERTISED AS A BACK TO
BASIC GUIDE, is general and because the 1800 tips "are painfully obvious,"
there's no reason for its existence. It just adds to the "dumbing down of
America." The narcissistic reviewer ends with the admonition to readers,
"keep your money, pass on buying this one."
We must admire the reviewer's individuality. After all, these are
her opinions, even if they are at odds with 60+ others who have given the
book a favorable review. The four different acquisition editors at the four
book clubs that selected Simpler Living also must not know too much about
what people need these days. The foreign publishers around the world such as
those in China, Finland, and Indonesia, who have seen fit to translate the
material in this book, probably have no idea what the citizens of their
respective countries need, either.
Never mind that the advice contained within has been serialized in
magazines and newspapers across America and around the world. Never mind
that it was featured by Rodale as a monthly column, and Boom Magazine in the
Triangle area in North Carolina currently features excerpts as a monthly
column. Never mind that the career track division of Skill Path produced a
four-CD audio book on the material.
Thus, let's give this reviewer five stars for originality, cynicism,
and a parallax view that only a person living alone in a one-room cabin in
Montana could hope to offer.
This reviewer, stating forthrightly that the material in this book
is not for her, and by twisted logic, therefore not for anybody, tells us
all to save our money. The only books that should ever be published are those that
have direct, complete applicability to you!
Look I don't mind her review but I found the book and author to be very intriguing.
Simply, I like a book like this. Not everything in it applies to me but enough does and it's darn
useful.
then says one of her first tests as it arrives in the mailbox is, "Just how
eager am I to read it?" The book, which is featured on Amazon and all other
book vending sites in the world, is listed as:
a) containing 456 pages,
b) 8.8 x 11.1 x 1.1 inches in landscape format,
c) weighing three pounds,
d) having this subtitle: "A Back-to-Basics Guide to Cleaning,
Furnishing, Storing, De-Cluttering, Streamlining, Organizing, and More."
This reviewer, however,
a) is surprised at the book's size, hard cover, and glossy pages
filled with 950 photos
b) laments that the book won't fit into her purse,
c) concludes that "a book of this kind of heft and size isn't going
to be simple to carry with me for the kind of reading I have to do on my
schedule",
d) complains that the author used 950 stock photos as opposed to
paying a photographer a fortune over the course of a year to take unique,
individualized pictures,
e) has decided that this coffee table book doesn't belong on her
coffee table, which is reserved for books and magazines on art, travel, and
poetry. She asserts that this book would clutter her coffee table, "just the
thing that this book is trying to tell us to avoid."
"It Won't Fit in My Purse"
The reviewer laments that she was "forced to tote it along in my
briefcase so that I could do some lunch hour reading." She points out that
the author told her up front it's not the kind of book one reads cover to
cover, but then couldn't figure out how exactly she would use this book: "As
I started to skim through, reading a page here and a page there, I had to
consider just how I would use such a book? And is it formatted for that kind
of best use?"
She says that her plan is to retire to a one- or two-room cabin, so
extra stuff will definitely have to go, and concludes that "this book would
have to go... Not only because it is so large and so heavy, but because it
attempts to cover too much – some 1800 hints on how to simplify one's life."
She then decides that "perhaps the author should have considered his own
advice and simplified in order to be more relevant, timely, and accessible,"
and concludes, "the book is a clutter of far too much information. Less
really is more. In this day and age of easy access to the internet, I'm not
sure I see the purpose of this book at all."
"It's All About Me"
Here we have the reviewer who is unable to surmise that
anyone else in this world (you know, the kind of people married to each
other with two or three children and perhaps a house of more than four
rooms) could possibly benefit from this book.
"The idea of Simpler Living seems to be that when I am contemplating
what to do about this and that... I would go looking for this book for
advice?" For this reviewer, the profound answer is, "Um, no." When her car
has stalled, she'll go to a mechanic, not a book. When she's redecorating,
she'll employ her local handy person. When she's considering her finances,
she'll set up an appointment with a financial advisor.
