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

Are you missing out on your $5,200

According to research by Gumtree, the average Australian household has $5,200 of unwanted goods sitting around the home. Why not cash it in? I'm sure we'd all much prefer to have a few thousand dollars rather than all that clutter we no longer use. So far we've made over $1,630 We didn't have many valuable items - just a fridge and a lounge suite. Most of the cash came from lots of little items (around 170 of them) for 2, 5 or 10 dollars. It all adds up - to a surprisingly high amount.

Inheriting Clutter

This book stood out on the library shelf. Massive clutter can create anxiety at any time, let alone when it has to be dealt with during one of the toughest points of life. Author Julie Hall deals with estates for a living. Her book covers the nitty-gritty of dealing with all that stuff. It also covers caring for parents while they are here and what to do to make life easier for them, your siblings and you. Parent Logic We may wonder why parents keep so much stuff. Julie explains that our parents (having grown up in a different time) have their reasons. Often they had to 'go without' as kids and so don't want to 'go without' again. Sometimes they think items will become valuable with age. Also there's the thought "the more I leave the kids the more they will have" . This is obviously mathematically true - but whether that's a good thing is questionable. Ironically, this admirable quality of aversion to waste often ends up causing waste. Items get s...

Monopoly, money and you

One of the most well-known board games can also be a great way to learn about money and investing - according to this book. Perhaps one way to teach kids (and maybe ourselves) about finance is to play a board game. In so many ways, the game parallels our own financial life - and we can practice financial decision-making without losing any real money. Is monopoly like life? Yes and no. We manage our cash, negotiate, make deals, make choices, go through tough times, make investments, pay tax and reap rewards. To do well we have to make investments. It's very hard to win just by collecting $200 each time you pass go. There are rules, and wise moves. The better we know them, the better we do. However, in real life, you can win without forcing others into bankruptcy. Principles that work in the game and life Diversify. You might have hotels on the two most expensive properties on the board, but if no-one lands on them, you still might lose. Investments have a price and a value. They are...

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