It can be easy to forget, or get sucked back into the consumerist mindset, especially when we are being sold to daily and often very subtly. The book encourages readers to reassess their relationship with technology and shift towards a ‘less but better’ approach. As with some of the other books on this list, I did start to lose interest around halfway through and thought some of the tips were repetitive. And when you’re sharing your minimalist journey with others, it’s essential to convey your experiences in an engaging and relatable manner. By adopting minimalist habits, you can improve every area of your life and feel more happiness every day.

In a culture that is stuffed to the brim with activities, things, and more, she discusses her journey back from this way of life. It’s written by an ordinary guy who was stressed at work and constantly comparing himself to others.

Marie Kondo is now so in demand that her services have over a 3-month long waitlist and none of her clients have lapsed back into their old ways. We need to realise that material accumulation is not a measure of success and should not be used as one.

Even social media, which is meant to be fun, feels like a comparison trap sometimes or just one big advert. Sasaki shares how he decided to embark on a minimalist journey to achieve true freedom, new focus, and gratitude for everything around him.He then goes on to describe his “aha” moment when he realises that he needs to make a change in his life. This is one of the reasons people stay in the same industry when they change jobs…People gt so wrapped up in their vocation as their identity that it’s hard for them to realize they are so much more—they are beautiful in so many ways. She has published work on minimalism and experimentalism in Rethinking Reich, Tempo, the Chicago Reader, and the New York Times.

Let’s move to your first book recommendation on minimalism: this is the 1933 essay In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki. For example, she recommends that you thank each and every one of your items for their service before you discard them.Essentialism takes a step back to think about what truly matters and changes our minds for the better. From falling into the comparison trap to the nagging battle hymn of “YOLO”, the seemingly inescapable siren song of technology is all around us. Now that my job literally revolves around technology and social media, I understand how digital habits can drain our time and happiness away. The book also addresses unique living situations, including multi-generational households and living with roommates. It offers simple techniques to achieve a zero-waste household and also guides you on how to avoid food and packaging waste at home.

The workbook is easy to use, with clear and simple instructions and offers 42 clean and simple scissor practice sheets, including numbers from 1–10, lines, and shapes. Zen addresses this paradox of absence and presence; it advocates thinking about absence and thinking about nothingness, and engaging with ambiguity. But even if like me, you feel you’ve decluttered and are living a minimalist life I really believe you will gain a lot from Joshua’s advice and if nothing else it will encourage and inspire you further. It’s about rethinking the common assumptions of today to find satisfaction and fulfillment tomorrow. However, I found this descended into somewhat of a preachy tirade on the environment, which did not need to be in this book in my opinion.

I recommend this book because it provides a thought-provoking philosophy for technology use that has already served many individuals. When you not only don’t have too much stuff but also don’t want too much stuff, you experience a contentment that the person who lusts after the latest gadgetry and crowds in more furniture will never know. Certainly minimalism, or the formal art movement of Minimalism of the 1950s and 1960s, did have roots in Zen. This book about organisation is the one that sparked a wave of minimalism and self-help books regarding decluttering. She brings years of experience as a mother and a wife to the table, paired with an ongoing love of the simpler life.