When looking for specific advice in a highly timely manner, hardly
anyone will go grab a book. They will go to the Internet. So, let’s chuck
all multi-topic self-help or reference books! that Simpler Living is as a reference book, not a page-turning novel:
the same could be said of any reference book, self-help book, or how-to book ever
written.
"At First Blush"
The reviewer goes on to say that "Among the 1800 tips offered, a few
nuggets of wisdom are useful, but they're too hard to find. In fact, at
first blush, I can't recall any." She adds, for emphasis, "Most everything
in the book is very general and painfully obvious." She also comes to the
conclusion that there is some "questionable and odd advice", and goes on to
nitpick ad nauseum.
She observes, "Here's another painfully obvious example of questionable
advice: 'When you send a fax, remember to indicate who it is for and who is
sending it. Keep a supply of transmittal forms near your fax machine.'
She says that she "had to blink at this one, because most of us in
2011 no longer use fax machines, but if we do, we surely know this basic
information about sending a fax." Really? More than 19,500,000 solo
entrepreneurs operating out of their homes, half of whom own fax machines,
receive faxes at least once a week that do not clearly identify the sender
or how to get in touch with the sender. Our reviewer has no inkling of this,
and aptly demonstrates it.
The reviewer concludes that because of her vast knowledge in the
game of life, and because so much of this book, ADVERTISED AS A BACK TO
BASIC GUIDE, is general and because the 1800 tips "are painfully obvious,"
there's no reason for its existence. It just adds to the "dumbing down of
America." The narcissistic reviewer ends with the admonition to readers,
"keep your money, pass on buying this one."
We must admire the reviewer's individuality. After all, these are
her opinions, even if they are at odds with 60+ others who have given the
book a favorable review. The four different acquisition editors at the four
book clubs that selected Simpler Living also must not know too much about
what people need these days. The foreign publishers around the world such as
those in China, Finland, and Indonesia, who have seen fit to translate the
material in this book, probably have no idea what the citizens of their
respective countries need, either.
Never mind that the advice contained within has been serialized in
magazines and newspapers across America and around the world. Never mind
that it was featured by Rodale as a monthly column, and Boom Magazine in the
Triangle area in North Carolina currently features excerpts as a monthly
column. Never mind that the career track division of Skill Path produced a
four-CD audio book on the material.
Thus, let's give this reviewer five stars for originality, cynicism,
and a parallax view that only a person living alone in a one-room cabin in
Montana could hope to offer.
This reviewer, stating forthrightly that the material in this book
is not for her, and by twisted logic, therefore not for anybody, tells us
all to save our money. The only books that should ever be published are those that
have direct, complete applicability to you!
Look I don't mind her review but I found the book and author to be very intriguing.
Simply, I like a book like this. Not everything in it applies to me but enough does and it's darn
useful.
January 26, 2011
Whether you are just starting out in your career or with your family, or are a veteran of the working world and an empty nester, and whether you live in a small house or apartment or a mansion on the hill, you will find untold numbers of ideas for uncomplicating all aspects of your life. Simpler Living, at over 450 pages, with probably 1000 photographs or more, is a remarkable text that you can turn to again and again.
Whether you're flipping through it for fun, or on a specific mission, you'll find a variety of tips and suggestions that can improve your personal organizational skills or the appearance of a room, or simply your mental outlook. The tips vary from the very basic to rather involved, with an eye on keeping your expenses down. Most recommendations can be implemented for no or very low cost, and I appreciate that.
Whether you're flipping through it for fun, or on a specific mission, you'll find a variety of tips and suggestions that can improve your personal organizational skills or the appearance of a room, or simply your mental outlook. The tips vary from the very basic to rather involved, with an eye on keeping your expenses down. Most recommendations can be implemented for no or very low cost, and I appreciate that.
March 9, 2011
I don’t know what all the squabble is about, this book is well worth reading. I didn’t expect to get so many down-to-earth, practical tips that I can actually use and that won’t break the bank, but Simpler Living definitely offers this. It’s a great book to flip through whenever a certain area of your life or house is feeling cluttered, and I leave it out on my coffee table, so my guests have really enjoyed looking through it, too. I’d highly recommend this to anyone, the tips are surprisingly easy to implement and extremely helpful.
