Over the years of pursuing minimalism and interacting with simple living advocates online, I have come to recognize the simplicity/minimalism niche to be among the most friendly, encouraging, and helpful around. There is a genuine understanding that any promotion of simplicity is good for society—and there is little concern about who gets the credit for it.
It is a pleasure to be part of such a wonderful group of people. I always enjoy the opportunity to promote writing that encourages people to live more life by owning less stuff. So please, fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee. Take a break from the cold. And enjoy some encouraging words about finding more simplicity in your life today.
When Less is More: the Concept of Japanese “MA” | Wawaza. Where there is clutter, even valuable things lose their value. Where there is too much, nothing stands out.
Minimalism FAQ | Minimalist Baker by John Schultz. John writes a very thoughtful, thorough, and well-articulated introduction to the minimalist lifestyle.
Comparison—A Speed Bump On the Road To Happiness & Simple Living | Smart Living 365 by Kathy Gottberg. A helpful post to be reminded that comparing your life is no way to live it. Also, a helpful guide to moving past it.
Why You Need to Get Rid of the Digital Crap that Weighs You Down | Man vs Debt by Joan Otto. Technology doesn’t have to control you. Very much like money, it is simply a tool – one that you can and should control, not one that should rule you.
Stop Using Your Cell Phone as a Pocket Watch. It’s actually distracting you. | Simplify Your Life. Some interesting statistics about cell phone usage are included in this short post. Also, a thoughtful new look at how we use them.
SimpleBetterSolutions says
I look forward to reading these books. Simpler is always better………
Brownvagabonder says
My new goal in minimalism is to have a closet filled with clothes I love. In the near future, every single time in my closet will be my favourite. A lot of times, I will be getting ready for work, and I’ll look at a certain piece of clothing, and say, but this isn’t one of my favourite pieces. I no longer want to do that. I’m paring down, donating and swapping a lot of clothes, to ensure that every piece in my closet will get the label of ‘Favourite piece’. Thanks for the reads – it reminded me of where I’m at with my minimalism quest.
The Minimalist says
Thanks for these weekend reads, Joshua. I look forward to these posts, and the weekend reads are actually one of my reading highlights.
Daniel Aipa says
definitely great reads Joshua. Thanks for sharing! Aloha
Luzia Light says
Wow, I love the concept of Ma. I have never heard of it before. Thanks so much, Joshua, for this link. So interesting and enlightening!
Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com says
Thank you Joshua for a link to my blog post about comparison. No matter what we do–it’s very easy to compare ourselves to someone else doing it more diligently, better or uniquely different–be it simplicity, downsizing, writing or whatever. The challenge is to just do our best where we are in any given moment. I also very much agree with you when you say, “any promotion of simplicity is good for society.” Your website and constant quality information have been an inspiration to me since I started blogging. Indeed, there are many wonderful, generous, and helpful folks around if we pay attention. Thanks for being one of them!
Terri says
Really enjoy your posts. I’ve guess I’ve been living like a minimalist for a long time, but never knew there was a ‘name’ for my aversion to clutter & excess “stuff”. For years my mom tried to give me knick-knacks to fill the space in my home while I kept saying no thanks, and acted like I was crazy to only have four bath towels or just 2 sets of sheets. Some friends think its weird when I say I feel like too much stuff weighs me down, but I’m happy – and by not spending on junk I’m able to be debt-free & enjoy travel, even on a modest income.
Even better, finding out other people do this too & reading your posts has shown me a couple ways to simplify further! Thank you!
jean mabry says
Great ! You have it right!
Dan Garner says
Great links Joshua. I particularly enjoyed ‘Why you need to get rid of that digital junk.’ I’m working very hard to sort through, simplify, and organize years worth of digital photographs ( over 20,000 ), emails, reciepts, records, etc… I’m deleting a lot but using tools like evernote, adobe lightroom, etc… to organize what I keep. It’s somewhat overwhelming but I vow to simplify and never let it get this bad again.
Dan @ ZenPresence
Liesel says
Ahhhh – I love these posts! Great quality links. And now, the itch is back on – to get rid of some more stuff. Thanks!!!
Tony @ WeOnlyDoThisOnce says
Thanks for the reads as always. Have a great weekend!