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亘賴噩丞 丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱亘爻賷胤丞: 丿賱賷賱賰 廿賱賶 丕賱鬲禺賱氐 賲賳 丕賱賮賵囟賶貙 賵廿賱賶 丕賱鬲賳馗賷賲 賵丕賱亘爻丕胤丞

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芦亘賴噩丞 丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱亘爻賷胤丞禄 賰鬲丕亘 噩丿賷乇 亘兀賳 賷賰賵賳 賮賷 賰賱 賲賳夭賱貙 賵賴丿賷丞 賲孬丕賱賷丞 賱兀賷 卮禺氐 鬲丨亘賴 賷乇賷丿 兀賳 賷亘爻胤 丨賷丕鬲賴. 賷毓賱賲賳丕 兀爻賱賵亘賸丕 賲賲鬲毓賸丕 賵爻賴賱賸丕 賱賱鬲禺賱氐 賲賳 丕賱賰乇丕賰賷亘貙 賵賱鬲賳馗賷賲 兀賷 賲賰丕賳 賳毓賷卮 賵賳毓賲賱 賮賷賴.
賴賱 鬲賳馗乇 兀丨賷丕賳賸丕 賮賷 兀乇噩丕亍 賲賳夭賱賰 廿賱賶 兀卮賷丕亍 丕卮鬲乇賷鬲賴丕貙 賵賵乇孬鬲賴丕貙 賵賲購賳賽丨鬲 廿賷丕賴丕貙 賮鬲卮毓乇 亘兀賳賴丕 鬲囟睾胤 毓賱賷賰 亘丿賱賸丕 賲賳 兀賳 鬲卮毓乇賰 亘丕賱爻毓丕丿丞 丕賱睾丕賲乇丞責 賴賱 鬲鬲賲賳賶 賮賷 亘毓囟 丕賱兀丨賷丕賳 兀賳 鬲賴亘 毓丕氐賮丞 賯賵賷丞 賮鬲兀禺匕 賲毓賴丕 賰乇丕賰賷亘 賲賳夭賱賰責 丕賮鬲丨 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘貙 賵爻鬲賰賵賳 賮賷 胤乇賷賯賰 廿賱賶 丨賷丕丞 兀賰孬乇 亘爻丕胤丞 賵賴丿賵亍賸丕.
亘丿賱賸丕 賲賳 丕鬲亘丕毓 丕賱賲賳丕賴噩 丕賱氐丕乇賲丞 兀賵 丕賱賲鬲胤乇賮丞 兀賵 丕賱賯丕爻賷丞 丕賱賲賵噩賵丿丞 賮賷 賰鬲亘 丕賱鬲賳馗賷賲 丕賱兀禺乇賶貙 鬲賯丿賲 芦賮乇丕賳爻賷賳 噩丕賷禄 禺胤賵丕鬲 亘爻賷胤丞 鬲購卮賰賽賾賱 毓丕丿丕鬲 噩丿賷丿丞貙 賲丕 賷賲賴丿 丕賱胤乇賷賯 賱鬲丨賯賷賯 賳噩丕丨 賲爻鬲丿賷賲. 鬲賻氐賱購丨 胤乇賷賯鬲賴丕 丕賱爻賴賱丞 賱兀賷 賲賰丕賳: 賲賳 丿乇噩 賵丕丨丿 廿賱賶 禺夭丕賳丞 廿賱賶 睾乇賮丞 廿賱賶 賲賳夭賱 亘兀賰賲賱賴. 賵兀賰孬乇 賲賳 匕賱賰: 賷賲賰賳 丕爻鬲禺丿丕賲 兀爻賱賵亘賴丕 賮賷 兀孬賳丕亍 丕賱丕賳鬲賯丕賱 賲賳 賲賳夭賱 廿賱賶 丌禺乇貙 兀賵 丕賱夭賵丕噩貙 兀賵 廿賳噩丕亘 丕賱兀胤賮丕賱.

毓賳 丕賱賲丐賱賮丞
芦賮乇丕賳爻賷賳 噩丕賷禄 乇丕卅丿丞 賲賳 乇賵丕丿 丨乇賰丞 丕賱賲毓賷卮丞 丕賱亘爻賷胤丞貙 賵賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱兀賰孬乇 賲亘賷毓賸丕 爻丕毓丿 賲卅丕鬲 丕賱丌賱丕賮 賲賳 丕賱賳丕爻 毓賱賶 丕賱鬲禺賱氐 賲賳 丕賱賰乇丕賰賷亘 賵鬲亘爻賷胤 丨賷丕鬲賴賲.
鬲馗賴乇 芦賮乇丕賳爻賷賳 噩丕賷禄 賮賷 賵爻丕卅賱 丕賱廿毓賱丕賲 毓賱賶 賳胤丕賯 賵丕爻毓貙 亘賲丕 賮賷 匕賱賰 毓賱賶 芦丕賱爻賷 廿賳 廿賳禄 賵芦丕賱亘賷 亘賷 爻賷禄 賵芦鬲賵丿丕賷禄 賵芦丕賱賳賷賵賷賵乇賰 鬲丕賷賲夭禄 賵芦賷賵 廿爻 廿賷 鬲賵丿丕賷禄 賵芦卮賷賰丕噩賵 鬲乇賷亘賷賵賳禄 賵芦丕賱噩丕乇丿賷丕賳禄 賵芦丕賱賮丕賷賳丕賳卮丕賱 鬲丕賷賲夭禄 賵芦賮賵乇亘夭禄 賵芦賴丕賮賷賳噩鬲賵賳 亘賵爻鬲禄 賵芦廿賱禄 賵芦丕賱丿賰鬲賵乇 兀賵夭禄貙 賵睾賷乇賴丕.

