Have you been hearing the words like minimalism and living with less lately? Are you hooked to Tidying Up by Marie Kondo or the tiny house trend on Netflix?
Then you might be considering the idea of a simplistic living as well. And trust me there are so many benefits of living with less.
When I first heard about it, it all sounded fascinating yet overwhelming.
Watching Tidying up made me realise how trying it is to manage stuff in your day to day life. I always wanted a simple life but I never knew where to begin.
I have seen people like The minimalists, who are extreme minimalists and can carry their lives in their backpacks.
I have friends who are minimalists and have been travelling for over three years with nothing but a backpack.
Their lifestyle fascinated me. But I also liked the idea of having a well organised pretty house.
I soon found myself sailing in this dilemma ” To buy or not to buy”.
After doing a lot of research, I finally decided on having my own version of minimalism. It was not extreme and it was never obsessive.
I started educating myself on the subject more and more.
I started understanding how minimalism can be applied to every aspect of your life including work, relationships, career and even digital lifestyle.
Today I live a simple yet comfortable life. I have things that I need but nothing that I want. I have more time to spend with my family.
I am learning new things every day and have more time to do things I enjoy like cooking.
In this post, I am going to give you 9 best books on minimalism that helped me through the journey to minimalism.
The first book I would like to recommend is Essentialism by Greg McKeown. The book does not necessarily talk about minimising stuff or buying less.
It actually talks about the importance of essentialism in your life and work.
It is such a versatile book. You can implement the core concepts in your life in different aspects. Be it work, relationships or consumption.
It talks about freedom of choice and how to use it effectively to do better and find peace.
This is one of the best books on minimalism and my topmost recommendation when you are going through learning about the whole process.
2. Tidying up, Marie Kondo
Tidying up by Marie Kondo is a life-changing book. If you struggle to keep up with your daily chores or you have a cluttered home, this is a must-read for you.
It describes the technique of tidying up in great detail. With her Netflix show, she has reached millions of people.
She is the perfect example of promoting the concept of essentialism. You need to ask yourself basic questions about decluttering,
What is this object doing in your life?
What is the purpose? If yes, has it completed it yet?
Does this spark joy?
3. Goodbye things, Fumio Sasaki
Another Japanese promoting a simple living. I bought this book just by looking at its cover. The whole feel about this book was so soothing and calming.
And trust me, this book will leave an indelible impression on you.
The fact that makes this book more relatable is that it has not been written by an expert but someone like you and me.
Fumio lives with only 5% of what he had initially. That means if he had 1000 items, he got rid of 950 of them. And he doesn’t miss a thing.
This is how a young man transformed his life by coming out of the rat race of wanting more.
This is the journey of a young man from being in a constant state of anxiety to becoming a calmer and a better human being. Truly a masterpiece and one of the best books on minimalism.
4. Minimalism, The Minimalists
When we talk about minimalism, the first people that will come to your mind are these two. Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, two best friends who changed their lives using minimalism.
They are now at the forefront of the concept and want to promote the idea to help people live a stress-free life. They turned their blog posts into a book which is indeed one of the best books on minimalism.
They have popularised it using several workshops, talks, podcasts and via their blog, The minimalists.
They give advice on how to live a life full of dreams, happiness and passion.
5. Digital Minimalism, Cal Newport
Cal Newport is one of my absolute favourites. His books Deep Work and Digital Minimalism are a breath of fresh air in this world occupied to do more and be more.
Cal Newport is a computer science professor, an author and a father. He writes about how eliminating distractions from your work and life can help you work better.
There are too many distractions in this world and multi-tasking is crushing our souls.
The book digs deeper into our psychology and helps us understand what technologies are good for us what we are using only for social relevance.
Using the techniques, you can massively cut excessive hours wasted on devices. It will help you recreate a better life.
6. The Minimalist Home, Joshua Becker
If you are looking for a room by room guideline on how to create a minimalistic space, then this book should be your guide.
The book explains in detail what to keep and what not. It gives a technique to start removing distractions from your life to create a better and productive environment at home.
Joshua Becker is an influencer supporting the idea of less with his blog More with Less. He has written several books on the topic and each one addresses a different concern.
He writes about Minimalism with Kids as well. He busts the myth in this book that this lifestyle is only for single people.
7. Simplicity Parenting, Kim John Payne
I gifted this book to a new mother while she was overwhelmed with new feelings and things. She was in love with this book, She found her happy place and wanted to raise her kids the minimalistic way.
The central theme of the book is to raise kids with less to make their lives simpler and their family ties stronger.
Their focus is on food, activities and rest. This is a great approach for parents who are finding it difficult to find time with all the noise.
8. The More of Less, Joshua Becker
This is Joshua Becker’s second book on the list and for all the right reasons. It sets the fundamentals of minimalism right.
He explains in detail why you should consider minimalism. He goes on to explain how our choices are governed by advertisers.
He has given real-life examples of people who have found meaning to their lives by letting go things that don’t serve their purpose anymore.
It brings us back to the basics that people are important than possessions. It makes us understand how a small act of donation can bring more fulfilment than wing stuff.
I love his writing and the clarity of thought makes it one of the best books on minimalism.
9. Soulful Simplicity, Courtney Carver
It takes you back to the concept of love. It helps you understand what is important and what is not.
Soulful simplicity teaches you what is important in life. It gives you all the practical ideas to implement for a minimal life.
The cover of the book is soothing and so is the writing.
Conclusion
Every person is in their own journey. If you have started to feel that you need to simplify your life, go for it. It can be sooner, it can be later.
The idea is to have a peaceful life instead of looking for a few minutes of peace.
There is a lot of information available at the click of your fingers. It is important to find what is relevant to you and what is not.
Read all the books, do your research and find what works for you. Don’t try to copy anyone in this process. People have different expectations from their lives and it is ok to find your own little meaning.
Where are you on this journey? What is your favourite book on minimalism? Comment below!
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Chakshu is a US alliance certified yoga teacher, a biotechnologist and an Ayurveda evangelist. Her passion is to help people live a toxic-free life, emotionally and chemically. She loves reading self-help books. When she is not writing, she is busy thinking about life.