January 25, 2011
Simpler living is designed to help you uncomplicate various aspects of your life and does so marvelously. Although no book can compete with the instant display of answers that the internet provides, simpler living is sufficiently large, far-reaching and thought-provoking to serve as an able source of new ideas and fresh perspectives, while also covering the basics. Overall this is a monumental work and graces the coffee tables of homes large and small.
August 31, 2010
Simpler Living is a coffee table book filled with tips on how to make life a bit less hectic. As one would expect, the book contains hints about how to declutter. However, the author’s focus isn’t living in a bare house with absolutely no personality. Instead, the entries focus on functionality and being organized. This perspective is probably far more realistic for people with children.
The book includes a little bit of everything. There is a wide variety of advice from ways to make small spaces look larger and choosing furniture for functionality and easy clean up to safety issues and how to teach kids to clean up (good luck on that one). There are also some low cost cleaning products and methods. Accompanying each set of tips are pictures, for inspiration and motivation.
As a coffee table book, Simpler Living is meant for readers to flip through a page or two at their leisure. While there is some organization to the book, for the most part the tips are pretty random. Taken in small doses over time, this is fine but I don’t suggest reading the book from cover to cover as it all becomes rather overwhelming.
The book includes a little bit of everything. There is a wide variety of advice from ways to make small spaces look larger and choosing furniture for functionality and easy clean up to safety issues and how to teach kids to clean up (good luck on that one). There are also some low cost cleaning products and methods. Accompanying each set of tips are pictures, for inspiration and motivation.
As a coffee table book, Simpler Living is meant for readers to flip through a page or two at their leisure. While there is some organization to the book, for the most part the tips are pretty random. Taken in small doses over time, this is fine but I don’t suggest reading the book from cover to cover as it all becomes rather overwhelming.
October 20, 2010
Fun to read coffee-table book that makes it easy to start where you're weakest and move forward from there.
May 22, 2012
Highly recommend this book for anyone, but especially homeowners/renters, families, and working professionals.. so basically the majority of folks out there. I didn't read through the book all in one sitting (or even a few sittings) because it's got so many sections on various aspects of organizing/simplifying/etc., but I've been reading it over the course of a few months as I come across different parts of my home that need organizing or revamping or just a little tidying up. I was worried that a lot of the tips would mean I need to go spend a lot of money on fancy gadgets and gizmos for organizing, but it turns out a lot of them are quick, easy fixes that don't require buying much (if anything), in fact, a lot of them use techniques or tools or things you would have around the house anyway, so it's very useful and practical. If you want simple, down-to-earth, inexpensive ways to clean up and spruce up your home or living space, or even your office and car, you can find them in this book. Don't expect to just sit down and read it all at once like a novel, just expect that whenever you need help with a specific area of your home/life, you can easily flip to that section and get some great tiips. Props to Davidson for an excellent useful read!
October 25, 2011
Yes, this book is a little hefty, but really, the book's title says it all: Over 1,500 ways... you shouldn't been surprised that this is not pamphlet sized. It's also not intended to be read cover to cover in one sitting, rather I viewed it as a reference tool, kind of like a dictionary of ways to simplify my life. I have referred to it whenever I needed a hint on how to proceed with simplifying.
A few reviewers have commented that they didn't see anything particularly new in this book as far as tips went, and to that I must ask: What were you looking for him to say exactly? Move to Peru and become a llama farmer? This book is a huge collection of helpful tips, all in one place, a reference for you to keep. It's meant to be the end all, be all guide, so that you don't have to keep looking for yet more books similar, because what those books have got to say are already right here. And sometimes what is most obvious is often overlooked, so don't be quick to throw this one out before you've had to chance to really take a look at it, and your life.
A few reviewers have commented that they didn't see anything particularly new in this book as far as tips went, and to that I must ask: What were you looking for him to say exactly? Move to Peru and become a llama farmer? This book is a huge collection of helpful tips, all in one place, a reference for you to keep. It's meant to be the end all, be all guide, so that you don't have to keep looking for yet more books similar, because what those books have got to say are already right here. And sometimes what is most obvious is often overlooked, so don't be quick to throw this one out before you've had to chance to really take a look at it, and your life.