296 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2010

1584 people are currently reading
20354 people want to read

About the author

Francine Jay

12books216followers
Francine Jay pioneered the minimalist living movement with her blog, MissMinimalist.com, and her book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life. In 2009, she and her husband sold their house, and all their possessions, and moved overseas with one suitcase each. After three years as a world-traveling digital nomad, she鈥檚 now applying her minimalist philosophy to her new life as a homeowner and mother.

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5 stars
3,548 (27%)
4 stars
4,560 (35%)
3 stars
3,458 (26%)
2 stars
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1 star
312 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,268 reviews
Profile Image for Val 鈿擄笍 Shameless Handmaiden 鈿擄笍.
2,031 reviews35.3k followers
September 29, 2017
4 Stars

This was a solid book on Minimalism, a lifestyle I am becoming more and more in line with. The premise of only owning and keeping things that I need, use, or bring me joy seriously appeals to me. I have always hated clutter.

That said, I am not striving to be a strict or pure minimalist by any means. Rather, I see myself as merely what has been dubbed as a rational minimalist, meaning my goal is not to be a one pair of shoes owning, figurine-less psychopath with only two glass mason jars and a capsule wardrobe. Nothing against those people - kudos to them - but that鈥檚 just not my goal.

My goal is to clear the blatantly superfluous and eradicate my needless spending. I mean, homie already 鈥減ared down鈥� her book collection to, like, a thousand. Meaning I got rid of 25 books! Sounds minimalist to me. Okay... so not gonna lie. I鈥檓 not minimalizing my books. They bring me mad fucking joy.

I did manage to cull the herd in other ways, though. Who knew I had 75 pairs of shoes, 50 pens and an embarrassing amount of purses and makeup. Going through things and minimalizing the unwanted, unused, and unneeded felt SO good.

Anyway, while I did find some of this book to be a bit...preachy - and borderline deceitful in regard to unwanted gifts - I also really appreciated the overlying message of simplicity, environmental awareness, and the idea of living more mindfully.
Profile Image for Nayra.Hassan.
1,259 reviews6,490 followers
November 3, 2022
丕匕丕 丕丿禺賱鬲 卮賷亍 賱亘賷鬲賰 賷噩亘 丕賳 鬲購禺乇噩 賲賯丕亘賱賴 卮賷亍 丕禺乇 賲賳 丕賱賲賳夭賱 賮賵乇丕賸!丕
丕亘賯賷 賯丕亘賱賳賷 賱賵 賳噩丨鬲 賱丕爻亘賵毓 賵丕丨丿馃槀

賰鬲丕亘 賷賯丿爻 丕賱賲賷賳賲丕賱賷丞 賵 賷卮噩毓賰 毓賱賷 丕賱亘爻丕胤丞 賵 丕賱賮乇丕睾 賱賰賳 亘毓賳賮 賵鬲賰乇丕乇


賵賰丕賳 丕賱賰丕鬲亘丞 賲鬲禺賷賱丞 丕毓鬲乇丕囟鬲賳丕 丕賱毓丕胤賮賷丞 賮鬲賯賵賱
鬲禺賷賱賷 兀賳 賴賳丕賰 丨乇賷賯賸丕貙 兀賵 賮賷囟丕賳賸丕貙"
兀賵 賰丕乇孬丞 賲丕 鬲爻亘亘鬲 賮賷 鬲丿賲賷乇 禺夭丕賳丞 賲賱丕亘爻賰賽
" 丕賵 丕賱亘賷鬲 賰賱賴
賲丕 賴賵听丕賱睾乇囟 賲丕 賱丕賷賲賰賳賰 鬲禺賷賱 丨賷丕鬲賰 亘丿賵賳賴責

賷氐賷乇 丕賱鬲禺賱氐 賲賳 丕賱賮賵囟賶 兀爻賴賱 亘賰孬賷乇貨 丨賷賳 鬲賮賰乇 賮賷 兀賳賴 毓賲賱賷丞 鬲賯乇乇 賮賷賴丕 賲丕 爻鬲丨鬲賮馗 亘賴貙 賵賱賷爻 賲丕 爻鬲鬲禺賱氐 賲賳賴

賲賳 賳氐丕卅丨 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 *

丕賱亘丿亍 賲賳 丕賱氐賮乇.鈥€€€�
- 丕賱鬲禺賱氐 賲賳 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 兀賵 丕賱丕丨鬲賮丕馗 亘賴丕 兀賵 賳賯賱賴丕.鈥€€€�
- 爻亘亘 賱賰賱 卮賷亍.鈥€€€�
- 賰賱 卮賷亍 賮賷 賲賰丕賳賴.鈥€€€�
- 廿禺賱丕亍 賰賱 丕賱兀爻胤丨.鈥€€€�
- 丕賱賵丨丿丕鬲 丕賱鬲禺夭賷賳賷丞.鈥€€€�
- 丕賱丨丿賵丿.鈥€€€�
- 廿匕丕 丿禺賱 卮賷亍貙 禺乇噩 卮賷亍 丌禺乇.鈥€€�
- 丕賱丕禺鬲夭丕賱.鈥€€€�
- 丕賱氐賷丕賳丞 丕賱賷賵賲賷丞
賲卮鬲乇賷丕鬲賳丕 鬲丐孬乇 毓賱賶 丕賱丌禺乇賷賳 賰匕賱賰
兀卮蹖丕亍 兀賯賱 = 丨乇蹖丞 兀賰亘乇

