Living Slower: Simple Ideas to Eliminate Excess and Make Time for What Matters

by Merissa A. Alink

In an increasingly complex and chaotic world, we yearn to live a little slower, a little simpler.

For popular lifestyle blogger Merissa A. Alink, living slower has enabled her to eat healthier, develop stronger relationships with her friends and family, save money by spending less, and have more "in-real-life" time with her kids instead of more screen time. It has given her family more time to plant gardens, can produce, and sit down to wholesome, home-cooked meals. It has allowed her to do what is needed rather than what is expected.

Now she shares the secrets to living a simpler, slower life with anyone who is tired of feeling anxious, frenzied, or disconnected from the natural rhythms of life. She helps you reevaluate your priorities, seek God first, and take small steps toward a life more in line with your values, including decluttering to create space in your home and your mind, making simple and healthy meals, taking a weekly Sabbath, limiting the influence of media, and taking time to nurture your most important relationships.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Growth, Parenting, Family

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2022

About the author

Merissa Alink loves living the simple life and blogging about it at www.LittleHouseLiving.com. Merissa and her family live on a small farm in South Dakota where she makes the most with what she has and believes she can show you how to do the same, no matter where you live or what your income level is.

Reviews

[Pamela Hand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you ever hear the saying: the more I hurry, the more I get behind? I think that saying may be Pennsylvania Dutch. If that is you, consider reading this book. There are many things touched on in this book. It is best read front to back. Slowly, of course. I would suggest praying before or during the early chapters of this book. Why? Books seems to speak to me, in a deeper way, when I do so. It is good to remember that there is no perfect way to experience Living Slower. The author does not give checklists, pep-talks, etc. The authentic sharing is a life and family story of living in a counter-cultural Christian way. I live that way, daily and am eager to read and reread this book. Sometimes, I add a little humor to our family life, laugh and say we are living a 1970's economic life as a Christian family. Who knows if our American society is going back to that? At any rate, someone has to mention that there is another way to live to the rest of us. A meaningful life is more important than a distracted, rushed life. It will always be a struggle to slow down. This book gives you and I some things to consider in how to live life on a slower, deeper level. Every little bit helps!

[Angie Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It speaks to all aspects of my life right now! Merissa does a great job breaking down the best way to live a much simpler and slower life without making you feel overwhelmed. I like that she suggests to put the book down whenever you need to work on a certain chapter. I especially appreciated that this is a God centered book. This book is for anyone who is ready to make more time for what matters in their lives, as time is precious and we waste so much of it.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet book, encouraging living a more simple life. I bought this on a whim while ordering some other books recently. After it came in, I realized it was the same author who wrote Little House Living, which I really enjoyed reading some time last year. This book shares her story, along with simple advice and practical suggestions, and sprinkled with Biblical encouragement. I must live more simply than I thought because there wasn't much that really challenged me to improve in these areas. However, I still thought it was a good book, and I'm sure there are others who could really benefit from it. Not that I have "arrived," we have just come to value a slower paced life, home-cooked meals, limited screen time, minimal clutter, etc. Also, I'm an older mother/wife/homemaker now and have learned a few things over the years. Had I read this book in my 20s, I probably would have found it super helpful.

[Elizabeth Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

In an easy-to-read format, Merissa shares so many good ideas on how to simplify various areas of your life so that you have time to devote to what you truly value. Some of these areas include decluttering, meal planning, scheduling, and holidays. She encourages you to live slower and more simply so that you are able to seek the kingdom of God first by loving God and loving others. I have already started incorporating some of her ideas and I am planning to read the book again in order to incorporate more!

[Meredith Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of the advice in this book wasn’t super applicable since it’s mostly oriented toward people with kids. I still enjoyed reading about the concept of simple living, just not my cup of tea

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you constantly feel rushed, even when you’re doing nothing, and just blame it on living in this modern world?

While there is a lot going on all around us, we don’t have to let ourselves get carried away with the busyness so much that we lose the peaceful, slow moments that let us connect with our loved ones on a deeper level.

I’ve followed Merissa at Little House Living for awhile and love her blog, so when I saw she was coming out with a new book, I knew I wanted to get a copy. She shares her family’s story and practical tips (and even recipes!) to help you and your family go from always being rushed to being able to slow down and savor your life, even the everyday parts like changing diapers or washing the dishes.

One of my favorite quotes from her book is:
“Living slower does not mean having a boring life. It just means that we are more intentional with our time.”

When we just let ourselves be carried away with everything going on around us, we can end up letting life “happen” to us instead of curating a life filled with things that help us grow closer to God and to our families.

If you would like to live a slower life that’s more focused on the things that matter to you, I would recommend checking out this book and Merissa’s blog as well!

[Gabie Peacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet and motivating book for living a slow and intentional lifestyle. I appreciated the personal stories and practical tips intertwined throughout the book. Although I did not agree with all of Merissa's theological conclusions, I appreciated her encouragement to do all things for the glory of God. This book serves as a good reminder for those who already practice slow living and a "how to get started" for anybody wanting practical help for beginning this lifestyle in their current situations.