May 23, 2013
Simpler Living is a keeper for many reasons. First among them may be the quality of the manufacturing. This book is very pleasing to the eye in all respects. The photos and artwork on the cover beckon you to open the book. Once inside, you are not disappointed. With almost 500 pages and what appears to be one, two, or three photos per page, you can go on and on with this book and never get tired of it. Every time you come back, you will explore something new, witty, or insightful. Hats off to author Jeff Davidson for the time and the energy to put this together, it must have taken forever, but I’m guessing it was a labor of love.
December 23, 2010
One of my first tests of a book is when the review copy arrives in my mail box: just how eager am I to read it? When I received my copy of Simpler Living (for the full title, see above, as it is far too long and complicated to repeat!), I winced. Hoo boy, some real heft here, with 456 pages and heavy hard covers and glossy pages filled with stock photos.
The book appears to address those of us who have busy lives and are forever on the run, trying to find a way to organize and simplify. Well, a book of this kind of heft and size isn’t going to be simple to carry with me for the kind of reading I have to do on my schedule. As one of those too-busy people, I tend to grab a page when I can, on the run. I put a book in my purse or briefcase, I read a few pages before sleep and then put it on my nightstand, or I take it along on whatever errand I have to run, just in case I find a spare moment. This is impossible with a book this size. And so, it stayed on a desk in my spare bedroom. And it stayed. And it stayed. No, it doesn’t belong on my coffee table. That space is reserved for my favorites, art books and travel books, a book of poetry or a magazine. More than that and we begin to look at clutter—just the thing this book is trying to tell us to avoid.
Out of sight, out of mind, but eventually I picked the book up again—and yes, was forced to tote it along in my briefcase so that I could do some lunch hour reading. The author warns us up front that this is not the kind of book one reads cover to cover, which I had already figured out. But as I started to skim through, reading a page here and a page there, I had to consider just how would I use such a book? And is it formatted for that kind of best use? After all, I am all for simplifying. Indeed, I have been steadily doing so in all areas of my life. My plan is to eventually retire to a one- or two-room cabin, so extra stuff will definitely have to go and simplifying my life is actually one of my highest priorities these days.
This book would have to go. Not only because it is so large and so heavy, but because it attempts to cover far too much—some 1,500 hints on how to simplify one’s life. Perhaps the author should have considered his own advice and simplified in order to be more relevant, timely and accessible. The book is a clutter of far too much information. Less really is more. In this day and age of easy access to the Internet, I'm not sure I see the purpose of this book at all.
The idea of Simpler Living seems to be that when I am contemplating what to do about a cluttered closet, or a broken-down appliance, or out of control debt, or a lackluster relationship, or redecorating that spare bedroom, or entertaining a group of friends, or preparing to go grocery shopping, or … I would go looking for this book for advice?
Um, no.
If my car has stalled, I will go to my most trusted mechanic for advice. When I am redecorating, I will check my local handyperson stores and talk to a contractor or browse through some books and magazines specifically about home decor. When I am getting ready to throw a party, I will page through my best cookbook. When I am considering my financial options, I will set up an appointment with my financial advisor, who knows my resources and my goals for my future.
Photos (stock) unfortunately are at odds with content. For instance, we read advice about keeping one's nightstand no higher than one's bed for ease of access and view of clock (that's sensible), even while some pages later is a large photograph of a child's bed with the nightstand a good 10 inches higher than the bed.
Simpler Living certainly has some good, general advice within its many pages. Although geared for a middle-class to relatively wealthy family in its advice, it tosses out a few nuggets of wisdom some of us could use. Yet these nuggets are too hard to find. In fact, at first blush, I can’t recall any. Most everything in the book is very general and painfully obvious. Throw out what you don’t really need. Pay off the highest interest credit card first. Backup your files on your computer.
But you knew that already, didn’t you?
There is also some questionable and odd advice. For example, the author suggests attaching one’s bedside lamp to the wall rather than on one's nightstand, as that way there should be more room on the nightstand (for more stuff??). This, the author asserts, can eliminate the need to dust. Huh, wait a minute. Why would I not need to dust a lamp just because it is affixed to the wall instead of standing directly on my nightstand?
