Little Knowledge: A Simplified Book About Modern-Day Life and a Guide to Life and How to Live It..

Most failures today, he argues, are examples of the latter. Gawande, using poignant examples in industries like medicine, aviation, and construction—where errors can be the difference between life and death—makes the case for using checklists to reduce the load of the sheer volume and complexity of knowledge required for most of us to do our work well today. This is a fantastic read, particularly for current and aspiring leaders. The ultimate boss, Peter Drucker, reminds us of the golden rule in business productivity: In The Effective Executive , he helps readers focus on where their time goes—and how to make better use of it in the future.

Drucker also emphasizes the focus on results over effort, and staffing people based on their strengths. While some chapters in this book are about building and managing teams, the rest of them are highly personal. This is a timeless book that will change the way you think about leadership and personal productivity. The heart of this book rests on asking yourself the question about all of the things you own: If the answer is no, you toss it—no matter how much it cost, who gave it to you, or how difficult it is to let it go.

Of all the productivity books ever written, this one might be the most popular. David Allen has a pretty in-depth process for getting shit done and helping you clean up the physical and digital mess that is currently overwhelming the crap out of you. The key concept in Getting Things Done is this: It can be summarized in five steps: Why not buy it used on eBay?

The price will like be lower in a few months, specially if you buy it used. If we find that we might use it again 5 years down the road, then we are not just paying for the 2 years, but for the potential that we might use it again.

The modern life survival guide

Of course, this is just 1 example. Thanks for the reply Beatriz. Interesting point of view! Maybe if I can put the things this way, It will be easier to resell those stuff, even for half the price. That money is gone. You had your fun. And you can let it go and move on rather than keeping the physical clutter. These are great tips! I have been gravitating toward minimalism for a few years but it took an epiphany in the form of a major illness to wake me up and get serious as I really wanted to live a simpler life.

Thanks to your website and others like it, I have come a long way toward meeting my goal. I found the 52 week money challenger on another website and I am currently putting away double the amount called for. My goal is to get rid of the ratty, allergen laden carpet in my bedroom and replace it with wonderful, eco — friendly bamboo, but it does not come cheap and putting money away a little at a time takes the sting out of home repairs! Thank you so much for this advice. Now I just wear a watch. Last count I had 12 different watches! Your list is helping me organize my downsizing.

I just love this guide! Thank you so much for your help. I struggle with simplifying meals. I live in Peru as a missionary and we eat lots of fresh food and unprocessed food. My husband and I like GOOD food which also means variety and then we have the typical eating habits of 3 growing children. But simplifying food is something I still struggle with.

Any other suggestions other than the ones mentioned above?

55 of the Best Nonfiction Books to Read in a Lifetime

I wonder if food is an area where you really need to simplify. It might save some time for you, and would give them skills they would use their whole life. What has awakened me is turning 70! I am ready to really be ruthless with stuff!! Living each day to the max and cleaning out all the stuff my kids will eventually toss out. This will make my life more pleasant and help them, too. You can ask for help, get back up if you fall…. Minimalism seems a bit scary sometimes What if I have nnothing to wear?

What if I need that 2nd soup ladle??? But this frames it beautifully. And, really what can I possibly lose? I am hoping to become a minimalist. If I can just write the stuff down. How does one become a minimalist without feeling deprived? I feel more freed than deprived — so far! But I live in an urban area — there is abundance all around but not so much in my own space now! I was able to bring my Kindle though I am a book-lover, I use this more and more , yarn and needlework, a variety of notebooks and paper and art paper and a variety of art supplies, and my laptop for blog reading. Think about what you like to do on vacation-what makes you feel pampered?

Can you fit those into a bag-even a huge bag? If you can, set aside a space in your home for those things you treasure. A cabinet, a bookshelf, a closet, a desk, a little dresser, however much room you need to fit your treasured luxuries that you use and enjoy. Then move on to minimizing the rest of the stuff. I am working on this! It is so freeing, and I have my small cabinet with all my treasures-it keeps me from getting too much at once, but I can replace as needed.

I have started several times, but could not do so continuously. Your article is good inspiration to start again. That is my problem. I have 4 children age 6 and under who share a room…until we build a square foot home. In the planning stages. I am so sick of stuff! I have been getting rid of tons of stuff. My family kind of laughs at me for it but my brain cant function if i have things around that i dont use.

