Book Review: The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker
When I was beginning my Minimalist journey, over 4 years ago now, someone I followed over on Instagram recommended checking out an author and blogger called Joshua Becker. I didn’t have to spend long over on his website “Becoming Minimalist” to find myself full of inspiration and encouragement. I promptly ordered copies of “Simplify” and “Clutterfree with Kids” and those 2 books helped me considerably as I began trying to embrace minimalism for our family of 5.
So when I received an email asking me if I would like to read and review an advance copy of Joshua Becker’s latest book “The Minimalist Home” I was not only honoured, I felt a little bit like I’d finally made it as a minimalist to be honest ;)
The book is a room-by-room guide to decluttering your home and whilst I was excited to give it a read I couldn’t help but wonder if I would personally get anything from the book given that I see my home as essentially done in terms of decluttering and minimising.
The proof is in the pudding though as they say, and I not only devoured the book in just a couple of days, I have also found myself looking at each room in my home with fresh eyes and (to my Husband’s horror) have decluttered even more, and already have plans in mind to declutter other rooms I haven’t gotten chance to go through yet (you have been warned family!)
“A home that is filled with only the things you love will be a home you love to use.”
I have often found a lot of the writing out there on Minimalism comes across as almost aspirational, or that bit too extreme that you know people who are just dipping their toes in will run from it as fast as they can. So it was really refreshing to read Joshua’s book and find it full of common sense, wisdom, personal experiences and practical, reasoned advice.
“To help you make the harder choices in de-owning... try doing without an item for a set period of time. I often recommend twenty-nine days - and only afterward decide whether it is necessary to your home or superfluous.”
It’s not a list of things you shouldn’t have, or a bunch of rules to follow, it’s not even a list of what is in Joshua’s home (which I think I might have enjoyed to be honest!). It is real, thoughtful, advice on how to look at your own personal home and circumstances and to see it through minimalist eyes and to find a way to be free from the trappings of materialism, and find freedom and contentment with what you have now and within the home you have now, not the home you’ve spent your life coveting on Pinterest!
“Give yourself the house you’ve always wished you had. You’ve already got it! It’s hidden underneath all of your stuff.”
To spend some time reading this book and to be reminded of why I got into this Minimalism thing in the first place was a really worthwhile thing for me. 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. Even social media, which is meant to be fun, feels like a comparison trap sometimes or just one big advert.
“I just know that something inside you yearns to accomplish memorable objectives, live in a way that is more fulfilling to you, and make the world a better place with the overflow of your gifts and time. You bring it all within reach when you move past your ‘stuff problem.’”
The chapters in the book go through each room you might find in a typical home. There were some things that for me felt very American and wouldn’t necessarily be found here in the UK, but generally it translates to UK living very well. The book also contains a wonderful introduction to minimalism, and outlines some of the benefits it has for both you personally, your family, your home, and also the wider world and environment.
“We make these rooms more effective not by packing them with all the tools and decorations marketed for them but by relieving them of their burden of excess possessions.”
What I found particularly useful in the last few chapters was the practical advice on how to keep your home decluttered in the long run. Some of the suggestions we were already doing, but there are some really well thought out and practical ideas for ensuring you don’t end up needing to do such a large scale decluttering ever again.
The book is also full of testimony from other Minimalists, sharing their personal stories. I always find it helpful to see just how many forms Minimalism can take for different people, but similarly you can see the overwhelmingly positive impact it has for everyone despite their differing experiences.
“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.”
If you are just starting out on your minimalist journey then do yourself a favour and read this book. What I wouldn’t give to have been able to read this 4 years ago! 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.
“One of the best decisions we can make is to reject the cultural expectations that change with the wind. And to accept the fact that we don’t need to run with the cool kids to be happy. We can choose to be oursleves instead.”
The book will be released on the 18th December 2018 and you can find out more about the book and where you can get a copy by clicking here.
I was gifted a copy of this book to review but the thoughts expressed are all my own.