Another painfully obvious example: “When you send a fax, remember to indicate whom it is for and who is sending it. Keep a supply of transmittal forms near your fax machine.”
I had to just blink at that one. Most of us in 2010 no longer use fax machines, but if we do, surely we know this basic information about sending a fax. If we don’t, somehow I would guess this book won’t help. Has America really sunk to such dumbing down levels? Reminds me of the label I recently read on a jar of peanut butter: “Warning: contains peanuts.”
And then there is this: “Instead of spending your money on books … pick up the New York Times Book Review.” The advice goes on to state that once you’ve read the review of the book in this publication, you will no longer have to read the book at all in order to discuss it “intelligently” at the office water cooler.
See previous paragraph about the dumbing down of America.
And then keep your money for paying off debt and pass on buying this one.
Author Jeff Davidson is founder and director of BreathingSpace.com, an organization devoted to helping people live and work at a more comfortable pace. He is the author of 56 books, including 60-Second Organizer, 60-Second Self-Starter, and 60-Second Innovator, and the iPhone App "Making Life Simpler." He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
(Note: this Goodreads listing seems to have the wrong title matched to the right cover.)
The book appears to address those of us who have busy lives and are forever on the run, trying to find a way to organize and simplify. Well, a book of this kind of heft and size isn’t going to be simple to carry with me for the kind of reading I have to do on my schedule. As one of those too-busy people, I tend to grab a page when I can, on the run. I put a book in my purse or briefcase, I read a few pages before sleep and then put it on my nightstand, or I take it along on whatever errand I have to run, just in case I find a spare moment. This is impossible with a book this size. And so, it stayed on a desk in my spare bedroom. And it stayed. And it stayed. No, it doesn’t belong on my coffee table. That space is reserved for my favorites, art books and travel books, a book of poetry or a magazine. More than that and we begin to look at clutter—just the thing this book is trying to tell us to avoid.
Out of sight, out of mind, but eventually I picked the book up again—and yes, was forced to tote it along in my briefcase so that I could do some lunch hour reading. The author warns us up front that this is not the kind of book one reads cover to cover, which I had already figured out. But as I started to skim through, reading a page here and a page there, I had to consider just how would I use such a book? And is it formatted for that kind of best use? After all, I am all for simplifying. Indeed, I have been steadily doing so in all areas of my life. My plan is to eventually retire to a one- or two-room cabin, so extra stuff will definitely have to go and simplifying my life is actually one of my highest priorities these days.
This book would have to go. Not only because it is so large and so heavy, but because it attempts to cover far too much—some 1,500 hints on how to simplify one’s life. Perhaps the author should have considered his own advice and simplified in order to be more relevant, timely and accessible. The book is a clutter of far too much information. Less really is more. In this day and age of easy access to the Internet, I'm not sure I see the purpose of this book at all.
The idea of Simpler Living seems to be that when I am contemplating what to do about a cluttered closet, or a broken-down appliance, or out of control debt, or a lackluster relationship, or redecorating that spare bedroom, or entertaining a group of friends, or preparing to go grocery shopping, or … I would go looking for this book for advice?
Um, no.
If my car has stalled, I will go to my most trusted mechanic for advice. When I am redecorating, I will check my local handyperson stores and talk to a contractor or browse through some books and magazines specifically about home decor. When I am getting ready to throw a party, I will page through my best cookbook. When I am considering my financial options, I will set up an appointment with my financial advisor, who knows my resources and my goals for my future.
Photos (stock) unfortunately are at odds with content. For instance, we read advice about keeping one's nightstand no higher than one's bed for ease of access and view of clock (that's sensible), even while some pages later is a large photograph of a child's bed with the nightstand a good 10 inches higher than the bed.
Simpler Living certainly has some good, general advice within its many pages. Although geared for a middle-class to relatively wealthy family in its advice, it tosses out a few nuggets of wisdom some of us could use. Yet these nuggets are too hard to find. In fact, at first blush, I can’t recall any. Most everything in the book is very general and painfully obvious. Throw out what you don’t really need. Pay off the highest interest credit card first. Backup your files on your computer.
