The Most Useful Simple Living Resources, Articles and Information I've Come Across This Spring
Links, Substacks, and ideas to execute
Living a simpler, easier life is not an easy pursuit.
We live in a world where bigger and busier is better. Where you’re expected to self-optimize everything.
It’s not a path to take alone and without resources.
I’m always on the hunt for new resources to share with you lot and I especially love finding information that’s a bit different from the usual schtick.
So here’s my Spring roundup for articles, Substacks, and resources designed to make your life that little bit easier.
Substacks to subscribe to
I love
’s Creatively Conscious Substack for some well-needed tranquility.’s “Everyday Drinking” is not simple-living specific but this is a life-encompassing concept that includes becoming more intentional with what you drink as much as anything else. Jason will help get you there. can give you a well-needed visual break to your day. It also makes me want to take up drawing.If you’re thinking about living a simple life on the road,
by my good friend Rowena Hennigan will fill you with inspiration.I will always recommend my friends
and 's Substacks for anyone who wants to think about money. They are respectively:Articles that will speak to you
This article by
about finding creativity and peace in the negative spaces of our life hit me right in the feels.knocked it out of the park with this article about how terrifying food waste really is.I will always read anything Kathryn Jeezer-Morton writes about mom culture because it’s always fascinating. This one called “what is it about the magic of Disney World” will have you thinking hard about whether the cost of Disney World is really worth it.
The following articles are on Medium which is where I do a lot of my reading. You need a membership to read more than a couple of articles a month, which is $5 a month or $50 a year. You can sign up here.
Shani Silver talks about her resistance to the lingering effects of early noughties startup culture (i.e. grind until you drop) in this fantastic piece.
John Gorman’s article All These Insufferable AI Bros Were CryptoBros Last Year pours some well-needed water over the AI worry we’re facing right now.
Listen to Anastasia Frugaard when she tells you she maximized her life by minimizing noise, people, space, and possessions.
If you’re always feeling guilty for not being a morning person, Sean Kernan has some news for you in his article Stop Telling Me To Wake Up Early.
My husband Sam will give you 9 simple truths he’s learned by living out of a suitcase for two years.
Speaking of my husband’s work, I frequently think about this amazing story he wrote after taking a headphone-less walk in Dubrovnik during the pandemic.
Physical resources to help you live an easier, less hectic life
I may be a bit late to the party but I borrowed my friend's noise-cancelling headphones the other day and man, they’re incredible. Recommending hard.
His were the Sony WH-1000XM4 but I hear Bose makes an excellent pair too.
I’ve recommended this before but I’m doing so again because it’s so damn good - the Bullet Journal.
For two years I’ve been a bullet journaler. I don’t subscribe to all the fancy bullet journals you see all over YouTube because I’m not an artist. But the method works super well whether you’re artistic or not and it’s a great way to document your life. I use the Leuchtturm A5 dotted notebooks because they’re beautiful.
You can read more about the bullet journal method here.
Being a full-time traveler means I don’t have much control over my sleeping situation. And sleep is a big part of living a simpler life (because nothing feels simple if you’re sleep deprived).
I have a travel sleep kit that comes with me wherever I go. It includes:
A few pairs of very good foam earplugs that block out almost all noise
A very crappy old eyemask which I refuse to throw out because it’s very lightweight and not made of plastic (which so many seem to be) so it feels like I’m hardly wearing a anything.
A memory foam pillow.
If I was at home I would also go for a memory foam mattress topper (or mattress), a breathable duvet that’s one size bigger than the bed (makes a huge difference to comfort), cotton sheets, and blackout blinds.
When it comes to living more simply, I can’t recommend upgrading your sleeping situation enough.
Online resources
I’m slowly getting acquainted with Notion, an online workspace, and planner to get my life in order. Although I like to use my bullet journal for this as much as possible (there’s something rather effective about writing everything down in pen), if you’re looking for an online system, Notion would be my go-to.
If walking and hiking are part of your simple life, the Maps.me app is incredible. You can download comprehensive maps of whole areas that show not just roads but paths too. This app has saved me from getting lost up a mountainside more times than I care to mention.
A big part of living a simple living life is about being intentional with your food and drink. It’s why I write about food every single week.
To that extent, these are three food and drink apps I love using to assist in making more intentional choices:
For wine - Raisin natural wine app will tell you where to locally pick up or drink natural wine.
For coffee - my husband runs Kava, a specialty coffee shop app that offers a curated list of amazing coffee shops across Europe.
Too Good To Go is an app where shops and restaurants offer surplus food at a discounted rate. This is a great resource in the fight against food waste.
Interesting stuff, Charlie. I've been hearing more about Notion. Does it have a steep learning curve?