胤亘毓丕 賱丕 丿丕毓賷 賱賱賳氐丕卅丨 丕賱禺丕氐丞 亘丕賱賰鬲亘 賲胤賱賯丕賸貨 賱丕賳賴丕 爻鬲睾囟亘賳丕 兀噩賲毓賷賳

賰賳 爻禺賷賸賾丕! 賮丕賱卮賷亍 丕賱匕賷 馗賱 賲賵噩賵丿賸丕 賮賷 賲賳夭賱賰 丿賵賳 兀賳 賷購爻鬲禺丿賻賲 兀賵 兀賳 賷賰賵賳 賲丨亘賵亘賸丕 乇亘賲丕 賷噩賱亘 賯丿乇賸丕 賰亘賷乇賸丕 賲賳 丕賱賲鬲毓丞 賱卮禺氐 丌禺乇鈥� 鈥€�

鬲爻鬲胤賷毓 丕賱毓賷卮 賲購爻鬲禺丿賲賸丕 禺購賲爻 賲賯鬲賳賷丕鬲賰 丕賱丨丕賱賷丞 丿賵賳 兀賳 鬲賱丨馗 兀賷 賮丕乇賯

鬲毓鬲賲丿 丕賱囟乇賵乇賷丕鬲 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 毓賱賶 胤賷賮 毓乇賷囟 賲賳 丕賱毓賵丕賲賱貨 賲孬賱 丕賱毓賲乇貙 賵丕賱賳賵毓貙 賵丕賱賲賴賳丞貙 賵丕賱賴賵丕賷丕鬲貙 賵丕賱賲賳丕禺貙 賵丕賱孬賯丕賮丞貙 賵丕賱毓丕卅賱丕鬲貙 賵丕賱兀賯乇丕賳

賮賰孬蹖乇 賲賳 诰匕賴 丕賱兀卮蹖丕亍
賭 賵丕賱賵毓賵丿 丕賱禺丕賵蹖丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賯丿賲诰丕 賭 蹖爻鬲賳夭賮 亘亘胤亍 丕賱賲丕賱 賲賳 噩蹖賵亘賳丕貙 賵丕賱爻丨乇 賲賳 毓賱丕賯丕鬲賳丕貙 賵丕賱賲鬲毓丞賲賳 丨賷丕鬲賳丕

丨賷賳 賳賯賱賱 丕爻鬲賴賱丕賰賳丕 賰賷 賳賳賯匕 丕賱毓丕賱賲貙 爻鬲馗賱 賲賳丕夭賱賳丕 賳馗賷賮丞貙 賵賴丕丿卅丞貙 賵禺丕賱賷丞 賲賳 丕賱賮賵囟賶

廿賳 卮乇丕亍 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 丕賱賲氐賳賵毓丞 賲丨賱賷賸賾丕 賱賴 賲賳丕賮毓 丕賯鬲氐丕丿賷丞 賵亘賷卅賷丞 賵兀禺賱丕賯賷丞. 兀賵賱賸丕貙 賷夭賷丿 賴匕丕 丕賱兀賲乇 丕丨鬲賲丕賱賷丞 兀賳 鬲賰賵賳 賴匕賴 丕賱賲賳鬲噩丕鬲 賯丿 氐購賳毓賻鬲 賮賷 馗賱 馗乇賵賮 毓賲賱 廿賳爻丕賳賷丞貙

賵兀賳 賳賯賱賱 賮賷 匕丕鬲 丕賱賵賯鬲 賲賳 亘氐賲丕鬲 丕爻鬲賴賱丕賰賳丕 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 廿賱賶 丕賱丨丿 丕賱兀丿賳賶: 賵匕賱賰 毓賳 胤乇賷賯 卮乇丕亍 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 丕賱賲氐賳賵毓丞 賲丨賱賷賸賾丕貙 賵丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 丕賱賲爻鬲毓賲賱丞貙 賵卮乇丕亍 賯丿乇 兀賯賱 賲賳 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍.鈥€€€�
賲賳 丕賱賲賲賰賳 兀賳 鬲毓賲賱 丕賱兀卮蹖丕亍 毓賲賱 丕賱賲乇爻丕丞 賮诰賷 賯丿 鬲孬亘鬲賳丕 賮賷 兀賲丕賰賳賳丕貙 賵鬲賲賳毓賳丕 賲賳 丕賱丕爻鬲賰卮丕賮

賰賱 賲丕 賳丨鬲丕噩诰 诰賵 兀賳 賳鬲賵賯賮 賵賳爻兀賱 兀賳賮爻賳丕: 芦賱賲丕匕丕責禄 賯亘賱 兀賳 賳卮鬲乇賷
卮蹖卅賸丕 賲丕

賷卮亘賴 賰鬲丕亘 毓亘賵丿賷丞 丕賱賰乇丕賰賷亘 賵 賱賰賳賴 賷毓鬲賲丿 毓賳氐乇 丕賱氐丿賲丞 丕賱毓賳賷賮丞 賮賮賰乇賳賷 丕賰鬲乇 亘乇賵丕賷丞 賮鬲丕丞 丕賱丕賲爻 亘賲賴賳丿爻賴丕 丕賱賲賴賵賵爻 亘丕賱賮乇丕睾 丕賱丕亘賷囟貨 亘賳氐丕卅丨 賲孬賱