But you knew that already, didn’t you?
There is also some questionable and odd advice. For example, the author suggests attaching one’s bedside lamp to the wall rather than on one's nightstand, as that way there should be more room on the nightstand (for more stuff??). This, the author asserts, can eliminate the need to dust. Huh, wait a minute. Why would I not need to dust a lamp just because it is affixed to the wall instead of standing directly on my nightstand?
Another painfully obvious example: “When you send a fax, remember to indicate whom it is for and who is sending it. Keep a supply of transmittal forms near your fax machine.”
I had to just blink at that one. Most of us in 2010 no longer use fax machines, but if we do, surely we know this basic information about sending a fax. If we don’t, somehow I would guess this book won’t help. Has America really sunk to such dumbing down levels? Reminds me of the label I recently read on a jar of peanut butter: “Warning: contains peanuts.”
And then there is this: “Instead of spending your money on books … pick up the New York Times Book Review.” The advice goes on to state that once you’ve read the review of the book in this publication, you will no longer have to read the book at all in order to discuss it “intelligently” at the office water cooler.
See previous paragraph about the dumbing down of America.
And then keep your money for paying off debt and pass on buying this one.
Author Jeff Davidson is founder and director of BreathingSpace.com, an organization devoted to helping people live and work at a more comfortable pace. He is the author of 56 books, including 60-Second Organizer, 60-Second Self-Starter, and 60-Second Innovator, and the iPhone App "Making Life Simpler." He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
(Note: this Goodreads listing seems to have the wrong title matched to the right cover.)
June 27, 2015
What a dud. Published in 2010, but feels like advice from the 1980s or 90s--the travel advice is at least 20 years out of date. The voluminous tips seem to have been collected over decades and include perhaps everything the author ( actually, the author's assistant) ever heard, read or thought about pretty much every aspect of living. Not enough furniture? Check discount stores! Going on a trip? Be sure to have your oil changed and tire pressure checked! If you'd like to read 10,000 similar handy tips, then this is the book for you. Endless, repetitive, uninspired and larded with old stock photos.
April 14, 2013
Lots of good ideas on how to organize your life and environment for less worry and more freedom.
May 24, 2021
Let's make a book about simplicity as complex as possible.
Nah, this book already did that.
I have lugged this monster of a book cross country and through numerous moves, and I've made a place for it to not really fit on my shelves for over 10 years. That was clearly a sign that I needed a simpler way of living, but this book was not the answer.
I'm guessing this was meant as a coffee table book? I have a hard time fathoming that those desiring "simpler living" are putting out coffee table books. The pictures are distracting and don't always fit well with what the page is talking about. The formatting of the pages is cluttered and reminds me of a bad textbook. It's difficult to read, like a collection of tips given in a conversational way that doesn't really work.
At this point, this book is dated and inaccurate. Any helpful tips could probably be found faster and more enjoyably on YouTube.
I also can't help but question why someone would give this to me as a gift. I'm sure it had something to do with my having a "disaster room," but a book like this isn't going to solve that problem at all. Time, moves, and hanging out with people whose lives we'd like to emulate will bring far more simplicity to the life of someone who truly desires it than a book of this size.
Nah, this book already did that.
I have lugged this monster of a book cross country and through numerous moves, and I've made a place for it to not really fit on my shelves for over 10 years. That was clearly a sign that I needed a simpler way of living, but this book was not the answer.
I'm guessing this was meant as a coffee table book? I have a hard time fathoming that those desiring "simpler living" are putting out coffee table books. The pictures are distracting and don't always fit well with what the page is talking about. The formatting of the pages is cluttered and reminds me of a bad textbook. It's difficult to read, like a collection of tips given in a conversational way that doesn't really work.
At this point, this book is dated and inaccurate. Any helpful tips could probably be found faster and more enjoyably on YouTube.
