If you guys followed me a few months ago you might have seen that I went to a book signing for Emily Ley! Her newest book is “A Simplified Life,” and I wanted to share my thoughts on it today.
what’s in it?
The book has 10 chapters – talking about everything from finance and style to faith. Every chapter has examples from Emily’s own life to show her own experiences and how she wanted change. She then shares her thought process and how she worked through simplifying – and obviously tips for how you can too! Each chapter has worksheets that make the information you learn super practical. It’s an easy read but you really feel like you’re getting great tips and inspiration to streamline your lift.
“Remember, the less clutter, the more breathing room you get for what matters”
who is it for?
This book is definitely written for women – but in any stage! There are parts that are applicable to women with children, or those working, or both – but I found a lot of elements valuable even though I don’t have kids yet. I think this book would be a great birthday gift for anyone who is in a busy stage in their life and would be receptive to tips. The book isn’t preachy at all, but not everyone loves advice – so I’m sure not everyone would love it like I did 🙂
what am I taking away from it?
I don’t think any of the items above are newsflashes to those of us with moderately busy lives. I know my life isn’t as busy as some of my friends or family members, but time can still get away from me! I’ve tried to simplify by removing decisions (i.e. making the same lunch!) and automating every bill possible. Instead of organizing things I probably don’t need, I drop them off at Goodwill.
“That is where simplicity is found: in committing to what’s important and giving yourself permission to have margin in your life”
The biggest takeaway is that simplifying will allow you to focus on the things that MATTER. By having a streamlined meal plan you can spend more time with your family and not stress out about what you’re going to eat. In saying no to some commitments you give yourself time to focus on what matters and not feel overcommitted.
Emily Ley makes planners – which I love! – and I think it’s very telling that she describes how no planner can help if you are overcommitted and overstretched. If you say yes to everything, something will suffer. No amount of organization will help if you have 26 hours worth of stuff to get done a day!
As if this wasn’t enough, I actually heard a segment on NPR this past weekend about limiting the things you say yes to. People who focus on a few things – instead of saying yes to everything – are less stressed and produce better work. So in case you needed another reason to simplify, social scientists agree you should!
I definitely recommend this book for any women in your life. It would be a great birthday or Mother’s day gift! Or Christmas but that’s a while away 🙂 It’s unrealistic to makeover your entire life with one book, but even applying some of the principles can be beneficial. This might sound insane, but reading through my favorite parts of this book has me thinking about a capsule wardrobe for May…am I insane?! Well let me know your thoughts on that and the book in general in the comments!
ALSO – Emily Ley is leading a decluttering challenge this week on Instagram. Search #ruthlessdeclutterchallenge to find posts about it!
