Product Description

Connie Cox and Cris Evatt, the authors of Simply Organized have teamed up once again and created a new step-by-step guide to simplifying your life in only thirty days. Organized in a day-by-day format, the book offers simple steps which take in an hour or less to cut down on clutter. Each section is followed by instructions for more in-depth simplifying each area (one's workplace, closets, vacation, or errand routines, a cluttered mind, and more), and a tip checklist is included for readers interested in "maximum simplification." Written in an inspirational style and a clear, down-to-earth format, 30 Days To A Simpler Life contains adages, anecdotes, and quotes from philosophers, designers, psychologists, financial planners, and other experts. The authors also include a guide to related books, newsletters, and websites to further assist readers in reaching their goal of simpler living

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #166396 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 197 pages

From the Publisher
In their new book, 30 Days To A Simpler Life, co-authors Connie Cox and Cris Evatt share their ideas on simplifying your closet, your bedroom, your bathroom, your drawers, your furniture, your knickknacks_your life! Their incredibly resourceful and detailed guide will show you the way to a simpler and more organized lifestyle. And scattered throughout are helpful hints on small details that make large impacts on our lives. For example:

How to customize simple living techniques to suit your lifestyle Easy ways to organize your office, garage, and literally every room in your house Ways to simplify and organize parties, meals, diets and recipes (simple recipes included!) How to deal with junk mail, unwanted phone calls and information overload Excellent financial organization, from bills to taxes No-stress flying and traveling light and organized What to do with mementos, memorabilia, and souvenirs How to have a garage sale (and how not to) Low-maintenance gardening How to arrange your home so it is non-cluttered and soothing to the soul

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
30 GREAT STEPS FOR 30 DAYS TO A SIMPLER LIFE Day 1: Decide you would like to begin living a simpler life. Make a list of areas that don't work in your life and find ways to simplify them. Ask friends how they manage areas of life that you find complicated. Make simplifying a great new hobby. Day 2: At least once a week, fill a shopping bag with giveaways that are cluttering your life. Day 3: Create an Ambivalence Center for things you might want to give away. Day 4: For one month, resist buying anything except consumables. When in doubt, don't buy it. Day 5: Clear the under-the-bed space. Let it breathe. Day 6: Clear the kitchen and bathroom counters each night before bed. Day 7: Install first-rate organizers. Use only one type of clothes hanger and get rid of all others. (Don't store them!) Day 8: Begin to create a basic wardrobe without "strays"_ items that don't go with anything else. Choose quality over quantity. Quality endures. Day 9: Install large hooks for towels in the bathroom. Day 10: Buy food from bulk bins to save money and avoid wasteful packaging. Buy great jars. Day 11: Create seven basic dinner menus to post on the fridge. Day 12: Switch to a few large plants _ eliminate small ones. Day 13: Undecorate your home. Less is refreshing! Day 14: Delete twenty small knickknacks. Add one gorgeous vase. Day 15: Unclutter your mind by judging others less. Day 16: Start today by spending your life in your own way. Learn to say, "I don't think so" if "no" is hard for you. Day 17: Decide on one source to get daily news and eliminate the rest. Turn off the TV and computer on Sundays. Day 18: Create an organized system (such as a permanent shopping list) for everything you do more than once. Day 19: Open and read your mail once a week (over a trash can) as you do when you return from a week-long trip. Day 20: Toss out old versions of computer software. Day 21: Start a debt reduction program and, whenever possible, pay cash for everything except houses and cars. Day 22: Create an Errand Basket and an Errand Day once a week. (Some people actually run errands every day!) Day 23: Travel lightly (whether you are going on a trip or for a day outing). Day 24: Photograph or videotape your valuables and store the photos or tape in a fireproof place. Day 25: Give consumable gifts. Your friends don't need clutter either. Day 26: For holidays, decorate with a few large items, not multiple small ones. Day 27: Put photos into an easy-to-use photo album as soon as they are developed _ don't hide them in drawers. Enjoy them now! Day 28: Organize your garage as if it were a room in your house. The real estate value is the same. Give away anything in your garage that you haven't used in the last two years. Day 29: Simplify your garden by planting large areas of one type of shrub or flower. Replace some lawn space with native plants. Mow less. Day 30: Make a non-negotiable, standing appointment for exercise. No more guilt!