丕噩賲毓 賰賱 賲丕 鬲賲賱賰賴 賮賷 丕賰賵丕賲 丕賲丕賲賰
賴賱 賷氐丨 丕賳 鬲賲鬲賱賰 賵丨丿賰 賲賳 丕賱兀睾乇丕囟 賲丕 賷賲賱兀 爻鬲 卮丕丨賳丕鬲 賲孬賱丕責
毓賲賵賲丕 賲毓 賳賴丕賷丞 賰賱 毓夭賲 亘丕丕賮乇睾 丕賱賲賳夭賱 賲賳 亘毓囟 賰乇丕賰賷賷賴 賵 賰賳鬲 賲丨鬲丕噩丞. 丿賮毓丞 賵 賰丕賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 氐賷丨丞 毓賳賷賮丞 噩丿丕 賮賷 丕匕賳賷 賵 賰丕丿 賷賯賳毓賳賷 亘丕賱鬲禺賱氐 賲賳賷 丕賳丕 卮禺氐賷丕賸


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Profile Image for JanB.
1,310 reviews4,073 followers
November 22, 2018
There's nothing groundbreaking here, just a good reminder. My husband and I are purging and decluttering as we prepare to downsize.

There are a lot of good tips but nothing I haven't read before. But reading these types of books increases my resolve and helps my mindset stay positive. My favorite tip: as you purge, put everything that is in the "maybe" pile (the things you aren't quite ready to give up) in a box, tape it closed and put it in storage. If in one year you haven't opened the box, donate it without opening it. Great idea.

Also, another great idea: completely empty out any closet, drawer, storage space before attempting to purge.

The author writes in a conversational tone and has fun with the idea of living with less to lighten our stress and increase our joy. It shouldn't be an onerous task, but a joyful one.
Profile Image for Cayenne.
682 reviews22 followers
January 21, 2011
This was a great reminder of a lot of things I already knew, but it also helped me gain a new philosophy about owning things. It renewed my motivation to organize and reduce, but it also helped me take it to a new level, such as helping me feel less guilty about getting rid of things I might "need someday" or increasing the value of empty space. She mentioned several times the freedom one felt in college when possessions were few and focus was more on doing rather than on owning. Yet, she encourages us to value and enjoy our (limited) treasures by putting them on display; to take joy in our hobbies; to make more space for our friends and family both in our lives and in our homes--you can't play a board game on a cluttered table. I am resolved to think much more carefully about purchasing new things and to buy in smaller amounts; to travel with less luggage; to be more generous; to tread more lightly in life. I highly recommend this book, especially in our consumer-oriented world.
Profile Image for Darek.
14 reviews14 followers
July 31, 2017
300-pages long, exhaustingly repetitive book on how to simplify things. Oh, irony.
Profile Image for Todd N.
354 reviews250 followers
July 15, 2013

I really wanted to buy this book in physical form, despite the barbaric nature of not reading on a Kindle, because I figured it would be the kind of book that I would loan or give away to someone else. But after several months of trying to find it, even braving the dread Self Help section, I gave up and downloaded it.

This is a very good and practical book for anyone who wants to declutter or streamline their life. And who doesn't? Conveniently, the first letter of each step actually spells out the word STREAMLINE. What could be simpler?

Each step is explained in a plain and unrelentingly cheery way. Then the steps are painstakingly applied to each major room in a house. This gets a bit redundant, but it has the advantage of making it possible to flip to a particular room and get everything you need to do in one section without flipping around.

The part I like best is that you have to remove everything from a room to really declutter. I couldn't agree more. We recently moved everything from our basement to our garage to have some work done and it was amazing to see all the crap we had. We wound up making a bunch of donations and/or trips to the dump.

At times the book gets a little goofy, like when it suggests donating extra paper clips. If you are running across town to donate paper clips you may need to streamline your head a little bit or ask your doctor about OCD medication.

The cheeriness grated at times, but that's just a personal thing with me. I can't read phrases like "Now we're having a blast sorting our highlighters by color!" without feeling physical pain.

Recommended.
Profile Image for 惭补谤铆补.
144 reviews3,069 followers
May 7, 2020
Estoy empezando a leer libros sobre minimalismo, y este es de los primeros as铆 que no tengo mucho para comparar. Solo s茅 que es un libro cuidado (se agradece) y que cuenta con consejos 煤tiles. L谩stima el olor a sexismo que quiz谩s hace a帽os pasaba por alto. Hoy ya no lo admito. Siempre hay alguna persona que se queja de este baremo pero es lo que hay. Si huele, lo digo.
Profile Image for Beverly.
946 reviews430 followers
July 29, 2024
This book on the minimalist life was recommended by my sister and I enjoyed it a lot. The author's method of getting rid of the excess baggage in your home is practical, well thought out and efficient. I started doing it even before I finished reading the book and I feel so much lighter already.