[The audiobook narration was difficult for me. It could just be my personal taste, or because the narrator sounds exactly like the "CALM" app lady I use for a panic attack 🤣]

[Eliza Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Little House Living, especially her intro chapters, so when this book was announced I preordered it. Her writing is restful and encouraging. The info doesn’t add new content to the minimalism/simplifying/Christian Mom genre, but it is written in a way that refreshes and inspires.

[Janelle G · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was no new information in this book that isn’t already floating around in other books on simplifying. However, Merissa does a good job of explaining why it is beneficial as a Christian to examine your lifestyle and simplify life. It is a way of serving your family and those around you. She doesn’t give you much for prescriptive steps to simplify your life but instead gives examples from her own life and poses questions for you to contemplate and act from your own answers. Reading the book reminded me a lot of the reasoning behind the Mennonite cookbook More with Less. I would definitely recommend the book to spark thought into why you want to simplify and to help construct your “why” for simplifying life. If you are looking for a check list of things to do in order to simplify life then this book is probably not what you are looking for.

[Elanor Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up from my local library as I've been thinking a lot recently about how to make life feel "slower" and less hectic. The blurb suggests the book will provide, "simple ideas to eliminate excess and make time for what matters," which is exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately, the book isn't so much about streamlining the life I have, but is more a manifesto for a radical shift in my life to one involving a less stressful job, minimal possessions, maximum family time, and lots of canning vegetables.

If it wasn't for the mismatch between what it promises and what it delivers, this could be a good book. If you're interested in living a "slower" life in the way Alink does, in that you want to live in the countryside, homeschool your children, and spend lots of time camping, then this book is packed full of practical suggestions for how to make that happen. She provides plenty of tips and tricks for all sorts of areas, from hospitality to decluttering, and even offers an appendix of recipes to simplify meal prep. She's also clear on the message that we don't need to do everything, and that we shouldn't be constantly racing to keep up with society's expectations. If this quiet lifestyle is what you're after, Alink's book will be an excellent resource.

The issue is that, for anyone who would like to live in a city/town, hold down a full time job, and engage in a vibrant social life, there's little here to help us out. As someone living in a British town rather than the middle-of-nowhere America, much of what Alink suggests simply doesn't apply (growing your own veg isn't so feasible when you've got only a few square feet of garden). More significantly, many of her suggestions presume a set of priorities that simply won't be universal. Her life is obviously very focussed on her immediate family, to the point where she notes that she has only enough dishes for her family (how she exercises hospitality with so few dishes is unclear) and she gives the reader permission to never celebrate an event with anyone outside their immediate family if they don't want to. While my perspective on this issue might shift, as I'm not yet a mother, I'd like to think that even if I have children I'd still want our household to be much more outward-focussed than the image we get of Alink's life. Obviously, she should do what's right for her family, but at times it feels like she doesn't realise other people have different priorities than what fits within her vision of a "slow" life.

One final note: as I picked this up from a public library, I expected it would be written largely for a general audience, with a vague Christian bent (due to the mention of God on the back cover). Instead, the book contains a significant discussion of Alink's faith journey, and ties most of its points to biblical truths. While, as a Christian, I appreciated this element, I'm not sure quite enough was done in the packaging of this book to emphasize how central Christianity is to its main points.

Overall, I'm sure Alink's book will resonate with many Christian women desiring a simpler, more rural lifestyle. For those of us, however, who are looking to keep our current lives but just streamline things a little, there's little here that will be relevant. If that's you, I'd recommend authors Laura Vanderkam and Kendra Adachi, who tackle the same issue (feeling frantic trying to do it all) but without asking us to complete change our priorities.

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book! In some ways, I'm not sure why I read it as I feel I've already made this journey and am staying the course. I did enjoy it though. It sort of helped validate for me that there's nothing "wrong" with me. She mentions living somewhere cell service (lack thereof) helps limit that stressor. A constantly buzzing and beeping phone trying to pull you in every few minutes. I just shut the volume (and vibrate) completely off on mine. I do check it a few times during business hours throughout the day if my husband is working or I'm expecting an important call. Otherwise, I try to just ignore it, except in the morning as I'm "waking up" to scroll the news for a few minutes and again at bed to make sure I don't need to return any calls the next day. People survived for THOUSANDS of years without phones and instant communication. I'm not sure when everyone decided it was "rude" not to answer someone back with minutes, if not seconds.

