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The joy of simple living: over 1,500 simple ways to make your life easy and content--at home and at work PDF

458 Pages·1999·2.684 MB·English
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T H E J O Y OF T H E J O Y OF Over 1,500 Simple Ways to Make Your Life Easy and Content—At Home and at Work By Jeff Davidson Foreword by Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul Rodale Press, Inc. Emmaus, Pennsylvania Notice The information presented in this book is based on information obtained from a wide range of au- thoritative sources. The author and Rodale Press, Inc., assume no responsibility for any injuries suffered or damages or losses incurred during or as a result of following this information. All in- formation should be carefully studied and clearly understood before taking any action based on the information and advice presented in this book. Copyright © 1999 by Jeff Davidson All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other infor- mation storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America on acid-free @, recycled paper @ Cover and Interior Designer: Joanna Reinhart Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Davidson, Jeffrey P. The joy of simple living : over 1,500 simple ways to make your life easy and content—at home and at work / by Jeff Davidson, p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-87596-527-X hardcover ISBN 1-57954-104-6 paperback 1. Simplicity. I. Title. BJ1496.D38 1999 646.7—dc21 98-39115 Distributed to the book trade by St. Martin's Press 6 8 10 9 7 hardcover 2 4 6 8 1 0 9 7 5 3 1 paperback Visit us on the Web at www.rodalebooks.com, or call us toll-free at (800) 848-4735. OUR PURPOSE We inspire and enable people to improve their lives and the world around them. To all of those people in my life—past, present, and future—who have shown me the path toward simplicity. To the authors, journalists, and speakers who stress the vital importance of simplicity in each of our lives. To my wonderful, now-departed parents, Emanuel and Shirley Davidson, for imbuing me with the seme to figure things out for myself. And to Valerie Davidson—eveiy little thing she does is magic. Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................ rK Foreword ....................................................................................... -x Introduction ................................................................................... ^ Part 1: A World Gone Complex Chapter 1: The Quest for Simplicity .................................................. 2 Yes, You Can Achieve Sanity in a Crazed World Chapter 2: Some General Principles .............................................. 20 Master the Science of Piles and Priorities Chapter 3: Anticipating Complexity .............................................. 35 Preventive Measures Will Cure a Tangled Lifestyle Part 2: Simplify Your Castle Chapter 4: Cooking Up Solutions .................................................... 54 If You Can't Stand the Clutter, Simplify Your Kitchen Chapter 5: Living Rooms and Dining Rooms ............................... 81 Make These Living Areas Wony-Free, Relaxing Refuges Chapter 6: Washroom Wizardry ................................................... 106 With These Storage, Decorating, and Cleaning Secrets, Things Will Bubble Along Chapter 7: Bedroom Basics .............................................................. 128 Smart Strategies to Create the Perfect Setting for Slumber vi Contents vii Chapter 8: The Kid's Bedroom ..................................................... 151 Creating Order Where Parents Fear to Tread Chapter 9: Laundry Logic .............................................................. 170 Lessons to Lighten the Load Chapter 10: Storage and More ..................................................... 191 Making the Most of Your Basement and Attic Chapter 11: Retooling the Garage ............................................... 211 A Practical Plan to Maximize Space and Minimize Maintenance Chapter 12: Calling All Cars ........................................................ 229 The Keys to Hassle-Free Auto Ownership Chapter 13: Slices of Life ............................................................. 252 Smart Solutions for Mastering Special Situations and Events Part 3: Streamline Home Paperwork Chapter 14: Business Basics .......................................................... 274 Setting Up a Home Office, Step by Step Chapter 15: Money Mastery ........................................... ........... 292 Common-Cents Strategies for Making Your Dollars Go Further Chapter 16: Family Finances ...................................................... 306 Balancing Your Budget without Bending Over Backward Part 4: Simplify Your Professional Life Chapter 17: The Easy Exit .......................................................... 324 Tactics for an Uncomplicated Commute Chapter 18: Office Efficiency ...................................................... 341 Putting Your Work Space to Work for You viii Contents Chapter 19: Reading Easy .............................................. ............... 355 Secrets to Survival in the Information Age Chapter 20: Connecting with Customers ...................................... 369 In Business, Success Begins with Service Part 5: The Personal Touch Chapter 21: Rewarding Relationships ......................................... 386 Get More out of Your Limited Time with Lovers, Friends, and Family Chapter 22: Nutrition Know-How ................................................ 397 Taking the Guesswork Out of Fating Right Chapter 23: Effortless Exercise ....................................................... 413 Easy Ways to Factor Fitness into Your Life Chapter 24: At Your Leisure ......................................................... 424 Guaranteed Fun for Everyone Credits .............................................................................................. 443 Index .............................................................................................. 445 About the Author .......................................................................... 466 Acknowledgments First and foremost, I'd like to thank the people at Rodale Press for all their support. I've worked with many publishers on many projects, and I can say that you'd be hard-pressed to find a finer, more talented team of professionals any- where in publishing. Thanks, in particular, to Jeff Bredenberg, my acquisitions editor and to Susan Berg, my day-to-day editor; to copy editor Kathryn A. Cressman and book de- signer Joanna Reinhart; and to the marketing team of Karen Arbegast, Tania At- tanasio, Cindy Ratzlaff, Dennis Lockhard, Mark Wiragh, Reka Daniels, and Renee James. Thanks also to the editors of top Rodale publications such as Men's Health, Prevention, and At Your Best for the countless tips, tidbits, and minor gems that they've gleaned over the years, which helped to round out this text. A big thank-you to Tammy Bristow for her remarkable assistance in identi- fying research materials, helping me to assemble several chapters, and upgrading and refining chapters as needed. Thanks also to Rex Coughenor for his endless round of trips to libraries, to Sandy Knudsen for her ace word-processing ser- vices, and to Mittie Jones, Erika Meyers, Kate Simpson, and Seth Kotch for their adept proofreading. And thanks to Valerie Davidson, now age eight, for giving Daddy a couple of extra minutes every evening for months on end to work on this book, before we began our playing.

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