Synopses & Reviews
Faced with jam-packed schedules and multiple responsibilities, stress seems to be the watchword for life today. How do people who feel they are doing more/earning more/getting more but enjoying it all less manage to turn things around and focus on building more satisfying lives? How do they sort through all the "stuff" and find the meaning that they long for? How can they simplify and enhance their lives?
Keeping Life Simple is a little book chock-full of simple, practical answers, each of which can be digested in a minute or less. Author Karen Levine offers 380 tips for ways to reduce the clutter, focus on what really matters, and enhance life's everyday moments, which, after all, make up most of life. Her no-nonsense solutions are offered in a reassuring and motivating tone, from one who has clearly been there herself. As simple as they sound, these are the encouraging words of support that everyone craves to hear -- permission to pare down, simplify, and enjoy life more.
This little book, easily kept on a bedside table, in the car, or dropped in a purse, will be a welcome companion for anyone faced with the challenge of living today.
Synopsis
Discover what really gives you satisfaction and fulfillment -- then toss out the other junk and learn to live! Family expert Karen Levine helps you to identify what brings you contentment and pleasure and shows you how to reject the tasks, the mindsets, and the possessions that drag you down.
In Keeping Life Simple you'll discover:
-- How to analyze the way you use time and resources
-- Hundreds of practical tips to take control of time and money, and reduce life's "clutter"
-- How to simplify and organize your home, housekeeping, cars, and even the kids
-- How to create more meaningful, stress-free family celebrations and holidays
About the Author
In addition to her popular Storey book, Keeping Life Simple, Karen Levine has also written and ghostwritten six books, including When Women Stop Having Their Bodies, Overcoming Overeating, Too Smart for Her Own Good: The Impact of Success on the Intimate Lives of Women, and It Can Happen to You: A Practical Guide to Romantic Love. Not only is she a contributing editor to Parents magazine, but Karen has also written feature stories for Parents, Redbook, New Woman, Working Woman, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Family Circle magazines. She lives in East Chatham, New York.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
Seven Guiding Principles
II. Logging In for a Simpler Life
When Am I Doing It?
What Am I Doing?
How Satisfying/Pleasurable Is It?
How Efficient Am I?
What Role Am I In?
End-of-the-Day Analysis
III. Simple Satisfactions
Rest and Relaxation
Gardening
Taking Care of Yourself
Person to Person
Pleasurable Pastimes for Grownups
Family Pleasures
Edible Delights
IV. Celebrating Life
Making Traditions
Breaking Traditions
The Holiday Table
Birthdays
Other Family Celebrations
Holiday Celebrations
Preserving Memories
V. Less is More
Managing Time
Managing Money
Clutter Control
VI. Organizing for Simplicity
Kitchen Hints
Quick Tips for Food
Meal Planning and Food Shopping
Organizing Your House
Housecleaning
Laundry
Home Maintenance and Repair
Safety
Cars
Family Living
Travel