These amazing books on slow living will give you ideas to start a slower and simpler life and will keep you inspired.
From short beginner’s guides to philosophical musings on today’s stress, there’s a wide variety of slow living books for every stage of your journey to simplicity.
You are reading: Books on slow living
here are the slow life books you should read:
1. simple destiny, by brooke mcalary
simple destiny is a simple and very basic introduction to the elements of slow life.
is a no-nonsense guide that focuses on ways to reduce the busyness with habits like single-tasking, unplugging from social media, and practicing gratitude.
There are practical tips on how to slow down and establish relaxing rhythms in the morning and evening to anchor your day. The chapters are readable with checklists, step-by-step guides, and bullet points showing how to implement the ideas in real life. even if you have kids.
mcalary, host of the slow home podcast, says the book is about being intentional with your daily actions and creating the life you want. but it is also realistic. Creating change in your life takes effort, time, and energy, but the rewards are huge.
The book offers insight into how monotasking brings you to the present moment and leads to more focused work. There are also ideas on how unplugging from social media leads to more creativity and better conversations.
mcalary also suggests making an achievable list of your 3 most pressing daily tasks. and do that first instead of struggling with a winding to-do list.
Recommended For: The busy beginner looking for an accessible, easy-to-read guide to slow living.
featured quotes:
“we forget how to simply be. how to immerse ourselves in whatever is in front of us. how to truly engage in face-to-face conversation, personal connections, and true downtime. And we’re burning we are addicted to this digital connection. we are afraid that if we disconnect we will miss something.”
“achieving and then maintaining a state of balanced perfection would be incredibly stressful and unfulfilling. instead, you must understand that your time is limited and valuable. and you can choose where to place your energies, depending on where they should be.”
2. essentialism, by greg mckeown
essentialism advocates doing less, but doing it better with more focus. It’s not about doing faster, but about doing the right thing to have the greatest impact.
The book was inspired by the author’s personal experiences. Author Greg McKeown had rushed to a client meeting the day after his daughter’s birth, while his wife lay in the hospital. Later, even the client lost respect for him and McKeown began to ponder his misplaced priorities. he realized that if you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.
essentialism is basically a guide to being more productive and effective at work and is full of anecdotes from the business world.
makes a compelling case for eliminating drudgery and avoiding social pressure to focus on truly impactful work. When you spend your time and energy on fewer things, you’ll make more significant progress.
The book argues that you really can’t have it all. There are also pointers on how to discern the trivial from the vital and be more discerning with your time. Mckeown argues that saying “no” is a skill that requires courage and some tough decisions.
There are also chapters on looking at the big picture so you don’t indiscriminately jump at every opportunity. other sections cover the importance of play to broaden your perspective and sleep to recharge.
recommended for: the worker who is feeling too pressured, overworked and dissatisfied. anyone who has ever said “yes” to commitments and then regretted it.
featured quotes:
“if you believe that being too busy and overloaded is evidence of productivity, then you probably believe that creating space to explore, think and reflect should be kept to a minimum. however, these very activities are the antidote to the non-essential busyness that infects so many of us. rather than trivial deviations, they are essential to distinguish what is actually a trivial deviation from what is truly essential.”
“The path of the non-essentialist is to go big on everything: try to do it all, have it all, fit it all. the non-essentialist operates under the false logic that the more you try, the more you will achieve. , but the reality is that the more we look for the stars, the more difficult it is to take off.”
3. in praise of slowness, by carl honore
In Praise of Slowness is a fascinating look at how speed permeates every facet of our lives, from orgasm-oriented sex to the fast-paced pace of classical music concerts.
carl honore looks at the cult of speed from a historical and cultural perspective. and his journalistic style is accumulated in a multitude of interviews, anecdotes and statistics.
honore chronicles the slow movement from suburban maryland (where a new style of architecture prioritizes communities over cars) to rome and the origins of the slow food movement as a reaction against the opening of mcdonald’s on the spanish steps .
The book traces the origins of the modern world’s preoccupation with speed, from the first public clocks in medieval town squares to the punch clocks of the industrial revolution.
