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 -

I’m not one to write reviews on anything but this book deserves it. I work a 9-5+, have a side hustle and all the other crazy things in life. When Emily first started talking about her new book I thought it was exactly what I needed, to make my life simpler. I was so excited I couldn’t wait to research “simplifying life” while I waited for the book to come out. Needless to say there is NOTHING out there quite like Emily’s A Simplified Life. It is like a hand book of turning your life from mass chaos to peace and being able to enjoy all that is beautiful about life. I am not a mother (yet) and I haven’t made it to a chapter about simplifying motherhood, but I’m excited to see how I can implement it in my life now. I am also glad I have a little head start of how to keep the insanity of motherhood simpler before I have kids. I didn’t grow up in a organized and “peaceful” house but it is something I strive to do for my children. Thank you Emily! Really a gift from heaven. PS this book is a great gift! I bought 2 so far 😉

I LOVE this book!! It's an easy read and the photographs are stunning and so beautiful! And the content is so awesome!! I loved all the practical tips...though at times I wished there were more to some of the sections. But all of the chapters are so well written and so applicable! I loved how the book started with decluttering your space. I've read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and enjoyed that book, but the way Emily addressed different areas clicked with me in a different way than Kondo's book. Both books are absolutely amazing, but I love Emily's perspective as a mother and Christian! Emily, this is a beautiful book and you did an amazing job!! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with the world!! I've ordered Grace, Not Perfection and can't wait to read it as well!

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.

A Simplified Life. Such beautiful words seemingly unattainable, but gloriously within reach. To any woman who has ever felt the overwhelming tidal wave of STRESS walking through the front door, has ever felt the pressure of the glorification of "busy", has ever been pressured into being the person that media and social networking tells us we should be; this book is for YOU. Earlier this year we began the process of slowing down and simplifying our lives and our mindsets, and as scary as it was it was one of the most beautiful things that we could have ever done. Simplifying gave us the real freedom to enjoy our lives to their fullest. The author, Emily Ley (mother of two twin toddlers and a kindergartener!), gives writes about REAL tools, not fancy organizational systems that cause more headaches, to help get rid of the physical, mental, and emotional clutter that slows and stresses us out to our very core (even when we don't realize it!) so we can embrace our beautiful, wonderful lives. "When we pare down life to its simplest, most beautifully basic parts, we're left with room to enjoy each other, to rest, and to truly savor life with all our hearts, minds, and spirits."

Emily Ley’s tips work if you’re a middle class white woman (or so it felt to me the entire time I was reading). The organization of the chapters is helpful: simplified faith, simplified meal planning, and simplified mothering, to name a few. The reflective questions in each paragraph are helpful, too. However, as I was reading, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Some of these won’t work for many women.” Emily talks about investing in food high quality clothes and make-up or engaging in a weekly self-care ritual that includes a ten dollar hair conditioning mask and $25 foot scrub. I know she isn’t prescribing his Catt ritual, but the but way she so nonchalantly discusses it has the potential to alienate some of her audience for whom $35 is significant. Overall helpful but not earth-shattering and written from a definite place of privilege.

This book couldn't have released at a more perfect time. If you want to live on purpose, with a purpose, this book is the perfect read to help you become motivated and focused on what matters most to you! After being laid off from two different jobs twice in a year, I was completely lost and didn't know how to cope with it, so I read Emily's first book, Grace Not Perfection, and for the first time in months I felt like I could take on life head on. I used her advice and it worked liked a charm. I still practice them today. When I heard Emily was releasing another book, I was SO EXCITED! After her first book, my best friend and I started a personal development group reading self-help books and talking about our life goals, etc., and obviously this book was the next on the list! This book gives you the perfect tools to live intentionally and on purpose, which is difficult to do. Thank you, Emily for writing these books. You have NO idea how much they've changed my life and been the reminder I need to do everything in life with purpose!

Starts well but gets quite repetitive and obvious. Very simply written. I skipped through a few parts as there is a strong emphasis of religion and that’s not what I was looking to read about when I ordered this book.

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).

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

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