Henry David Thoreau
Count What Is Enough
Before you try to do less, put your year's costs into a ledger
Thoreau, Walden, 'Economy'
He counted first. This asks what to work out before you step back from the race.
What actually happened?
On 4 July 1845 Thoreau moved into the cabin he had built by Walden Pond. Then he did what most people who say they want a simpler life never do: he wrote down every cost. He itemised the boards, nails and bricks of the house, which came to a little over twenty-eight dollars, and then the food, clothes and fuel. He concluded that about six weeks of paid work a year would cover all his expenses. The rest of the year he used to read, walk and write.
Four needs, each written down
He cut necessities down to four, food, shelter, clothing and fuel, and recorded what he actually spent on each. Most people who say they want to spend less are describing a feeling. He ended up holding a number.
Sort the last three months into food, housing, getting about and utilities, and see which one is the big one.
The number tells you how long you must work
What had to be bought with labour turned out to be a few weeks of the year. The rest was not idleness. It was the very thing the rest of us work flat out to buy: time of our own.
Divide your fixed monthly costs by your daily pay and see how many days of work cover them.
His number is not yours
He lived on land belonging to his friend Emerson, a mile or so outside Concord, and often walked into town to dine with friends. His ledger had conditions. What travels is his habit of keeping it, not his figures.
Do not say 'Thoreau needed twenty-eight dollars'. Say 'what did my own year actually cost?'
How do I use it today?
Where you are: you want to step back from the grind, but fear that once you slow down you will fall behind.
Ask first: what does my year really cost, and which parts are things I need versus things I buy so as not to be outdone?
Where it goes wrong: reading it as 'the less the better'. He counted to find where enough sits, not to see who could spend least. Once you know it is enough, stop there.
Lines to keep
To do less, first write the year's costs down.
Whether it is enough is a number, not a feeling.
Borrow his habit of counting, not his figures.
Same situation, other people are asking
I don't want to compete and I'm afraid of being left behind.Everyone stays late. I feel guilty leaving on time.I want to slow down and I'm afraid of losing my place.I want to do less, but how much is enough?I don't want to race but I'm scared to stop · all 4 questions →If this one named what you are going through,
send it to someone who needs it, or keep it somewhere you will find it again.