Why save 3 tubs of baby clothes if i dont have room? Less is better im learning! And i love having a clean, manageable home. You are an inspiration! When you do this, it will quickly become clear that our values are involved in almost everything we think, say and do — for example, how friendly we are to strangers, how often we decide to travel by plane, how much we give to charity and whether we keep our promises. To help you think about this, you might find it useful to note a few headings to describe different areas of your life. For example, here are 6 simple categories you could use: Now, for each of your values, go through each of these areas of your life and list some of the steps you could take to live more in line with your values in each of them.

1. The modern life survival guide | Life Squared;
2. family FAVORS (FAVORS mystery series Book 3).
3. What took me so long??
4. 7 Tiny Steps for the Beginner Minimalist.
5. 10 Must-Read Books That Will Make You Ridiculously Productive.
6. ;
7. .

As we have already noted however, for many other actions including some of the simplest, such as shopping it can be more difficult to know what the effects of our actions are because such complex chains and processes lie behind them. You might therefore need to do a bit of detective work to understand your impacts in these areas of your life. A good starting point for this is to try to think through the possible chains of impact yourself — for example, before you book that holiday in Sri Lanka, what impact might the flight have on the environment?

What is the political situation in the country? Where are you planning to stay, and what impact could this have on people and the environment? Fortunately, there are now some resources appearing which can make this research process easier for us. There are websites such as www.

10 Must-Read Books That Will Make You Ridiculously Productive

There are also resources that help you understand the chain of processes and impacts behind everyday actions — such as www. This is a relatively new area though and you will probably still need to do some of your own research if you want to really understand your impact. This is simply a list of actions you plan to take to live more in line with your values, and it enables you to prioritise the most important actions and plan when you will do them, to make sure you do them. For example, you might note that in the next week you will start buying only local and seasonal fruit and vegetables to help reduce your environmental impact, and in the week after you will start volunteering for a few hours a week in order to help other people in need.

If you need some ideas on actions you could take, visit the Knowledge Base section of www. But remember to keep up each new habit! It can sometimes feel like hard work making these changes on our own, so to keep things interesting, why not see if your friends want to set up an informal social group to go through this process together and support each other?

So make sure you take on this responsibility - it is something that can give us a great sense of fulfilment in our lives and strengthen our sense of our own identity. Find your own pace of life Modern life takes place at a frenetic pace. We are surrounded by influences — including the media, employers and even friends - telling us to go faster, take more action and be more productive with our time.

It is easy to be swept along by this culture of speed and productivity, and easy to lose sight of the fact that each of us actually has a choice as to the pace of life we adopt. Here are a couple of things you can do:. Take time to think The idea of taking time to stand back, think and reflect tends to be frowned upon in our all-action society.

The sooner we realise this is a mistake, the better. Connect with people The quality of our relationships with other people is one of the most important factors contributing to our well-being — if not the most important. Loneliness and isolation can be bad for our physical and mental health, so it is important to know how to build a sense of connection with other people. Even the simplest and smallest moments of connection — like saying hello to our neighbours - can make us feel better about ourselves, give us a sense of purpose and give us more opportunities for getting on in life.

Get into nature Being around nature is one of the great pleasures in life, and provides us with a range of benefits for our well-being. The enjoyment we gain from this experience may be partly due to our appreciation of natural beauty and the wonder of the world around us. Secondly, in nature one finds a sense of peace and a sense of perspective away from the noise and clutter of modern life. But perhaps the most profound pleasure of all that results from a trip into natural surroundings is the simple experience of just living, and sitting quietly within an environment where hundreds of other creatures and plants are doing the same — going through the various physical processes that constitute being alive.

This helps us to realise that, whatever worries, complexities or troubles exist in our hectic human lives and the modern world, ultimately our lives both as individuals and as a species are just another part of this natural show playing out around us as we sit in the countryside. When we see ourselves like this, life really becomes quite simple, and this can bring us a profound sense of calm and a reduction in stress.

For centuries, religions have provided many people with the chance to tackle these questions, but as the West has become less religious, nothing has moved in to take its place in helping people to explore their inner lives. We therefore need new institutions and a new way of talking about our inner lives that is open to everyone. Despite the lack of appropriate institutions and language to help us explore our inner lives, we can each start exploring them now, for example:. Get involved Being an active participant in the world can give us a sense of involvement and connection with other people, as well as a feeling that we have some control over our lives and the systems that govern us.

