Less - a visual guide to minimalism

Rachel Aust begins her book "Less: A visual guide to minimalism" by defining minimalism as:

unsubscribing from the idea that how much you own equates to your level of happiness.
letting go of the unnecessary.
the removal of distractions.
a way to reclaim your time.
an intentional way of living that allows you to identify what's important to you.
simplicity.
freedom.

Book review of Less: a visual guide to minimalism

How is it a "visual guide"

Flow charts, tables, photos and diagrams. Even if you didn't read a single paragraph of text there's still value in this book.

Decide what to do with unwanted items by following a flow chart. Tips for daily, weekly and monthly tasks to stay minimal are in a handy table. Same for goal setting.

Diagrams of study workspaces and wardrobes help illustrate how to keep those traditionally cluttered areas more minimal. Even lists are presented in visually appealing ways or as a collection of icons - such as the 20 essential kitchen tools.

Not just decluttering

Yes, a fair chunk of the book is about decluttered decor and wardrobes. But that's not it.

Reflecting her list of benefits of minimalism, Rachel also offers tips for other areas areas of life where less is more:

Having a few clear goals and focussing your schedule to achieve them.
Spending on what's important and habits to avoid wasteful spending.
Digital decluttering. Simplifying the stuff on our computer and phone.
Decluttering our mind and single-tasking rather multi-tasking

I should re-read that last one. Even as I write this, I'm getting distracted by alerts of social media comments on my previous article.

In short

This books is easy-to-read and practical. I'd recommend borrowing it from the library for a quick read-through and then using the relevant tips and visual aids for the area of life you're currently minimising.

Comments

Simple phone

I get my fair share of teasing for still using a Nokia phone. So I feel quite vindicated that someone has now invented a new non-smartphone . It's pitched for those who want a decluttered life. Instead of features, its selling points are things like "reclaim a little quietude from the constant intrusions of technology", "no internet connection, no app store and definitely no camera for taking selfies". One quote from the article said "as smartphones get bigger and bulkier, there is a place for something small and simplified, without all the functions." That kind of statement resonates with me. Not just for phones, but for so many areas of life - including the houses we live in.

Why own a car, when you can go get?

That's the slogan of one company providing an alternative to car ownership. Here's our experience with them. Why not just have our own car? Another time I'll write a full post about that, but suffice to say that car ownership is a pain in the neck. The servicing, the maintenance, the repairs, the parking, the traffic, the registration, the insurance, the cleaning... For my wife and I, about 98% of our transport needs can be done on foot, by bike, by train, bus or ferry. Maybe 99% if you include rideshare. So we choose to avoid the pain (and cost) of car ownership. However, car use (I think of it separately from car ownership) can be handy in certain situations. We had one of those situations last weekend. Here's how it went. Booking a car My wife signed up for GoGet , and booked the car online for the time window she needed it. As a first-timer, she received her little membership card in the mail. On the day of the booking, GoGet sent her a reminder email about 20 minut...

Too Much Stuff

"Why is it so hard to resist new things even when we know we already have too much. Can we find an alternative to the more, more, more mentality?" That promo got me hooked into the half-hour doco "Too Much Stuff". Australian viewers can see it online . Otherwise, here are some of my highlights. Host Sarah Wilson sums up the problem right at the start. "At every turn we're urged to possess the next thing that will make us feel smarter and more desirable. Anything we want is available with just one click. We're filling up our lives with stuff; yet ultimately, many of us feel empty, guilty and stressed out by our consumption." She sets out to explore an alternative. To see if "radically reducing our consumption" can lead to a better life. (Spoiler alert: Yes) Sarah says many people call her a minimalist but she's not so much about getting rid of things, more about not buying stuff. What's wrong with the Marie Kondo approach? Each ep...

But wait... there's less!

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