She also has some things to say about the spiritual side of letting things go which I found very engaging. Living simply with fewer objects is a philosophy I can get behind. I checked it out from the library, but I liked it so well I bought it so I could refer to it. Now I have to get rid of a book, because of her "one in one out" idea which is if you bring something into your home, you must get rid of a similar object. This works so that after cleansing your home of stuff, you don't start filling it back up again.
Profile Image for Jakob J..
216 reviews80 followers
August 24, 2024
I am unable to distinguish anything in this book from Marie Kondo鈥檚 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and yet my shelves remind me that I did, in fact, read them both.

It鈥檚 not that there is no utility in the advice contained within books like this if one is prone to hoarding and disorganization; it just seems to me that everything could be more concise. It is not necessary for this to be an entire self-help sub-genre unto itself. The pages are, dare I say, cluttered with words and chapters which say the same thing over and over. Perhaps if one is motivated by nagging, this would be helpful.

However, I enjoy the irony in the idea that someone is cluttering their home up with faddish books about decluttering.
Profile Image for Suzanne.
305 reviews18 followers
June 3, 2013
Full disclosure: I'm not an aspiring minimalist. I read this to get inspired to reorganize some areas of our home.

The basic strategies for reducing the amount of stuff you have are solid, but overall, I found the philosophy too aggressive and the author's tone annoying and overly chirpy. (So many exclamation points!) It's very self-helpy, too. Minimalism = happiness. Less stuff = more joy. I know it feels great to rid yourself of clutter, but something about her presentation felt shallow to me, like the minimalist title you bestow upon yourself is the emphasis. Maintaining minimalism is your happiness over all else.

For example, she mentions that if you have a friend that gives you a lot of handmade items as gifts, you should "express your gratitude, but don't overdo the enthusiasm, or you'll likely end up with more "art" in the future!" Yes, putting your minimalist philosophy over friendship. That sounds like a sure way to happiness.

I don't know. I could pick nits all day, but this just wasn't for me, I suspect.
Profile Image for Kate.
108 reviews7 followers
August 9, 2013
For being a book about minimalist living, this book seemed to have a lot of redundancy. The concept of simple living just lands a little flat when stripped of the connection to stewardship of God's world and resources. Jay had some good ideas, but most of what she shared was common sense. I also felt that many of her approaches were strictly selfish in nature. For example, she suggests only having enough dinnerware for the number of people living in the home, which leaves no room for valuing hospitality. She also suggests taking a photo of a gift in use to send to the giver in order to make them feel good, and tossing the gift in the donate box right away. I don't appreciate the deceitful approach at all. Why go through the trouble of being sneaky when a simple explanation to friends and family about living a simpler life could suffice? I would not recommend this book.
Profile Image for Ana.
735 reviews109 followers
April 27, 2017
Apesar de j谩 ter lido uma s茅rie de livros sobre minimalismo e temas a ele normalmente associados (como organiza莽茫o), gostei muito de ler este Menos 茅 Mais. Peguei nele na altura certa, pois nos 煤ltimos anos, os meus 芒nimos minimalistas t锚m andado um pouco adormecidos, e isso tem-se reflectido de forma negativa a v谩rios n铆veis.
Gostei da forma como o livro est谩 organizado, com uma introdu莽茫o ao tema, seguida de dicas pr谩ticas aplic谩veis aos v谩rios espa莽os da casa, depois lidando com os diferentes tipos de objectos, os restantes membros da fam铆lia, e, por fim, fazendo um enquadramento mais geral do minimalismo como movimento contra-corrente do consumismo generalizado a que se assiste hoje e das implica莽玫es mais vastas que pode ter.
Gostei particularmente de algumas passagens, como aquela que usa as viagens para ilustrar a liberdade que se consegue ao transportar menos bagagem:
鈥淧ense em como seria chato carregar duas ou tr锚s malas pesad铆ssimas durante as f茅rias. Faz s茅culos que voc锚 est谩 ansioso para essa viagem e, quando desembarca do avi茫o, mal pode esperar para explorar as paisagens. N茫o t茫o r谩pido 鈥� antes voc锚 precisa esperar (e esperar e esperar) que as malas apare莽am na esteira de bagagem. Depois, precisa arrast谩-las pelo aeroporto. 脡 prov谩vel que voc锚 siga direto para o ponto de t谩xi, porque manobr谩-las no metr么 seria quase imposs铆vel. E nem pense em tentar pegar lugar no city tour que est谩 come莽ando 鈥� voc锚 tem de ir primeiro ao hotel e se livrar desse fardo gigantesco. Quando voc锚 finalmente chega l谩, desmaia de cansa莽o.
O minimalismo, por outro lado, o deixa 谩gil. Imagine viajar apenas com uma mochila leve (...) Voc锚 chega ao destino, desce do avi茫o e passa pela mar茅 de gente esperando pela bagagem. Depois entra no metr么, pega um 么nibus ou anda em dire莽茫o ao hotel. No caminho, experimenta todas as vis玫es, sons e aromas de uma cidade estrangeira, com o tempo e a energia para saborear tudo. Voc锚 tem a liberdade e a flexibilidade de um p谩ssaro para se movimentar por a铆 鈥� pode levar a mochila a museus e a pontos tur铆sticos e guard谩-la num arm谩rio quando for preciso. Diferente do primeiro cen谩rio, voc锚 come莽a com tudo e passa a tarde vendo as paisagens em vez de arrastar suas coisas de um lado para o outro. Chega ao hotel energizado por sua experi锚ncia e pronto para outra.
Quando n茫o estamos mais acorrentados 脿s nossas coisas, podemos saborear a vida, nos relacionar com outras pessoas e ser participativos em nossa comunidade. Ficamos abertos a experi锚ncias e mais capazes de reconhecer e aproveitar as oportunidades. Quanto menos bagagem carregamos (tanto f铆sica como mentalmente), mais podemos viver!鈥�
E entre muitas outras passagens interessantes est谩 tamb茅m esta:
鈥淨uando nos identificamos com marcas e nos expressamos atrav茅s das coisas materiais, perdemos a no莽茫o de quem somos. Usamos bens de consumo para projetar determinada imagem de n贸s mesmos, comprando basicamente uma m谩scara para exibir para o mundo. Al茅m disso, estamos t茫o ocupados cuidando das nossas coisas 鈥� correndo de um lado para o outro, comprando isso e aquilo 鈥� que encontramos pouco tempo para parar e explorar o que realmente nos anima.
Quando viramos minimalistas, nos despimos de todo o excesso para revelar nosso verdadeiro eu. Temos tempo para contemplar quem somos, o que achamos importante e o que nos faz realmente felizes. Sa铆mos do casulo e abrimos as asas como poetas, fil贸sofos, artistas, ativistas, m茫es, pais, companheiros, amigos. O mais importante 茅 que nos redefinimos pelo que fazemos, pelo modo como pensamos e por quem amamos, e n茫o pelo que compramos.鈥�
Claro que agora que as lojas p玫em 脿 nossa disposi莽茫o frutas da Am茅rica ou 脕frica do Sul durante todo o ano, roupas da 脥ndia e ferramentas da China ao pre莽o da chuva, n茫o 茅 f谩cil resistir e optar por produtos locais, explicar aos mi煤dos porque 茅 que n茫o compramos aqueles morangos t茫o apetitosos que apareceram no supermercado em Dezembro, ou comprar as cadeiras ao artes茫o local pelo dobro do pre莽o das do Ikea鈥� Mas concordo com a autora, quando ela diz que vale a pena tentar.
Profile Image for Lorna.
156 reviews89 followers
September 5, 2015
After reading and enjoying Marie Kondo's 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' and Tolstoy's writings on living simply and consciously, I was inspired to get rid of most of my possessions and only keep things I truly need. This book has inspired me to continue on a minimalist path and I have seen an incredible change in my life - particularly in having so much more time to spend seeing family, working on my painting and getting out in nature.
I was particularly blown away by Francine Jay's final thoughts on how the simple decluttering of one's possessions can free ourselves but also our fellow humans and the Earth's resources.
Profile Image for LiLi.
71 reviews
February 14, 2018
Decluttering is great, and I like listening to these things while I'm decluttering or cleaning; but this lady is just a little too pie-in-the-sky and woo-woo for me.
Profile Image for Carrie.
52 reviews
January 12, 2014
This book would have been better if I had not done other reading on minimalism and decluttering prior to reading it. It contained a lot of common sense reminders and was very repetitive with the description of the "streamline" approach in every chapter. I found that the farther I got into the book the more I was just skimming it for any new ideas it might have contained. The best part was the beginning of the book and the introduction to the minimalist mindset...After that the rest was something I felt burdened to get through.
Profile Image for Sara.
157 reviews
November 11, 2012
I read this book at the suggestion of a friend whose opinion I value. We are both interested in adopting more of a minimalist life style as part of our general commitment to environmental values. Like him, I seek to live more lightly on the earth these days.