"On your journey," write the authors, "you will let go of things that are stressful, distracting, and uncomfortable. You will keep what brings joy, contentment, and a sense of well-being. Simplicity is about achieving a higher level of comfort. Simplicity is about eliminating the excess, so you will be free to discover who you really are."

The book is based on the premise that 30 days and 30 tasks, along with tips, quotes, and inspirational stories, can start you on a simpler path. The authors designed each task to be done in about an hour. "The tasks in our book are cumulative," they write. "As you let things go, you will learn about your preferences_your likes and dislikes. As your life becomes simpler, you have fewer things to delete, monitor, and maintain. Clutter will no longer rear its ugly head. When your reach this stage, you will have time to pursue your passions with gusto. You will be able to live your life out loud."

Customer Reviews

OK book- but not for Your Money or Your Lifers
In the introduction to this book, the authors describe the five types of simplifiers: the Serene Simplifier, The Comfort-Seeking Simplifier, The Downshifted Simplifier, the Elegant Simplifier, and the Organized Simplifier.

I consider myself in alignment the most with the Downshifted Simplifier: "...she was inspired to downscale by the bestseller Your Money Or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicky Robin. 'I read it and then cut up six credit cards,' she said, 'and I no longer watch the shopping channel.'

"The downshifter takes good care of the few things she owns. Her tactics for saving money include bartering, buying foods in bulk, and making her own skin care products." etc. There is more to this description, including reference to the Tightwad Gazette. So the authors DO recognize this type of simplifier in the introduction- but much of the rest of the book seems to be in opposition to this type of simplifier. There is a lot of pressure on the reader to BUY BUY BUY their way to 'simplification'. They tell you to hire someone to hook up your new VCR for you. Hire housecleaners and errand runners. Install state-of-the-art closet organization systems. Install more built-in cabinets. What about just getting rid of stuff so you don't need those built in cabinets? What about taking the time to learn how to hook up your own VCR? "Consider a television in your kitchen." To their merit, they do tell you to take the TV out of the bedroom.

I realize that this kind of advice will appeal to some people and that's fine, but it was not the kind of simplification advice I was looking for. There was some good advice peppered throughout, but I'd say that I only found six out of thirty chapters of the book helpful or inspirational, because much of the rest just had lists of new ways for you to spend your hard-earned cash.

A Standout in a Crowded Field. . .
This book breaks simplification of one's life into literally thirty days, almost like a diet book. That is its greatest merit. It appears to be guided more toward women, and toward women with families, than the rest of us. Perhaps those women buy most of these books!

Having said that, the information contained is applicable to all of us. I found myself gleaning ideas and concepts from the book, rather than following it verbatim. However, I loaned it to my sister (who is a working mom) and she followed the steps to her satisfaction! So, this book is useful on more than one level.

Don't purchase this book expecting some deep philosophical or religious discussion of simplification. That is for others to do (see my review of "Choosing Simplicity" by Linda Pierce. This is for someone who may not have the time or inclination for that type of writing, but simply wants some practical help cleaning up the messy corners of their daily life.

An excellent motivator!
I thought this book was fabulous. The ideas and suggestions seemed written just for me. After I read the chapter on kitchens to my husband, we totally cleaned out and reorganized our kitchen the same day. One of my favorite themes from this book is: Surround yourself with things (clothes, furniture, dishes) that you love. If you don't love something, let it go. Sounds simple, but it's very powerful!

In the book, they mention that if you're looking for a better method of cleaning your house, a good book to try is Speed Cleaning. I purchased it (through Amazon.com, of course!!) and I don't think my house has ever been cleaner.

I've read similar books (i.e. How To Avoid Housework by Paula Jung - which was also great) but this one has really motivated me to change. With their easy suggestions and helpful ideas, it has been SIMPLE to do little things every day to simplify my life. Thanks, Connie and Cris!!