We all have skills, time and energy that we can contribute. This process of taking part can take place on a number of levels — from helping to fundraise for your local community centre through to emailing your MP about a global issue you particularly care about. Keep learning Learning is one of the great pleasures of life, and should be something we do throughout our lives, rather than simply stopping when we leave school.

You are here

There is always something interesting and useful to learn — whether it is learning more about the world around you, researching your family tree, learning how to play an instrument, visiting a museum or art gallery or trying a new language. Learning can also be an inexpensive or free pastime when you make use of great facilities like public libraries , and is a fulfilling and cheap alternative to buying more stuff. Learning can keep us feeling young and energetic, give us a challenge and provide us with a sense of purpose in life.

Get healthy In the modern world it is easy to fall into the trap of a sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle — this might be due to the pace and pressure of modern life or the comforts and conveniences provided by modern technology — from televisions to microwaves. A healthy physical lifestyle — including healthy eating and regular exercise - is however a vital component of our well-being.

We just have to look at the benefits of exercise to illustrate this. Regular exercise is not only good for our physical health — it is also great for our minds. It can not only make you feel happier and more positive but also more alert and able to think better. You can do it on your own or use it as another way of connecting with people — joining a local sport club or exercise group can not only make you more motivated to do exercise but can also put you in touch with lots of other people with similar interests. Do the things that matter to you We have listed a number of factors that could improve your well-being and help you to flourish, but in the end, you know yourself best.

1. Tax Revolt:An American Insurrection.
2. Lernende Organisation im Mittelstand (German Edition)?
3. La Passion cathare - Tome 2 (French Edition).

Think about what matters to you in life — what are the things that give your life the greatest pleasure and meaning? Try to think about these things away from the pressures of modern society so that you find your genuine priorities rather than being influenced by the dominant views of society. For example, if spending more time with your family is more important to you than having a high-flying career, trust your views, even if they go against the grain of our status-driven society. We hope that this guide has provided you with some useful ideas on how to live a happier, wiser and more meaningful life within the pressures and complexity of the modern world.

If you found it useful, please tell your friends and other contacts about it. For more ideas, advice and detail on many of the points mentioned in this booklet, visit www. Then why not check out our other free publications on this site? Have a browse now! Skip to main content. It's a great introduction to some of our work at Life Squared.

Search form

How to live with greater self-determination The first item in our survival kit for modern life is one of the most important, and influences how we approach all the other elements. Here are some basic ideas on how to protect your identity: Know yourself — try to develop an honest sense of what you are really about, including what makes you happy and fulfilled, what makes you unhappy or uncomfortable, what your priorities are in life and how you really want to live.

Be happy with yourself — an important ingredient in your flourishing is learning to be happy with yourself or at least accepting who you are. This includes accepting our natural tendencies, qualities and physical features and realising that we are neither perfect nor imperfect — we are just ourselves. It also means seeing the best in ourselves and making the best of ourselves.

Be kind to yourself — you have enough to deal with in life, and the last thing you need is to attack yourself with self-doubt, negative thoughts, or other self-destructive thinking, such as dwelling too much on what people think of you. If you find these self-defeating thoughts emerging, remind yourself to be a friend to yourself!

1. .
2. Matthew Pooles Commentary on the Holy Bible - Book of Joshua (Annotated)?
3. Influence et manipulation (French Edition)?
4. 7 Tiny Steps for the Beginner Minimalist - Be More with Less!
5. .
6. Kill Me Now!?

Be yourself - trust yourself and be comfortable with your judgements unless you have good reason not to — stay open minded but resist attacks to your identity. This will help you to live on your own terms, rather than feeling you have to follow others, for example in deciding the pace you want to live your life at. Here are some ways to build your resilience: Also, start to see any adversity you encounter or major challenges you meet in a wider context. Involve yourself in your community — as the Young Foundation says, we take our cues from the society around us and learn by mimicry.

So, if we are involved in a community that is resilient, trusting and supportive, this will help us to be so too. Find a pillar of support — find a person or organisation that believes in you, makes you feel stronger, and can be responsive and reliable if you need them. This pillar could take many forms — it could per a person such as a mentor, partner, colleague or friend, or an institution or group of people — such as a group of friends, club or a church.