Goodbye, Things was a breath of fresh air. It opened my eyes to the universal nature of minimalism and to the Japanese culture. And, it's written by someone who isn't a well-known author, speaker, or top simple living leader. Or, a Zen Buddhist … [Read more...]
Simple Living Blog Posts
Articles about simple living tips, simple living books, a simple lifestyle, the simplicity movement, and more.
5 Origin Stories of “Keeping up with the Joneses”
"Keeping up with the Joneses." The epitome of lifestyle inflation. The tourist in the story of the tourist and the fisherman. We've all heard it. But, does anyone know why we say it, or where it came from? This little research project turned … [Read more...]
Blue Zones: How Ikarians Live Simply for 100+ Years
"The Island Where People Forget to Die" — That's the title of The New York Times article I came across during my existential crisis in 2015. I was searching through some emails recently and came across an email I sent to my dad in early 2016. … [Read more...]
11 Slow & Simple Living Leaders Share Their “Why”
This week I started reading Joshua Becker's eBook Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter their Home and Life. Right from the get-go, it made me realize how different the aha moments are that inspire us to change the course of our … [Read more...]
10 Life Themes from “Present Over Perfect” by Shauna Niequist (Book Summary)
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist • Present Over Perfect documents Shauna's personal story and journey. All of the glorious ups and downs of life. The good, the bad, and the … [Read more...]
“The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down” by Haemin Sunim (Book Summary)
Whew! That's a long book title. I suppose slowness is embodied in this book from the title to the very last word. This book is a bit different from many others I've read. It's organized into short chapters that include a quick intro or story, … [Read more...]
What is Downshifting? How to Transition into Simple Living
I've been driving manual transmission cars since I was 16, but I had only heard the terms "downshift" and "downshifting" related to gears. A couple years ago, I was delighted to discover the same terms can apply to our lifestyles. Googling … [Read more...]
The “Why” Behind Gandhi’s Simple Living Transformation at Age 23
Everyone knows Gandhi from his later years — when he was “Mahatma” which means “great soul” or “the great-souled one." But, what path did he follow to get there? Was he born into a lifestyle of simple living, or did he make an intentional … [Read more...]
What is Forest Bathing (also known as Nature Therapy or Shinrin-Yoku)?
Spoiler alert: There's no bathing involved. However, clothing is optional. Happy Earth Day! I figured today of all days it would be fun to focus on something natural. I recently wrote about the benefits of the astronaut overview effect from … [Read more...]
Voluntary Simplicity: “Listening to the Quiet Revolution” (Thesis Summary)
Who knows how deep I had to dig into "voluntary simplicity" search results to find Katie Barton's 89-page college thesis in October 2016. It was an eye-opening breakthrough for me personally when I read it back then. I thought it was so good that … [Read more...]
