Do you feel that life is one constant struggle to have enough time, money and space?

These days, so many people feel trapped in an ever more complicated lifestyle. They have reached a critical point in their lives when they feel overwhelmed by their possessions and hemmed in by all their commitments. Their working hours may be too long and their stress levels high. They are often depressed, time-impoverished and feel they are running to stand still.

In Simplify Your Life, Downsize and De-stress, Naomi Saunders shows you how to:

• lessen your stress
• increase your time
• decrease your spending
• create more space — both mental and physical
• beat the shopping and consumerism trap
• cut down on unwanted commitments
• clear household and work clutter
• make time for the important people in your life

Following the advice in this book may take a little adjustment at first. But living more simply can pay dividends in terms of greater peace of mind and a better quality of life.

Contents

• Simplicity and its benefits
• Why our lives become complicated
• Assessing your situation
• Getting started
• Home admin — day to day
• Finance and 'things'
• Protecting your time
• Sentimental value
• Children: time for a cuddle
• Staying organized

There seems to be an undercurrent of panic to Western society at the moment. No one lives a simple life any more. Everyone rushes about, multi-tasking like mad, trying to squeeze too many things into too short a time. You can have drive thru' meals, quick-drying nail polish, power naps, read abridged books, have someone else do your shopping, text instead of speak. Too many things are disposable. We add to landfill on a daily basis as we throw old things out in favour of new. We have become slaves to immediate gratification, and never mind about the future.

Many of the people that I visit in the course of my work as a 'clutter doctor' have reached a critical point in their lives, when they feel totally overwhelmed by their possessions and trapped by all their commitments. They may be working long hours, their stress levels are high, and they are often depressed and not coping well with daily tasks. They are often time-impoverished, their lives are over-complicated, and they feel they are just running to stand still.

Workers in the UK still work the longest hours in Europe, with the average working week being 39.6 hours (New Earnings Survey, April 2002). Although some employers have started to offer family- friendly practices, such as working more hours earlier in the week so that you can finish early on Fridays, it's still tough trying to fit everything in if you're working and bringing up a family. Days are a blur of work, mealtimes, television, bed ... and then it starts all over again. You are probably irritable, humourless and stressed.

Stress is the greatest cause of absence from work — it lowers your immune system so you fall prey to any virus that's going around. You drink, eat and smoke more just to help you cope with the stress, and exercise less because you don't have time. Are you working to live or living to work? We spend increasing amounts of time working ever harder to earn more money simply to buy back more time.

Many people are working hard to fund a lifestyle that they can't really afford. They are like poor old Sisyphus, who was condemned by the Greek gods to a lifetime of pointless labour, continuously rolling a rock up to the top of a mountain, only for it to fall all the way back down again upon reaching the crest. Every time he thought he had made it, the task began all over again. Sounds familiar?

How many of us continue to live comfortably up to our means, but then, just as we get on an even keel, decide that it's time to take on more? We increase our financial commitments by taking on a bigger mortgage. We own a bigger house and fill it with yet more things. We apply for more credit and have to take on more work to fund it. We find ourselves with a bit of spare time and squeeze in another commitment. Although we might talk about the attractions of a simpler life, we still find ourselves locked into the same old trap, with no time and not enough money. Why are we so bad at recognizing our own comfort zones?

There is far more to life than working all hours to earn enough money to buy a big house to fill with possessions. You may spend your whole life always striving for more and still never be satisfied — what a waste! The only certainty facing any of us is that one day we will die, and then what will happen to all those precious things that we spent our lives acquiring, finding space for and worrying about? Someone else will inherit them and have to worry about them instead of us. That person may even just throw them away!

In my work, I see the benefits of a simpler life repeatedly. People often contact me after they have reduced their possessions and simplified their lives, telling me they feel liberated, lighter, and able to think more clearly. Whether you want to be more in control of your time, your money, or your space, this book will help you. It will show you how to keep your immediate environment manageable, how not to waste time on things that don't matter, and how to expend your energy on the people and activities that are of true value to you. I can guarantee that if you follow these simple directions towards a simpler life, you really will lose a major part of your stress, and gain a wonderful new sense of emotional freedom.

Clearing away your physical and mental clutter can act as a catalyst for change in all areas of your life. It can have a hugely positive effect on your mental state, helping to clear your mind, which in turn helps you to see your way forward. You will be able to plan ahead and make more changes so that you are able to enjoy a life that is not only deeply satisfying, but that really expresses you. If you make space in your life, change will always follow.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.
Henry David Thoreau, 1817—62

About the author
Naomi Saunders is a 'clutter doctor'. She believes simplification is the cure for stress. In 2002 she founded Clearly Organised, a de-cluttering consultancy, advising individuals and businesses on reducing and reorganizing to make space for growth and change. She writes and broadcasts regularly about stress and clutter and how to free ourselves from both. Naomi lives with her husband and two children in Reading.