Minimalism

As I promised on my IG account (whatlinaisreading), I would like to discuss with you the three books written by The Minimalists:

I read all three of them during the confinement and since they caused the beginning of a change in my mindset, I would like to share with you my thoughts on the books.

To begin with, on their web page you can find out why they (The Minimalists) wrote three books, what are they about and in which order they suggest we should read the books (along with a lot of interesting materials). They also have a podcast where they discuss different topics which might be of interest to you.

Published by Asymmetrical Press, 2014, 3rd edition

*(By the way, I read the English version. I am not sure if they have translated this book in Spanish. I couldn’t find it on Amazon)

To begin with, The Minimalists recommend to start reading “Everything that remains: A memoir” first. This is, as they describe it on their website, their  why-to  book. 

Here they talk about their personal journey from corporate workers to adopting a minimal lifestyle. This book is really the reason why of this huge shift in their mindset. “Everything that remains” is their favourite book. I suppose it is because it is so deeply personal to them. 

The book has two parts: Part 1: Everything and Part 2: Remains plus Endnotes by Ryan Nicodemus. It follows a chronological order. The first part covers the years from 2008 to 2010 and the second part from 2011 to 2013. It is the story of their 5-year transformation but most importantly it is the story of what triggered this transformation in the first place. While reading the book, you can actually see for yourself the gradual change in their thinking. 

Their path to Minimalism is well explained and reasoned, so that the reader can actually understand why they saw this sudden change in their lifestyle as a necessary one. 

Personally, I like this book the best because while I was reading it, I was able to relate to the main author (Joshua Fields Millburn) in a lot of ways. Some of the thoughts he had throughout this process of change are similar to the ones I am having and it is really nice and comforting to see this put into a writing. The book triggered a variety of emotions in me and inspired me enough to start making changes in my life. Also reminded me that it is not impossible to shift your perspectives and work hard towards a better mindset. 

If I have to comment on something negative, well maybe not negative but slightly annoying to me, it was the writing style of the main author. It is a bit too descriptive at times and the language is, as I read once in a review on the Internet, “a mixture of old-fashioned terms and informal contractions”. Sometimes it feels like there is an overuse of synonyms that doesn’t sound really natural and it looks and feels a bit pretentious to me. You will see it throughout the 3 books they wrote. But I assume it is just their style of writing and it doesn’t have to be appealing to absolutely everybody and it certainly didn’t prevent me from enjoying the books. 

I would definitely recommend this one, if you need a little push, a reason why to start researching more about Minimalism. You should know that this book is not a practical guide, so if you are already familiar with this lifestyle and would like to know more about the authors personal recipe for living a minimalistic way of life, you should focus on the other two books. 

 
Minimalism: Live a meaningful life by The Minimalists

Published by Asymmetrical Press, 2011 & 2016, 2nd edition

*(I read the English version. This one seems to be translated in Spanish. You can find it on Amazon)

This one is their  what-to  book. Here, in the first chapter (Our arrival) they tell us briefly the story of their lives and their friendship. At the end of the chapter, after analysing the term Minimalism, they reach to a conclusion that to live a meaningful life, they must focus on 5 areas - Health, Relationships, Passions, Growth and Contribution. Which is how they named the next 5 chapters. As they put it really clear: “ Minimalism looks different for everyone because it’s about finding what is essential to you. “ So this 5 values they focus on are the most important to them. They are sharing their recipe for living a meaningful life. 

In each chapter they define what it means to them to be healthy, to have meaningful relationships, how to cultivate your passion, what makes you grow, how you can contribute and add value to someone’s life. They delve into each of the ingredients of their recipe.

There is one final chapter called Confluence where they give us final insights and recommendations. 

I read the book in two days, it is only 121 pages. In my opinion it is practical, straight to the point. The ideas they suggest are very interesting but maybe I would have liked it better if they went into more detail. 
I would recommend this one if you need a more practical guide and want to start making changes as soon as possible. 

*(I read the English version. I am not sure if they have translated this book in Spanish. I couldn’t find it on Amazon)

This one is their  how-to  book. It is a collection of a 150 essays selected from their website and organised into 12 different topics: Minimalism, Stuff, Technology, Finances, Mindfulness, Gift-giving, Priorities, Health, Relationships, Passion, Contribution and Success. 

In each of the chapters, they explain the steps they took, the rules they invented and applied so that they could make sure they were moving into the right direction. They give us advice on certain topics and they always speak from experience, which makes their words sound more trustworthy. 

Also, throughout the book they conduct interviews to 2 or 3 other authors which was interesting to read. 

For me it is definitely a book that I would re-read so that I can take in all the inputs and guidance they give. 

To sum up, I am really glad that I came upon The Minimalists. I appreciate they shared their experience with the world. Personally, I could learn a lot from it. I feel like the books came into my life in the right moment - when I needed to slow things down, take several steps back and reevaluate what is  important to me and what is not, what are my priorities and how I want to live my life from now on.