Unfortunately, this book has its ups and downs. It certainly is a guide to decluttering and organizing, I'll give it that. What it isn't is a guide to truly reducing one's footprint and learning how to minimize one's impact through truly environmentally sound principles.

Ms. Jay introduces her scheme for reducing the possessions each of us already has. The rules are pretty basic--I already knew enough to get rid of something when I bring a new one home, for example. I'm the first to admit that stuff has cloned itself in the basement and attic, and every room in my house should be gone through in search of items I no longer want, need or use. And I'll give Ms. Jay credit--she has motivated me to do just that. I'm starting with the "fat" clothes and the books I know I'll never read.

And then she takes a turn into rigidity. OK, what's wrong with having a stack of books on the coffee table that are in the process of being read? What's wrong with leaving the mail on the counter to be sorted through and disposed of after the cats are fed? Ms. Jay is more than a tad obsessive about clutter, and not in a good way. I imagine her house is so picked up and neat that it doesn't even resemble a place where real people live.

I debated about 2 or 3 stars. In the end, I opted for 3, simply because she has motivated me to cancel magazine subscriptions, get rid of old appliances, and clean out drawers where all manner of junk was hiding.
Profile Image for Linsey.
10 reviews3 followers
March 21, 2016
I found this book far too prescriptive, with the author assuming that her own path toward minimalism is the only way to do it - and assuming that her readers would share her priorities for deciding what to keep and what to let go of. For instance, telling you to only buy or keep simple classic clothes, assuming that you have no particular interest in fashion and disregarding the joy people may find in those impractical items that just make you smile when you wear them. And advising you to have as many multipurpose items as possible, ignoring the fact that often things that do many jobs do all of them poorly compared with dedicated tools.

The moment where this went way to far is when she actually suggests that you select your hobbies based on which ones require the least equipment - as though going for a run vs. playing hockey is just a matter of burning calories and it makes no difference which one you do. This outraged me since the whole purpose of her book is to help you live a more joyful life, which means you should select hobbies that you enjoy the most. I found so much of the advice in here to be misguided and overly rule-focused. If I followed all her advice I think I would spend the rest of my life obsessing over how to keep minimizing the house instead of getting it over with and enjoying the results.

