do less :: book review

Have you ever looked around your house and wondered exactly how you’ve managed to collect so much stuff? Or looked at your schedule for the week and wondered if you even remember what free time is or what it feels like to have time and money to enjoy a hobby? Life can sometimes be really cluttered and messy…but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re anything like me, you might think, “Yeah, I’d love to de-clutter and simplify. Let’s do it!” But then you look around at all the stuff and suddenly it all seems so overwhelming that you give up before you’ve even begun.

I recently read a book called “do less: a minimalist guide to simplified, organized, and happy life” and was pleasantly surprised at how the author not only gives you practical tips on how to simplify your life, but also some reasons behind why you should simplify your life. One tidbit that I’d never heard of before but is absolutely brilliant and seems to be 100% correct is the idea of decision fatigue. The idea (roughl) is that when you wake up in the morning, you have the capacity and will-power to make lots of choices but with each choice that you make – from things as simple as what to eat for breakfast and as difficult as whether or not you should buy a new house – uses up some of that decision-making power. And these days we are completely inundated with choices: Would you like a bagel for breakfast? What kind? Plain? Onion? Asiago? Poppyseed? Ok, would you also like cream cheese? Strawberry or honey or regular? Plain or whipped? You want that toasted? Whew! Before breakfast is even ordered, we’re facing decision fatigue!

Initially, the book takes time to explain the basic tenets of minimalism, including some of the psychology behind our cultural addiction to stuff. Beyond that, it’s divided into several sections to help you tackle one thing at a time. Each section focuses on a different facet of life: your home, your work, your money, and your life. The home section walks you through decluttering and clearing things out room by room. The work section encourages you to study your own personal productivity patterns and create a plan that will allow you to get work done and get it done well. It also gives some great information about learning how to say no. (That’s one that gets me every time)! The money section isn’t only about getting out of debt (though she does cover that!) but helps you identify how and why you spend money and ways to spend and save more effectively. The section on life touches a lot on routines and planning. Both of those are things that might not be the most exciting to do, but have an incredible return!

I enjoyed this book because not only are we at a point in life that we’re really trying to simplify and streamline, I’ve also been doing a lot of introspection. This book does a great job of meshing those two. Why do you need stuff? You don’t. Without the weight of all your things on your shoulders, what could you do?  Start here, with this book, and take baby steps until you find out what a incredible difference it can make.

“do less” by Rachel Jonat :: $14.99 {currently showing as $9.48 on Amazon}

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