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  • Published: 15 January 2008
  • ISBN: 9780812976007
  • Imprint: Random House US Group
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $45.00

The Not So Big Life

Making Room for What Really Matters




A revelatory way to think about remodeling our lives to create a tailor-made blueprint for living, debunking the myth that a bigger life is actually a better life, for readers of M. Scott Peck and Joseph Campbell.

Have you ever found yourself asking, “How did my life get so out of control?” Or wondering if this bigger life you have created is actually a better life?

Most of us have lives that are as cluttered with unwanted obligations as our attics are cluttered with things. The bigger-is-better idea that triggered the explosion of McMansions has spilled over to give us McLives–leaving us with chaotic, overcommitted schedules and no time to do what we want to do.

In The Not So Big Life, architect Sarah Susanka expands her revolutionary philosophy on inhabiting space to show us how to better inhabit our lives. Through simple exercises and inspiring stories, Susanka reveals that all we need to do is make small shifts in our day–subtle movements that open our minds as if we were opening windows to let in fresh air. The result: We quickly discover that we have all the space and time we need for the things in our lives that really matter. These small changes can yield great rewards. In her elegant, clear style, Susanka convinces us that less is truly more–much more.

  • Published: 15 January 2008
  • ISBN: 9780812976007
  • Imprint: Random House US Group
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $45.00

About the author

Sarah Susanka

SARAH SUSANKA, FAIA, cultural visionary and ground-breaking architect, launched a revolution in residential design with her bestseller, THE NOT SO BIG HOUSE (Taunton, 1998). She was named a Global Leader for Tomorrow by Newsweek magazine and lives in Raleigh, NC.

Praise for The Not So Big Life

"It is a beguiling paradox that while, from the ancients onward, humankind has always known what it takes to lead a happy life, few people choose to live it. We so easily worship false idols. It is left to prophets, seers, and other wise people to remind us of what we habitually forget. Susan Susanka, in her disguise as an architect, is such a wise person. Her message is the most important message there is: how to live. Not only does she tackle the question, she answers it beautifully, persuasively, provocatively, specifically, and lovingly. This is a magnificent book."
--Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., author of CrazyBusy and Delivered from Distraction

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