A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living

If you follow Emily Ley on social media or watch her live FB sessions, you witness what a hard working mother of three she truly is.Yes, she is a mother and wife first. She is also a successful business woman, who designs more than her awesome planner*.She makes everything she does look ‘simple’, but that is the furthest from the truth.*The Simplified Planner’ is genius in that it’s just that: simple. Once you start utilizing this tool, you experience a calmness and structure in your daily life. Gone is the guilt that you have not filled in the many boxes, etc. that other planners possess. NOTE: when I first received my planner years ago, I thought how is this going to organize my day? I stuck with it through the years and I couldn’t be happier and my days have run on schedule.So it is fair to say that this book, A Simplified Life, creates that same structure in your head as you are reading it for you to put forth those ideas in your own home and daily life. This book gives you permission to live simply as best as you can within your own family.Maybe some of her points are common sense or seem obvious to some. For one minute think of the person who has no clue where to begin to dig themselves out of their own overwhelm. HERE ARE THE STEPS all in one beautiful book written by a beautiful compassionate caring voice.She outlines the steps to take one by one, day by day. She stresses this will not be an overnight success for you AND it’s going to take a lot of work. The light at the end of the tunnel after following Emily’s advice is less clutter to deal with on a daily basis going for and.Emily is an organized person by nature and she had found herself dealing with clutter, a busy schedule, three babies and major overwhelm. She knew she had to make some major changes for the sake of her health and to provide more free time to spend with her family.This book details all she learned in the year she put forth those changes in her life.So for the naturally unorganized woman, the process outlined in this book is exactly what she says - a tactical guide to help you attain A Simplified Life.I’m much older than Emily and am organized by nature as well and I certainly benefitted from her suggestions and tips in my own life and home.This book made me reevaluate what I was hanging on to and why - in my case, many were just emotional attachments that were unnecessary.There is a lot of substance in this book and after reading the entire book there are many suggestions and tips many women will benefit from regardless of their age and/or season.Is the information earth shattering, no, but can be life changing in a doable way - and yes, you might end up with a life (not things) that bring you ‘joy’.Don’t overlook this gem -

Not only is A Simplified Life, a gorgeous book to behold but it’s incredibly practical and straight forward. Not everyone will organize the same way, if you’ve ever been in a serious relationship or lived with someone, you know what I mean. So Emily offers practical ‘tactical’ ways to unclutter and simplify. You don’t have to do all the things or even par down as much as she recommends, but her one rule is that you don’t buy anything.Not one tub, basket or anything. Instead, keep a list and more often than not you’ll find something along the way to use. I know this is true for me, I kept finding little tubs and boxes to put things in!I read A Simplified Life, after our big move back to Colorado. It seems no matter how much I donated, sold, or gave away before the move I still ended up with 4 boxes of donation items while unpacking. Not including the HUGE stack of old Interior Design textbooks and Divinity Commentaries we have stacked in the living room.The key to making A Simplified Life work, is small progress.If you’re wanting to simplify without going to a minimalist extreme, then A Simplified Life from Emily Ley is just the thing. She helps you shift through the fluff and find more margin for everyday, she encourages routine and schedules so you don’t feel rushed, flustered, or disorganized.With plenty of room to write in the book, with questions for you to examine your needs, your families needs for your home.I received this book for free in return for an honest review.

I’m always wary about organising books. So many have complicated systems with expensive goods. Emily’s system is realist and easy to implement in small steps.I am not religious but did not find the mentions of her faith off putting. It feels like the author is just having a conversations about her day. Still very good lessons on mindfulness.All in all I enjoyed reading this and have started to make some changes to my day already

I enjoyed this book but consider it more of a coffee table read. It is great if you are short on time and want to make practical changes that can immediately be implemented. I was craving more in-depth tips but found this a great starting place for those who want to de-clutter. I enjoyed Emily's warm writing style & liked how the chapters were broken down into simplifying different areas of life. The "Simplified Motherhood" was the longest chapter which was a bit disappointing because I am not a parent, but I think it must reach her intended audience well. I'll keep the book because I took notes in it and answered some of the prompts, but it would also be a good book to pass along to someone who is just starting their journey as I was before reading this book.

After reading Emily's first book, Grace Not Perfection, I was so eager to read A Simplified Life. In both books, Emily shares practical tools for finding balance as well as relatable stories from the heart. She is gentle and humble as she shares what works for her family life, reminding us mamas to make special time for the sacred: empty, quiet space to reflect or enjoy the company of our loved ones. The message is repeated often throughout the pages and I need the reiteration! As a mom of two toddlers and a baby on the way, I know all too well how easy it is to fall into a bout of anxiety and complexity, caring for everyone else, cleaning, wrangling bills and groceries, winging it with meals, and sadly losing my sense of ME. To be blessed with the fruitful and simplified words from a fellow mama who is "in the thick of it" (hi, Lara Casey!), I'm forever grateful for your courage to do the hard things and share your God-given gifts, Emily. Us mamas thrive on simplicity and love.

Down to earth, practical, real, inspiring, simple! Love the "action point" lists at the end of each chapter! Although there are SO many decluttering books out there - Emily's books have a real "heart of the matter" feel to it and super practical AND challenge the reader to live counter culture especially in regards to the social media world and its effect or influence on our /personal life. Great book!

Good

I must admit, I didn’t read much about this book before I bought it. It was on a book club list so I just grabbed it on sale.I found that the book didn’t contain any new ideas, but there were some good reminders and I found it was laid out well. I also don’t mind Emily’s writing style. I am child free and not religious, so the book probably wasn’t meant for me, but I enjoyed it for what it was.I did find it a little strange that the pictures didn’t really match the words - Emily paints a pretty clear picture about why you shouldn’t spend money on cute bins for your food (an extra step in the process and you lose the expiry date) yet then there are pictures and pictures of food in plastic bins and a Pinterest styled home that didn’t align with her description of decluttering.Anyhow, it was a nice book and quick to read, so I don’t regret purchasing or reading it. I just probably wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it, unless someone was in a similar situation to Emily (working from home with a family, committed to devotional practice etc).

Ce livre donne des idées concrètes pour simplifier sa vie au quotidien.

Such great book and so simplified. Looking forward to incorporating more of these ideas into my family.