I suspect that I would not have been nearly so critical of this book if I had not recently finished The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which is a treasure of a book that miraculously (for me) is so far living up to its title. Do yourself a huge favor and read the Life Changing Magic instead of this book.

Profile Image for Anna.
512 reviews78 followers
September 10, 2016
i needed a bit of a motivation to start cleaning again so in a way this book served its purpose but other than that... why was it so obviously directed at straight women in relationships? why was it so filled with gender stereotypes? why was it written as if the readers needed every little thing explained? honestly, we've all cleaned before, we're not that ignorant.
Profile Image for Cassandra Kay Silva.
716 reviews320 followers
April 11, 2019
I am already a minimalist. But the tone of this book was a bit much. Furthermore, I hate waste and the idea of just getting rid of things that could be used first seems so terrible for the environment and financially. When I became a minimalist I got rid of everything slowly by using things. I think this is a good approach.
Profile Image for Skaist臈 Girtien臈.
730 reviews128 followers
October 24, 2017
Puiki knyga. Manau, kiekvienas tur臈t懦 j膮 perskaityti. Atradau 拧i膮 knyg膮 d臈l to, kad prad臈jau dom臈tis minimalizmu nuo tada, kai atsitiktinai pa啪i奴r臈jau dokumentin寞 film膮 拧ia tema, po to prad臈jau klausyti internetin臋 radijo laid膮. A拧 neb奴膷iau a拧, jei neie拧ko膷iau prieinamos knygos apie tai, kuo susidomiu. O prad臈jus ie拧koti literat奴ros lietuvi懦 kalba aptikau ir 拧i膮 knyg膮. I拧 ties懦 ie拧kojau kitos, bet 拧i膮 pavyko gauti grei膷iau i拧 bibliotekos. Ir d啪iaugiuosi, kad radau ir perskai膷iau. Autor臈 teisingai 寞vardina knygos prad啪ioje, kad da啪nai 啪mon臈s nutraukia skaitym膮 ir imasi tvarkytis. Ir man taip buvo. Paskaitai ir 啪i奴ri, kad jau nebe skaitai, o planuoji kaip k膮 sutvarkyti. Ai拧ku, iki tokio minimalizmo, kad ir kaip 啪av臈膷iausi 啪mon臈mis, kurie sugeba pasilikti tik tikrai naudingus ar tikrai jiems gra啪ius daiktus, man dar toli toli toli. Bet mintys, id臈jos ir patarimai rasti 拧ioje knygoje paskatino pa啪velgti kiek kitaip 寞 turimus ir norimus 寞sigyti daiktus. O tai jau prad啪ia kelion臈s i拧 toki懦 nam懦, kuriuose begal臈s nenaudojam懦 daikt懦, apie kuri懦 tvarkym膮 baisu net pagalvoti, o atrinkti ir i拧mesti atrodo kankinantis, varginantis ir begalinis darbas, 寞 tokius, kuriuose lengva, jauku ir kuriuose kiekvienas daiktas (ar bent did啪ioji dalis daikt懦) yra naudingi ar gra啪奴s. O kai tai sako 啪mogus, at臈j臋s i拧 kaupik懦 gimin臈s ir paveld臈j臋s kaupik懦 bruo啪us (prisipa啪寞stu, tai a拧), tai jau 拧寞 t膮 rei拧kia apie knygos svarb膮 ir poveik寞.
Profile Image for Mina.
1,100 reviews126 followers
October 8, 2018
One could be blind and still unlikely to completely avoid all the marketing geared to make us think that it is wrong to not want more, probably the influence of a culture with a long history of people always having less than they need.

For those already of a pragmatic bent, this can be one of the pillars of their philosophy. For those strongly attached to their stuff, it has the required arguments, but lacks persuasive power. If you get this book, consider the fit. Few will ever concede anything against their will. This "how to" book was written to concur and organize, rather than convince.

Its STREAMLINE structure:

S - Start over
T - Trash, Treasure, or Transfer
R - Reason for each item
E - Everything in its place
A - All surfaces clear
M - Modules
L - Limits
I - If one comes in, one goes out
N - Narrow it down
E - Everyday maintenance

One idea I especially appreciated was the way to figure out what was really necessary, by putting every 'maybe' in a box in the attic, with a date on it, six months or one year in the future. If by that date, one didn't need to retrieve anything from the box, then those were clutter.

Note: said advice should not include screwdrivers and first-aid kits, in said order.

The book is full of practical advice. However, while the anecdotes are interesting, she repeats herself somewhat once she starts addressing each room in the house separately. There are still many specialized tips and no condescending 'willpower' advice.

