Simplify Your Life
by Elaine St. James
Simplify Your Life is a quick read that offers 100 techniques for simplifying your life. The book’s main merit is that it questions the assumptions we make about our lives. Over and over it asks, ‘Do you really need that?’
It’s interesting to see how self help advice has shifted over two decades. For example, St. James offers that we should get up an hour earlier. Today there is a lot of research supporting the argument to get more sleep, not less. This book was written in the early nineties, and makes numerous references to the boom time of the 1980s, which date the book.
I enjoyed the book’s underlying message to systematize and simplify our everyday choices. One idea that I’m interested in trying from the book is to making a standard grocery list on my computer. Each week I can print it out and check off the particular items that I need. Like most system-type tasks it will take a bit of time upfront, but should save time in the long run.
Readability Four Stars ****
Helpful Perspective Four Stars ****
Actionable Four Stars ****
Would recommend book to: Anyone looking to simplify their life.
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