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The following chapters cover other facets of our lives. there is slow food as a reaction against industrial agriculture, obesity and junk food, in favor of seasonal products and artisanal production. there are slow cities in italy and beyond that have reduced noise and traffic and increased green spaces.
and there are growing trends like tantric sex and meditation with their power to heighten insight and creativity. There’s also the rise of hobbies like knitting and gardening that were once considered old-fashioned but now offer an antidote to the cult of efficiency.
honor chronicles how slow motion has seeped into medicine. doctors are pushing to spend more time with patients as more people turn to alternative medicine with its slower, more holistic approach.
Recommended For: Anyone interested in how society started to speed up, why that’s not always a good thing, and what’s being done about it.
featured quotes:
“fast and slow do more than just describe a rate of change. they are abbreviations for ways of being or philosophies of life. fast is busy, controlling, aggressive, rushed, analytical, stressed, superficial, impatient, active, quantity over quality. slow is the opposite: calm, careful, receptive, still, intuitive, unhurried, patient, thoughtful, quality over quantity.”
“what the world needs and what slow motion offers is a middle way, a recipe for marrying la dolce vita with the dynamism of the information age. the secret is balance: instead of doing everything faster, do everything at the right speed. sometimes fast. sometimes slow, and sometimes somewhere in between. being slow means never rushing, never going out of your way to save time for the sake of it.”
4. slow, by brooke mcalary
slow is the story of mcalary’s messy journey to a simpler life. it’s full of personal anecdotes peppered with practical advice on everything from tidying up to fighting perfectionism.
The book begins with chapters on decluttering and decluttering, and the weight our possessions often carry. there are ideas on how to handle uncooperative partners and sort through sentimental items.
mcalary also looks at why we crave material possessions in the first place, whether it’s publicity, our ego, insecurity, or boredom. there are tips on how to share items instead of buying them and how to repair what we already have without stigma.
There is a chapter that explains mindfulness and what it really means. mcalary lists practices like yoga, creativity, and getting outdoors as ways to appreciate the present moment. when we are aware of our thoughts, we also notice the lies and negativity we may be living in, she says.
There is another section on the evils of social media. the online world often means no downtime because we are constantly connected and less confidence because we compare ourselves to others. mcalary provides strategies to combat this overwhelm, whether it’s weekends without phones or without screens at the table.
and while the book covers standard topics like cleanliness and mindfulness, mcalary takes a refreshing approach.
She maintains that slow life requires effort, work and commitment.
slow life is not just moments of tea and incense on a yoga mat.
Recommended for: Those who are overwhelmed and want practical strategies for prioritizing what’s important.
featured quotes:
“Learning to live a slower, simpler life was a similar process. I had to earn my chops. I had to find out what inspired me, what it stood for, what I loved, what I was passionate about and why.”
“do the work of discovering your why… do the work of establishing your own personal philosophy and set of values. do the work of naming the highest and most praiseworthy priorities in your life. then do the work of putting them at the center of your life, every day.”
5. the slow solution, by carl honore
the slow fix is a journalistic look at our addiction to shortcuts. is full of stories about how a slower, holistic approach is better, whether it’s rehab in a Norwegian prison or a school in Los Angeles that addresses the many roots of their problems.
Quick fixes rarely work, whether it’s laying off employees to cut costs or firing a coach after a disappointing football season.
The slow fix explains why we’re hooked on quick fixes and the dopamine-like rush of an easy fix. a slower approach takes more time and effort with uncertain rewards, honore says. our brains like familiar solutions, so we’re less likely to think outside the box. and we are more likely to repeat the mistakes of the past.
society often regards mistakes as a sign of weakness. But the only way to solve problems in an ever-changing world is to keep an open mind and accept your fallibility, says honore.
A slow fix usually starts with admitting there’s a problem, accepting blame, and thinking long and hard. rushing makes us less creative, and all creativity needs an incubation period.
honor lists the elements of a slow solution: from thinking holistically to being detail-oriented. and cites examples of institutions that successfully implement this approach.
