Ryan Nicodemus

New (& improved?) Review:

I think that many of my friends would consider me to be somewhat of a minimalist. Not in any calculated or philosophical sense of the word, but rather from the perspective that I don’t have a lot of junk (at least not in plain sight). I however know the truth. Inspite of the perceived lack of junk laying around I am just as enmeshed in the consumerist culture of the United States as most people. I have recognized this for a while now but have never actively or show more formally addressed it. I’ve never tried to remove myself from it’s grasp.

For example, as my income has gone up, so has my debt which as the author’s state does not make a ton of sense. How horrifying would this fact be to most people on this planet? Coming across the Minimalists blog and their book has given me the push that I need to make a change both philosophically and in practice. I haven’t followed the same methods the Minimalists have recommended or took themselves. For example, I didn’t need feel the need to pack my entire house. But prior to starting the book in earnest, I started minimial-izing first in my bathroom followed by my bedroom. All in all I gathered 33 shirts, 7 sweaters, 10 pairs of pants/jeans, and 5 pairs of shoes for donation. Not bad for an initial first pass. I found it surprising that I had that many clothes to begin with, but I was even more surprised that I had that many unused clothes. After the bedroom I moved on and started cleaning out some old paperwork but have yet to get much farther. Though I do have a couple of closets in my crosshairs.

The book and guiding philosophy of minimalism, as espoused by The Minimalists, is more than simply cleaning out all of your crap. It's really about living a more meaningful life, ridding yourself of the distractions of consumerism and changing your habits to make you a better person. So far, I have taken the first few of many steps towards this end. I’ve done so not only by cleaning out, but by also questioning purchases and consumerist impulses that I would have never questioned before. The journey may be long and may have its setbacks but I expect to emerge a better and more productive person.

I hope that means it will give me the time and energy to read 100 books a year.



Original Review:

Who doesn't need to simplify their lives?

I discovered the Minimalists blog on Friday, and found that this book was available through the Kindle Lending Library and scooped it up. It's a quick and easy read, though in need of some editing that focuses on improving your life by means of simplification and minimalism.

It's less about the practical means by which to do so, but you can't find much of that on their blog for free. Was I inspired to take action, simplify and improve my life? In a word, yes. Yesterday I cleaned out a bunch of clothes gathering 33 shirts, 7 sweaters, 10 pairs of jeans/pants and 5 pairs of shoes for donation. I plan to continue reading their blog seeking out the more practical advice. I am betting that if I could simplify other things in my life it would be a lot easier for me to read more and think more. show less

Not much of a book, more of an extended pamphlete about the basics of minimalism. It reads like a collection of organised blog posts which is what I suspect it is. My one take away thought from this book is that minimalism is a hell of a lot easier if you have already made a decent chunk of money in your life as these two have.

This concise, quick read is well written with lots of nuggets of information that you can readily start applying to your life. It isn't a life changing book, but it is useful - an element that is missing in some self-help books today.

It doesn't go into great detail about the nitty-gritty of a minimalist's lifestyle, however if you are looking for that you can hop onto their website and find a load of articles and resources regarding this area.

A minimal book on minimalism with minimal advice that goes beyond the obvious.