I also can't help but question why someone would give this to me as a gift. I'm sure it had something to do with my having a "disaster room," but a book like this isn't going to solve that problem at all. Time, moves, and hanging out with people whose lives we'd like to emulate will bring far more simplicity to the life of someone who truly desires it than a book of this size.
August 12, 2020
Reads like a textbook, maybe it’s the font. I picked it up in hopes of getting new information or ideas i didn’t know.
Good for someone just starting out on simplifying and organizing but mundane for those of us who do this stuff already.
I gave up around page 73.
Oh and the pictures! Some are so peaceful and calming then others are surreal and funny.
Good for someone just starting out on simplifying and organizing but mundane for those of us who do this stuff already.
I gave up around page 73.
Oh and the pictures! Some are so peaceful and calming then others are surreal and funny.
June 1, 2019
Could simplify life by simplifying this book. There were bullet points at the end of each chapter summarizing it. He could have just stuck with those bullet points and expanded on them a little bit and this book would have been much better
January 15, 2024
Outdated. Tips on what to do with piles of newspapers, magazines, how to file all your paperwork and paper bills……entertainment centers….. should have looked at the publish date.
September 6, 2011
The good thing about this book is that I feel inspired to tackle the 'to-do' list again, BUT...... I'd already figured out most of the tips myself or read them elsewhere. The gist is: get rid of stuff, buy less stuff, and put away the stuff you have. That does make things simpler, but it doesn't address how to find the time to do these things. I know when I'm working vacuuming weekly is a dream that just doesn't happen. Even if I designate a no TV night (or 5 no TV nights), as the author recommends, I'm making a choice between kid needs and ANY of the other cleaning tasks.
The main reason I got this book was because I was really curious how a beautiful coffee table book translated to Kindle and for $.99 there wasn't much to loose. And I don't have much good to say here either. There were at least 4 places in the book (maybe more, I didn't go through the whole book) where the location # went backwards creating a 3 or 4 page loop .In a printed book the pictures and information boxes are arranged so that you can choose when to look at them, but on the Kindle they were just stuck somewhere and it kinda broke the flow of the text and the info boxes often weren't appropriate to the surrounding content of what you were reading.
The main reason I got this book was because I was really curious how a beautiful coffee table book translated to Kindle and for $.99 there wasn't much to loose. And I don't have much good to say here either. There were at least 4 places in the book (maybe more, I didn't go through the whole book) where the location # went backwards creating a 3 or 4 page loop .In a printed book the pictures and information boxes are arranged so that you can choose when to look at them, but on the Kindle they were just stuck somewhere and it kinda broke the flow of the text and the info boxes often weren't appropriate to the surrounding content of what you were reading.
December 22, 2017
After going through this book over the weekend, in the following week, I ended up filling three shopping bags full of clothes to donate tot he Good Will because I realized that I don't need them anymore, I'm not going to wear them, and they would be better off helping other people. Once I freed up my closets, I felt as if I was in control of very valuable space once again. I have more work to do regarding all the knick-knacks and ------- I've collected over the years but I'm feeling pretty confident right now. This book gives you the insights as well as the incentives that you need to not only get started on making your life simpler, but really making a difference.
January 22, 2014
This book is too big. And it is heavy- Like a coffee table book--not a great idea for book design for the topic. Looks ok-I will have to be in the mindset for this one--and I may not have time to work on this stuff like I had hoped. May have to read later or another time.
I think this is basically a reference type of book, some good things, but forgettable.
I think this is basically a reference type of book, some good things, but forgettable.
December 23, 2011
I found this book to be a waste of time to read, to be perfectly honest.. I don't think out of the entire book that I gleaned even one idea to implement. Would not recommend. There are better books out there.
October 21, 2013
Although this had a number of tips that I will use (for instance, what type of pillow is best for which type of sleeper), it was pretty repetitive and simplistic. I've read better organization books.
March 30, 2014
400+ pages and I only got 1 idea out of it to apply to my life.
June 1, 2015
The irony of a book about simpler living being 500+ pages is not lost on me.
November 14, 2016
I only paid a penny for this book (used), but regret even having spent that much. The book is a hodge-podge of platitudes, un-realistic and/or too obvious and/or impractical, thoughtless advice.
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