There were some good reminders in here about God's intent for us. Even if you feel you're already ahead of the game in the "living simple" department, you'll probably still pull some nuggets out of here. If you're no where close to slowing down, I feel this book has excellent advice. I definitely recommend.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who isn’t religious any longer, I still think it’s important for people to read this book. I have a similar personality to the author and although I wasn’t blessed with adopting like I had originally hoped. I was given one natural child. We love to garden and enjoy nature. I preserve food and we have allergies and dietary needs that prevent us from eating some ‘regular’ foods. I understand how the author felt to write out some things that happened that had to grow their family in a better direction and she gives so many great points on how to live in slower more sustainable lifestyle and ultimately improves the health and happiness in the home. My takeaway as I already follow so many of these things is to not worry about the subjects I wanted to teach my child as we can never seem to get to it. I should just focus on the ones that truly matter for her.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be interesting and challenging. Merissa offers a good argument for and helpful tips on how to implement a slower, more minimalist lifestyle, reminding people to evaluate each activity of life and deliberately select those activities you choose to include in your life based on the value that activity adds to your life. She applies the same approach to possessions, keeping only those things that have value and usefulness to life so as to not have to take care of a large volume of stuff that is of little use to us and keeps us from meeting our goals in life.
While I'm fairly certain I'll never come close to her level of minimalizing, I appreciated the challenge as well as the reminder to "set your affections on things above" and be deliberate in my choices, rather than fall into default mode as is so often the case.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I think it might have been a little more helpful when my kids were small. But I still found things I didn’t know or maybe that I just had not thought about. Being a Christian woman, I liked seeing which scriptures the author used in enlightening the readers to further explain her point. Whether you are a young mother or a grandmother like myself, I think you will enjoy this book. I do recommend it. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Btw, this is a quick read. I chose to treat it like a devotional, reading one chapter per day, so it took longer.

[Sukriti · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Living Slower: Simple Ideas to Eliminate Excess and Make Time for What Matters" by Merissa A. Alink is an inspiring guide for anyone seeking a more meaningful and less chaotic life. Alink offers practical advice on decluttering not just our homes, but also our schedules and minds. Her approach to simplifying life and prioritizing what truly matters is both relatable and achievable. The book is filled with easy-to-follow tips and real-life examples, making the journey towards a slower, more intentional life seem attainable. It's a must-read for those looking to escape the relentless pace of modern life and embrace a more fulfilling, simplified lifestyle.

[Amy Juett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical tips and a soul rejuvenating message.

Like the author, I spent many years striving, consuming, trying to do “it all” and have spent the last few years slowing down and living more intentionally. Even though I had seen or heard some of the tips, the way the author presented them was fresh, down to earth, and heartfelt…like they were being shared by a friend while we were sitting on the front porch drinking fresh lemonade. Whether you are new to the idea of living slower or farther along on the journey, this book will brings insight, encouragement, and practical tips.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the examples given for ways to integrate slowing down into my life. This is a great read. I'm a busy mom with young children, and this was a great reminder to find easy ways to relieve some of the mental stress that runs through my mind as a mom. The real life examples have been easy for me to find ways to integrate into my day to day life.

I've followed this author for a number of years at Little House Living, and she does a great job of sharing her story and how this has made a difference for her.

[Ashley Kaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Merissa Alink is an excellent writer. You can tell by the way she weaves this book together she's very thoughtful and cares deeply about this subject. However, if you've already read any self-help books about decluttering, organizing, or simplifying this doesn't add much to the conversion. If you want what the other books do, but add Bible verses then yes. This is the book you want to read.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Cindi Gagliardi · Rating 1 out of 5]

“She helps you seek God first” should be changed to…”She relates every part of this book to your relationship with God”. Even though I’m not religious, I can still appreciate a book with even a chapter about how a slower life correlates to a relationship with God, but it’s every single chapter at this point and should have been much more clearly stated in the info about the book so people like me, who don’t wish to read about that in EVERY chapter can avoid purchasing.

[Shanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
If you want a book to help you minimize your home, schedule, holidays, etc. this book has some pretty good tips. It's not as focused on a theology of home like Every Home a Foundation (which I loved) "our home tasks have eternal value". This book is more about minimalism with an option to fill your extra time with God. It was worthwhile and I will probably revisit for recipes and to help declutter.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an ok book about living slower, with some good ideas overall, but just a bit too little inspiring. If you look for a book that will help you live slower, maybe this is the one - but since I was not in the right audience at time of reading it fell moot. I think it tries to cover too much ground, instead of being more focused on the approach and the uniqueness of the author's experience.

[Leah Whitford · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might disagree with some of the minimalist extents or religious beliefs, but it's definitely a good, encouraging, thought-provoking book! I especially loved the chapter about getting rid of unnecessary belongings. I like the useful list of questions to ask yourself, as well as the emphasis on multiple tries/run-throughs.

[Lindsay]

Could have interesting concepts; I couldn’t get through the first chapter of homegrown God-fearing happiest-nuclear-family rhetoric to find out. If you wanted to write a sermon, say it’s a sermon. Oof.

[Chantel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Not bad. Not good. Just okay. I think it was maybe dry versions of everything else I’ve heard my entire life. Maybe if you’re just reading about simplicity for the first time it’ll be better for you? But for me it was kind of like a cliff notes book of everything else I’ve ever read.

[Jennifer Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not what I expected, but I loved it. My favorite chapters were the ones on decluttering, and slowing down. Practical advice. We could all benefit from living life a little slower.

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Nothing new here, maybe because I follow her blog.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book. Well worth reading.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had some good ideas but was overly simplistic, vague, and boring. I basically ended up skimming it.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

What in the handmaid’s tale did I just read??

[Dani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very simplistic and way too religious for me.