Another point, I discriminate on writing style - especially in nonfiction. If you can make my life easier, that's up to two stars out of five - here, 1.2 - Kudos! It鈥檚 decently organised, if somewhat fluffy prose.
Profile Image for Rose.
1,981 reviews1,086 followers
February 5, 2017
Quick review for a somewhat quick read. I'd probably give this read 2.5 stars overall. I read this over the course of a few days in audiobook form, and I'll admit that I didn't care for it despite having some practically useful ideas. I decided to read this for exploring methods of minimalist living and retention, since that seems to be a pervading topic when it comes to productivity and organization. The text itself has useful ideas if you haven't read very many delcuttering/minimalism guides, but the narrative itself is cumbersome in its narration. Simple and key to remember ideas often get lost in explanations that go on much longer than necessary. I found it too superfluous in its communications. As the narrative went on, I honestly didn't like many of the suggestions the book gives to approach a minimalist lifestyle (a.k.a. "Participate in sports that require less stuff." Yes, this was an actual suggestion in this book among other methodologies.) It's interesting that a key idea of this narrative communicated learning to control your stuff, not allowing your stuff to control you and what you want to do, but yet ideas like that give the opposite impression.

I would take this guide with a grain of salt, and it may be better just to use this for what is useful to the person reading it and to supplement other guides on organization and minimalist living. The figuring out what to keep sections were good, but its overarching useful mantras are taken over by redundancy and counter-intuitive suggestions.

Overall score: 2.5/5 stars.
Profile Image for Colleen Wainwright.
252 reviews55 followers
November 29, 2012
While I have a soft spot for Brooks Palmer's approach to clutterbusting and a preference for the confident, easy good humor of Peter Walsh's writing, I was bowled over by the sheer quantity of useful information in this book. The author has come up with a 10-step method for handling the knotty problem of reducing stressful clutter, with the clever acronym "STREAMLINE". After a quick setup section on why clutter is (probably) a problem for you, she spends one full section breaking down the steps, then another applying them, room by room. The final section on the minimalist "lifestyle", as another reviewer has noted, overreaches; for me, it also gets a bit preachy, which is probably my main fault with the book in general. The stiff, righteous tone that creeps in was a bit wearying. Were I facing my first major decluttering, it would likely turn me off of the idea. There are also some redundancies, which I initially found kind of ironic in a book about decluttering, but I'll wager that plenty of people will skip around to read the chapters they're most interested in, so I'll give it a pass. Overall, I'd say this is a great tactical book鈥攈eavy on the how-to, lighter on the hand-holding鈥攁nd will appeal to the go-getter out there.
Profile Image for Darla.
211 reviews21 followers
February 19, 2012
just from the opening, I'm getting a whole lot of inspiration to start moving out "stuff"...starting with (gasp, dare I say it) passels of books. More & more is available in electronic form. Why do I hold on to so many? Answers will vary.

~ OK, I'm about half way through & I rather feel like I'm stuck in the corner of a party listening to a chatter box rattle off everything she knows about minimizing without taking a breath! Obviously, minimizing word usage is not on her list of to-dos. Perhaps as Mrs. Jay has been tossing books, she's been saving up words.

~ Great ideas are scattered like wildflowers amongst an overabundance of knee-high weeds. I shall persevere (and skim, skim, skim...; at least, Jay inspired me to unload an entire shopping basket full of books (largely modern fiction, and including my 3 hardback Twilight books)at half-Price Books today!

~ I'm all done and nothing in my assessment has changed. Bits of wisdom are to be found, but the preponderance of verbiage had me skimming more than reading. Jay's chapters, which target every room in the house, began to read like a shampoo bottle label: Later, rinse, repeat (again, and again, and again).

Read it, I would say, despite her inability to stop chattering. The ideas, once you get to them, are truly good; the thoughts on minimizing, despite the Earth-love-eco-babble I have come to sigh & eye-roll at these days, are worth considering, if only from a Stewardship model. But, when you're done with Mrs. Jay, move on to Joshua Becker. Her ebooks are cheaper; his are simpler, more streamlined, and work the extra couple of bucks.

Profile Image for Annisa Purnama Sari.
65 reviews6 followers
November 9, 2022
Not only I learn how to live a minimalist lifestyle, but I also learned about the impact of our purchase on other people and the environment. Apparently, minimalist living is more than just living with fewer stuff; it has many deeper meanings.

After reading this book, I realized how attached we are to things and how difficult it is to let them go. Even though, these items are useless, never used, and we can live without them.

I hope that many people read this book. I realize that minimalist lifestyle has a positive impact not only on individuals but also on the earth. The writing style is simple and clear. I don't need to read it twice to understand. I tried to use the STREAMLINE method in my room and I was surprised to see all of the trash and useless items that I had.
Profile Image for 賮丕丿賷.
633 reviews743 followers
January 9, 2024
賰賱 賰鬲亘 丕賱亘爻丕胤丞 賵丕賱鬲禺賮賮 鬲卮亘賴 亘毓囟賴丕 賱賰賳賷 兀丨乇氐 毓賱賶 賯乇丕亍丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 賴匕賴 賵鬲胤亘賷賯 賲丕賮賷賴丕 亘賷賳 丕賱賮賷賳丞 賵丕賱兀禺乇賶.
賱丕 噩丿賷丿 賮賷 丕賱賳氐丕卅丨 亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 賱賷貙 賵丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賲賱 賵賮賷賴 廿胤丕賱丞 賵鬲賰乇丕乇.
Profile Image for Alina.
101 reviews611 followers
January 27, 2019
I enjoyed the sections on the benefits and general WHY of minimalism the most, less so the sections with practical tips, going through each area of the house and how to declutter/organize them. I found those a bit repetitive. I really like that the author makes clear that minimalism means something different for everybody: it's less about owning only a certain amount of items, and more about just owning what you need. Overall a nice and short motivational kick in the butt to start clearing out your stuff and create more space.
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