Top Books to Help You Simplify Your Life

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I love reading and there have been many books I’ve picked up that have helped me along my journey to living a simpler life. I’ve compiled a few of my favorites in hopes that these top books to help you simplify your life will give you the motivation and encouragement they have me. 

I’ve included the descriptions and a favorite quote for each so you can decide which ones might speak to you in your journey. Here they are, in no particular order: 

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller

Description: In The ONE Thing, you’ll learn to * cut through the clutter * achieve better results in less time * build momentum toward your goal* dial down the stress * overcome that overwhelmed feeling * revive your energy * stay on track * master what matters to you The ONE Thing delivers extraordinary results in every area of your life–work, personal, family, and spiritual. WHAT’S YOUR ONE THING?

Quote: You need to be doing fewer things for more effect instead of doing more things with side effects

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Description: The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done. It is not a time management strategy or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.

Quote: Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will. 

Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy by Emily Ley 

Description: Grace, Not Perfection takes this message from a daily planner to an inspirational book that encourages women to simplify and prioritize. Designed with Emily Ley’s signature aesthetic, this book gives women tangible ways to simplify their lives to give space to what matters most. With a focus on faith, Emily reminds readers that God abundantly pours out grace on us—and that surely we can extend grace to ourselves.

Quote: Choosing grace over perfection is about giving yourself permission to let go and settle in. Who wants to live in a constant state of frenzy from trying to have it all together all the time? Why scurry behind our kids, picking up their toys, rather than sitting in front of them, watching their little fingers discover new ways to move? 

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Description: In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.

Quote: The problem is that your brain can’t tell the difference between bad and good habits, and so if you have a bad one, it’s always lurking there, waiting for the right cues and rewards.”

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Description: Getting Things Done has become one of the most influential business books of its era, and the ultimate book on personal organization. “GTD” is now shorthand for an entire way of approaching professional and personal tasks, and has spawned an entire culture of websites, organizational tools, seminars, and offshoots.

Quote: Your life is more complex than any single system can describe or coordinate, but the GTD methodology creates a coherent model for placeholding key elements, which still require attention, being kept current, and being reviewed in a coordinated way.

A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living by Emily Ley

Description: In A Simplified Life, you’ll find Emily’s strategies, systems, and methods for permanently clearing the clutter, organizing your priorities, and living intentionally in 10 key areas—from your home and meal planning, to style and finances, parenting, faith life, and more. Emily will show you how to truly make the most of your days with realistic, achievable, and tactical tools.

Quote: A simplified life means that what has to get done will get done. And 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.

Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist

Description: In these pages, New York Times bestselling author Shauna Niequist invites you to consider the landscape of your own life, and what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present, in the middle of the mess and the ordinariness of life.

Quote: We decide where the time goes. There’s so much freedom in that, and so much responsibility.

Hands Free Life: Nine Habits for Overcoming Distraction, Living Better, and Loving More by Rachel Macy Stafford

Description: New York Times bestselling author and widely known blogger, Rachel Macy Stafford, reveals nine habits that help you focus on investing in the most significant parts of your life. As your hands, heart, and eyes become open, you will experience a new sense of urgency—an urgency to live, love, dream, connect, create, forgive, and flourish despite the distractions of our culture. By following each daily Hands Free Declaration, you will be inspired to adopt mindful daily practices and new thought-processes that will help you:

Quote: You have the power to evaluate your daily choices to ensure you are investing in a life that matters to you.

That wraps up my list for now. However, I’ll add any more books I find that are helpful. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have!