When Less Becomes More

Making Space for Slow, Simple, and Good

By: Emily Ley

Narrated by: Emily Ley

Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

Statistics don’t lie. Moms today are more fatigued, burned out, and overwhelmed than ever. Smartphones constantly ping and alert and demand our attention. And social media can eat up hours of our days with mindless scrolling and tapping while leaving many feeling empty and lonely. Add to that family commitments, work that is accessible around the clock, and overscheduling, and you have a life that can feel unmanageable and frantic...even running on empty.

Best-selling author and founder of Simplified Emily Ley shares how to live a life of more in a world that often overwhelms to the point of burnout in When Less Becomes More. Emily empathizes with mothers in the throes of exhaustion and provides tools for nourishing their spirits and achieving a life where less becomes more.

In this audiobook, Emily Ley, author of the best-selling Grace, Not Perfection and A Simplified Life, takes listeners on a journey out of that empty place and shows them how to fill their wells with the nourishment that only true connection can provide. She also presents some radical concepts that push against the tethers of modern life, with the promise that more of the good stuff comes when we say yes to less of what keeps us empty:

•  Less Rush, More Rhythm
• Less Liking, More Loving
• Less Noise, More Calm
• Less Distraction, More Connection
• Less Frenzy, More Soul Rest
• Less Fake, More Real
• Less Fear, More Community
• Less Great, More Good
• Less Chasing, More Cherishing
• Less Stuff, More Treasures 

Getting to more might require some outside-the-box changes, some unraveling of the patterns listeners have adopted, and some reworking of the day to day. Listeners can build a life based on their core values instead of slipping into a life dictated by society or what’s “normal”. Because we weren't made for normal. We were made for more - for a life of fullness, dreaming, and lasting joy.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Emily Ley (P)2019 Thomas Nelson

Review by a Kidless, Single, Late-Twenties Atheist

Don't let my headliner scare you! I just wanted to express one surprising kind of audience that still gained something out of this book. I actually really enjoyed this listen. This book is definitely geared towards the modern day Christian woman. I didn't realize this was published by a "Christian" publisher, but that quickly explained why "God" was thrown around so much. I was able to personally 'listen' past it and set aside my differences to get to the good content. This author has a lot of GOOD to share with people: Good advice, good perspectives, and a good story to tell it all. The only concept I tilted my head at was that women were not built (or in her words, 'created by God') to handle so many things on our plates. I think this extends to men, too. Really, it involves everyone these days. None of us have evolved to handle the technology we are surrounded by on an hourly and nearly constant basis. But seeing as this is aimed at helping women with burnout, I digress. In regards to the book, I found the format of explaining her real life, personal examples to be very digestible and therefore very easy to listen to. I found that her approach made the topic of "less is more" seem accessible and practical no matter your circumstances or beliefs, and am convinced that we need to stop burning ourselves out and set some boundaries for ourselves without fearing backlash or fallout from peers. I would recommend anybody listens to this just to realize how much rest we all really need, and how to take small steps to get it!

Disappointing

Wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be. Talked a little too much about her family life and her life instead of telling us how to actually slow down and lead a simpler life. It didn’t inspire me as much as thought it would, I just felt like I learned a lot about her life but not much about what I should do with mine which was the purpose.

Life Changing

Lately a lot has change in my life, from being close to graduation to having a boyfriend, as someone who not only was single for 5 years, but also as a survivor, I lost myself into the things that were expected of me, the way I was supposed to act, the way I was supposed to feel, and somewhere along the way of trying to survived I lost myself.
Since a few weeks back I started to reclaim myself, to let Michelle back to life, to know that all the lies I was being told were just that lies, and now I feel like myself for the first time in forever.
“Finding your way back to you is where the REFUELING, REPLENISHING, REFRESHING part of the journey really begins to unfold.”
This quote is part of #WhenLessBecomesMore from Emily Ley and the day I saw it I broke down, there’s so much truth to this phrase, but I’m so excited to see what’s next in my life for maybe the first time in my life ♥️

I returned it after about ten minutes of listening

I returned it after about ten minutes of listening. The description and sample hadn't prepared me for the fact that it was going to talk about God so much. Not for me. Thanks, though.

So, so good!

I am a first time mom of a sweet 6month old boy, full time attorney, and dogged perfectionist. This book in this season of life was exactly what I needed. I listened to the whole book in a day and a half, sobbing in my car on my way to and from work to Emily’s words. Her writing style is authentic and relatable. The way she talks about the stressors in her own life made me feel like we were girlfriends talking over coffee. Her encouragement to give up “great” for “good” is exactly what I need in life, especially right now when I feel pressure from a thousand different areas. It’s a reminder of what is really important in life- and what isn’t. This book so so, so good. It really spoke to my heart.

Reminders for a Chaotic life

I loved this book. The layout, the story, the strength. A reminder to all of us that more stuff does not equate happiness. Family, time spent making memories is where our time should be invested. Lovely read

Missing content

The whole book is tell the story of the author's life experiences, telling you that it's okay to do what I do. Missing content

A must have to listen to again and again

I was crying within the first 5 minutes and it definitely spoke straight to my soul. So needed and oh so good! Will definitely be listening to this every year.

Slow Down and Enjoy Your Life

I was excited to get into this book as a person who seeks a more minimal life. It wasn’t what I expected; it was better. Emily’s soft voice and realistic story telling are rejuvenating. This book gave me so many reminders to slow down, prioritize, and savor the everyday blessings. I’m a young wife, a teacher, and a women who enjoys finding bliss in having a simple life. Whether you have kids or not, this book is for you. It exceeded my expectations. I know many people like to listen to audiobooks on 1.25-1.5x speed. Don’t. Enjoy this one. Take in every word and reflect on what you want your life to look like. This is a book I can see myself listening to again and again.

A book every woman should read!

Emily Ley’s When Less Becomes More is a book every woman (from any stage of life) should read. She so perfectly puts in to words what we are all feeling in this day in age. Business, over-commitment, and anxiety have taken grasp over so many women in today’s society. Emily gets to the heart of the matter and challenges you to reevaluate everything. I couldn’t recommend this book more.

avoid

Typical self help. But avoid if you don't want God and conservative values rammed down your throat

Silencing the digital noise and slowing the pace

Soothing and calming voicebook about silencing the digital noise around us and slowing the pace.

not very relatable when you aren't a mother

Great narration. A little long winded. Not really useful, applicable if you aren't a mom with a business.