Today I want to talk a bit about a fantastic book I read recently: The More of Less by Joshua Becker. If you travel in the minimalism circles at all, you’ve probably heard of Joshua from his blog, Becoming Minimalist. I have been a big fan of Joshua’s blog for awhile now, and I’ve read his e-book, Simplify, a few years ago (also a good read!). I was excited to read his new book and get deeper into my minimalism journey.
I’ve always been a clutter free person.
I don’t like piles of stuff sitting around and I don’t like lots of things on surfaces & walls. I love a more open, fresh, clean feel. But reading through this book (and his blog) helped me see where I could reduce even more to make my life easier & simpler. It isn’t my goal to have a sparse home with one chair and everything white. I know this is what a lot of people picture when they hear the word “minimalism”. But, minimalism is not just that. Minimalism is what you make it. Its about you having things you need, things that bring you joy and that don’t hold you back from living life. You own your things, your things shouldn’t own you.
Joshua starts his book speaking of how organizing & cleaning his garage kept him from enjoying a beautiful day playing with his child. That’s when it hit him that owning stuff was taking away from enjoying time with his family. This is a story I’m sure many parents can relate to. Whether it’s our things or our activities taking that time away from our significant other or children.
The More of Less takes you through the process of finding your vision of what you want your life to look like, and then leading you through, step by step to declutter your home. Its an inspiring book, and I think there is so much value in what he says. I have not finished our home yet, but it’s a work in progress. Throughout the process I’m finding new ways to declutter our possessions. I also minimizing things like electronic distractions, activities that take up time & that I don’t want to have as part of my life anymore.
Even though I haven’t finished the whole process, the things I HAVE changed have been amazing. I’m loving the feeling of less and the feeling of freedom that gives. I’m excited to finish the process…which involves lots of trips to the local thrift store for drop offs!
I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. While the book was given to me, the thoughts & opinions on it are all my own!