Becoming Minimalist » book reviews

new ebook: the simple guide to a minimalist life

becoming minimalist — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:49:45 +0000

just this week, leo babauta released a new e-book: The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life. the price is only $9.95 (a very minimalist price). i have included the link above to purchase and download the e-book.

some of the chapters in this book include:

a small irony
notes on using this book
what is a minimalist life?
overall minimalist principles
how to become a minimalist
contentedness
rethinking necessities
simplify what you do
clearing clutter
minimalist home
minimalist workspace
wardrobe and grooming
finding simplicity with kids
minimalism is the end of organizing

i have recommended the e-books of leo babauta before. he is an on-line author who continues to offer some of the newest and freshest ideas on living a simple life. and until i complete my own e-book on becoming minimalist (hint, hint), i will continue to recommend his to anyone seeking a more minimalist life.

the essential motivation handbook by leo babauta

to be fair

book review – stop clutter from stealing your life

becoming minimalist — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:23:05 +0000

mike nelson has authored three books on cluttering and describes himself as a reformed clutterer. he founded clutterless recovery groups, a nonprofit organization designed to give support to people who need help to stop the behavior that causes them to clutter. he has been featured on cnn, the dr. laura schlessinger show, and in the la times.

he self-proclaimed his latest book as the “meat and potatoes of decluttering, not just the angel food cake of most get-organized book.” and i completely agree!

in Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life, mike realizes that decluttering is not just about the “practical how-to’s,” but it is also about the “emotional why-do’s.” then, he faithfully delivers in adequately helping his readers understand both.

in Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life, he writes that decluttering can be successfully accomplished only by using both a practical approach and an emotional approach. the practical approach concerns how to declutter. the emotional aspect concerns the behavior that causes us to clutter.

concerning the practical, chapter 4 offers 40 (yes, 40!) ways to leave your clutter. from simple ideas like #2 (take digital pictures. keeping track of your progress is the best way to keep from getting discouraged) to thought-provoking inspiration like #5 (clutter is an excess of abundance. celebrate your abundance and share it), mike offers a new idea no matter where you put yourself in the decluttering spectrum.

concerning the emotional, Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life states that clutter is just the symptom of cluttering behavior and helps its reader understand the root causes of his/her behavior. the book even offers several practical “magazine-style” quizzes to help the reader diagnosis the root cause for his/her behavior (one brilliant example is how mike relates our paper-clutter to our individual learning style).

this book fits the description of “meat and potatoes” while still offering easy-to-follow practical advice to help address a wide-range of decluttering topics (paper clutter, dealing with uncooperative family members, offices, and decluttering after somebody’s death, just to name a few).

i recommend this book to you… as i was finishing the book, i thought to myself, “how did i ever begin this journey toward minimalism without reading this book?” and then it dawned on me, “oh yeah, i just started removing things from my house and life. that’s how i did it. i didn’t need a book to help me do that.”

so, why would i recommend this book? because this book has helped me in two very specific ways:

1) it has helped further declutter my life. it has caused me to recognize some deeper reasons for the clutter that remains (the physical paper on my desk, for example) and given me some new practical advice to help me make progress. i think there is something for everyone in this book… especially if you have tried to declutter but have been unsuccessful.

2) it has helped educate me to help others with their decluttering. the simple, but in-depth explanation of people’s cluttering behavior characteristics makes me feel like a trained psychologist. i don’t plan to enter the “organization industry” just yet, but if i ever do this is one book i would keep as a valuable resource.

i give Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life: Discover Why You Clutter and How You Can Stop 4.5 out of 5 stars.

book review – clear your clutter with feng shui

moving from success to significance

becoming minimalist — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:42:22 +0000

i was struck by a quote this past weekend from harold kushner in his book living a life that matters. he writes, “our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it.”

our souls exist for significance and legacy. deep down, we all want to know that we have made a difference in somebody’s life. that we have mattered.

one of the key elements in living a life of simplicity is the realization that the accumulation of possessions is not the soul’s greatest desire. when we buy into the significance principle, we are free to remove ourselves from society’s measure of success (big house, nice cars, sweet tv) and begin using our money for the sake of touching someone else’s life. we can transition from living life for myself and instead, live it for others.

maybe then, our heart will be truly full, even if our cupboards aren’t.

minimalist moment – a bookstore

becoming minimalist — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:17:32 +0000

i quickly ran into border’s books the other day to purchase a book that i have been meaning to read for the past several weeks. after asking the cashier to help me find the book, she directed me to the correct section, told me exactly where to look, and informed me that “i couldn’t miss it.”

sure enough, she was right. there were 4 copies on the shelf in 2 different sizes. one was smaller and less expensive. the other was larger and cost $4 more. i had a decision to make.

picking up the smaller one, i considered the benefits: takes up less space, less trees, cheaper, and all the same info. as long as my eyes can support the smaller print, it’s an easy decision.

related posts: benefits of minimalism, book reviews

follow-up: great book, i recommend it. no wonder it’s been in print for 70 years!

book review – clear your clutter with feng shui

becoming minimalist — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:20:36 +0000

in clear your clutter with feng shui by karen kingston takes a very spiritual approach to the topic of clearing clutter. and while i consider this a spiritual journey as well, her spirituality proves to be much more mystical and new age than i was comfortable with at times. she is obviously a strong proponent of feng shui authoring several books of the same nature and speaks often to the energy that is created from clear and sacred spaces in the correct corners of your home based on the feng shui bagua.

while i disagree with many of her spiritual assumptions, i did find this book to be very helpful as we continue through the early stages of our journey. karen includes some fantastic commentary on “how clutter affects you” and “why people collect clutter.” in the second section of her book, she identifies common types of clutter in our homes: collections, paper clutter, a/v clutter, miscellaneous clutter, etc. and offers practical advice on what to keep and what to discard.

all in all, reading past the new age spirituality was not difficult and the practical nature of her expertise has been helpful and motivating. whether it is the best book available on the subject, i’ll let you know. but my early guess is no. i’ll give it 3 clutter-free spaces out of 5.