There are also chapters on being prepared, the magic of collaboration, and the importance of play in problem solving.
honor is based on examples of slow solutions from around the world. From how Bogota managed to revitalize its downtown to how officials in Spain convinced the majority of the public to accept organ donation.
but the last third of the book gets repetitive. it eventually fades into example after example of good trading strategies.
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Recommended for: Those in businesses and institutions seeking new insights into a slower, more holistic approach to problem solving.
featured quotes:
“Even if everything seems to be accelerating, we are, at the beginning of the 21st century, in an exquisite position to embed the slow fix into the core of our culture. To do so, however, we must tame our addiction to the quick fix. given human biology and the world we inhabit, this will not be easy, but there are ways to inoculate against the rush virus.”
“when tackling difficult problems faster is not always better, the best solutions take flight when we invest enough time, effort and resources.”
6. moving simplicity, by courtney carver
Moving Simplicity recounts how Carver’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis inspired changes in his life, from simplifying to focusing on what’s really important.
carver’s journey was slow but radical nonetheless. he paid off his debt, tidied up, quit his job, moved into a small apartment and deepened their relationships.
talks about her experiences with yoga, the benefits of sleep, and having fewer ends, rather than working hard to make ends meet.
There is a section on how to contact yourself and a section on the carver process to clear your clutter and debt. she examines why we buy and how to let things flow to create more space.
There are great ideas on how to simplify as a family and discuss awkward topics like spending and saving.
carver tells the story of creating his trademark 333 project and dressing in just 33 garments or less for three months. she not only freed her time and money, but also received more praise.
There’s also a section on making time, slowing down, and moving through the day with more intention. Carver’s 21-Day “Busy Boycott” Challenge offers daily prompts to protect your time. There are tips for not letting your phone control your life and opting out of events you don’t want to attend.
Recommended for: People who want slow but radical changes in their life to reduce stress, debt and overload.
featured quotes:
“Simplicity isn’t about organized sock drawers and clean countertops, it’s the start of remembering yourself and it’s your way back to love.”
“It took us a few years to pay off all of our debt, and spending that time changed a lot of our other behaviors, including overspending, recreational shopping, and buying things we thought we should have. the better I felt, the less I cared about upgrading the appliances, buying new carpet for the living room, or building a new deck or fence. we started talking more about what was important to us and what kind of life we wanted to have, how we wanted to support our daughter and what life would be like when we were debt free.”
7. the things you can only see when you slow down, by haemin sunim
things you can only see when you slow down is a collection of reflections on life, love and relationships. Written by an influential Korean Zen Buddhist master, this is a guide to mindfulness in a fast-paced world.
From finding your calling to not caring what other people think, this book reads like advice from a wise grandfather. there are no vignettes or strategies. this book is more about soft and poetic reflections that will make you examine your life.
The book has eight chapters on various aspects of life, from love and friendships to work and aspirations, and how mindfulness can help with all of them.
It is beautifully illustrated with bold and colorful drawings.
and it’s one of those books you can read in one night and reread to find something new each time.
sunim explores facets of slow life such as the importance of tolerance and learning from different spiritual traditions. He also talks about the importance of space and independence in relationships, and the transformative magic of observing your own thoughts and emotions.
The things you can only see when you slow down is a wise and thoughtful Buddhist approach to a slower life.
Recommended for: Those seeking an in-depth Zen Buddhist reflection on mindfulness, and how it affects all aspects of our lives.
featured quotes:
“The world is experienced according to one’s state of mind. when your mind is joyful and compassionate, the world is too… when your mind is full of negative thoughts, the world also seems negative. when you feel overwhelmed and busy, remember that you are not powerless. and when your mind rests, the world also rests.”
“as you get better, you will realize that negative emotion is not a fixed reality. it naturally emerges and recedes into the space of your awareness, regardless of your will. once you wake up to this truth, you will not be swayed by negative emotions and can regard them as a passing cloud instead of identifying with them as a defining part of yourself. don’t fight your negative emotions. watch them and make friends with them.”
I’d love to hear from you! Do you have a favorite book about the slow and easy life?
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