And Creativity - Minimalist Living - Decluttering for Joy

I read this book through in one day because I'm surrounded by clutter, mostly paper, and needed badly to be motivated to start the thinning process. It definitely had an effect on me and I've already started the job! I've had past experience clearing the decks before emigrating a few times, but seemed somehow to "clutter up" again, though it took a few years! It's the paper clutter that really gets to me and I would have liked something on that subject. Thank you for reminding me about the wisdom of freeing oneself to travel and socialize more.
Ester Benjamin Shifren, Author: Hiding in a Cave of Trunks: A Prominent Jewish Family's Century in Shanghai and Internment in a WWII POW camp.

Minimalist living----now there's a thought. I am glad I read this book because it reinforced my belief of how I was planning to live---at least try to live---the rest of my life. Having had to start over after a divorce, the loss of my house, and nearly all my possessions about five years ago, this book confirmed my belief that these losses were not necessarily a bad thing. Through these occurrences, I came to realize what is truly important in life: presence of mind, presence of body, and presence of spirit. I like the way the author brings into play the eastern philosophies of Buddhism without going into a technical foray. She also mentions Eckhart Tolle, whose books I have read and whose philosophy of living I am familiar, and this bolstered my resolve to stay on this course of constructive living that I adopted after my divorce and separation from my family.

I commend Parker Hill for her repetitive yet gentle coaxing to her readers that they should embrace as much as possible this minimalist concept of living without going to the extreme of chastising any who refuse to make such changes. She does this from the point of view of "knowing" from personal experience, having lost many of her possessions in a fire when she was young. Having experienced what it feels like to be "un-attached" to things, possessions, and places, I can attest that this is the preferred way to live, and that you can obtain joy beyond description if you adhere to this strategy.

As Hill quotes Jesus, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," she echoes the true meaning of life: keep it simple, stay unattached, and be free and light so that you can experience as much as possible in the body until you do return to the spirit. Well done Hill.

I
I have had the desire to rid myself of so many things that I knew I had little or no use for .this book helps to give a focus point for starting ridding myself of
some of the stuff. Gave me direction for getting rid of or at least organizing it

.I honestly don't think it would be beneficial for me to go full blown on the minimizing of my junk.

A great guide on the benefits to minimalist living. Isn't a step by step guide, but it will give you motivation to start and keep going in your minimalist journey. I didn't find the "helpful websites" section to be very helpful, but for the most part the book is very inspiring and gives information on dealing with challenges to moving to a minimalist lifestyle, both external and internal.

Having lost everything to a fire in 2004, the author and her family actually count is as a blessing having to learn to refocus on relationships and not material possessions.

If you are on your way to becoming a minimalist (like our family) this book will encourage you to keep going. If you are still living in clutter this book could well be the "kick" you need to really start cleaning out. Honestly, you do not need all that stuff! As a family, we have proved that and are still proving that as we continue to clean out and downsize. And yes, we have 3 children still at home with more on the way so don't let your kids be the excuse to keep adding to the clutter.

Did you know that the USA "comprises of only 5% of the world's population" but "we are using 30% of the world's resources and making 30% of the world's waste." How about the fact that "the personal storage industry is a 22 billion dollar one?" Are we any happier? Not according to statistics! Extra stuff tends to drag you down, not lift you up. I can personally testify that the more we clear out, the easier life becomes. For one, the house is easier to keep clean and there is not so much dust! AND I was never truly a pack rat like some!

The ideal of being a minimalist is to get to where what you have in your home is regularly used. It does not mean that you have to go live in a shack with an outhouse, unless you want to!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND this well written book. Do yourself a favor today, get the book, read it and start turning all that stuff into cash and/or donating it to someone that really needs it.

Had to good points to ponder. Some points covered in other books about cluttering or else I'd given it 4 stars. It does have a good motivating style and I found the authors points and explanations clearly articulated.

The beginning of the book was encouraging to me and really got me thinking. I liked her decluttering tips and will be implementing some of them. The reason I give it a 3 star review is she really thinks you need to “declutter” you life not just belongings. Maybe I just don’t completely understand the minimalist mindset, but I was expecting it to be about physical possessions not my schedule.

Had to good points to ponder. Some points covered in other books about cluttering or else I'd given it 4 stars. It does have a good motivating style and I found the authors points and explanations clearly articulated.

The beginning of the book was encouraging to me and really got me thinking. I liked her decluttering tips and will be implementing some of them. The reason I give it a 3 star review is she really thinks you need to “declutter” you life not just belongings. Maybe I just don’t completely understand the minimalist mindset, but I was expecting it to be about physical possessions not my schedule.

This book offers good advice for reducing stress by getting rid of what you don't use and have to spend time putting it up or moving it around. This is the most logical advice I have heard in a long time.

It took 70 years for me to realize that all the money in the world just makes a mess in living. Minimize and breath free. Get rid of what is not needed and make room in the closet for what we wear every day.

This book is great. It's not just another self-help book, it's also a cultural critique that poses basic questions of human life -- how do I want to live? What is the purpose of my labor and my time? Does my acquisition of more things and the way my living space is configured serve me and those around me? Or, is my acquisitiveness serving only to fuel the treadmill of depersonalizing consumerism? These questions are posed indirectly -- it will charm you, not hit you over the head.

It's not just a book of helpful tips to overcome our tendencies to consume and to hoard; it's a book for anybody who wants to reflect on how they can pursue happiness is a world where everything is conspiring to make us think happiness lies in our power as consumers to buy what we want.

I was given a free copy of a draft of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was initially skeptical, but it won me over with its honesty, its simple and penetrating insights, and its grace.

I borrowed this book for free, as it is included as a selection in the Kindle Lending Library. Now that I've finished reading it, though, I plan to purchase it so I can review it again.

This book contains an excellent balance of step-by-step advice plus methods for clarifying your plans and modifying your behavior to fit those plans. I found that the author led me to a surprising amount of clarification in the steps that called for the reader to journal his/her responses to certain questions about life and home and the step that outlined the process for constructing a minimalist mission statement. I will want to review those parts again.

One aspect of this book that I particularly appreciated was Parker Hill's breakdown of methods for applying the principle of minimalism in multiple life situations. Many self-improvement books tend to place an unbalanced amount of importance on the importance and desires of the self--this book appropriately addresses methods for adopting minimalism while considering the needs of others in your home.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable, enlightening, accessible, and motivating guide. As a free book in the Lending Library, it's worth a rental; to purchase, it's a good deal.

I found the book to be clearly written in a conversational manner. The style meant it was quick and easy to garner information and inspiration. Parker Hill takes you from the initial consideration of taking on a minimalist lifestyle, through to the natural questions and fears (both emotional and practical) such a step might arouse. Chapters include hands-on tips for achieving and ultimately maintaining this lifestyle. Even while reading the book for the first time, I was mentally taking note that I would want to read it a second and perhaps a third time. I would recommend this book to anyone starting out on their journey into minimalism. It will take you by the hand leading you gently, but firmly, in the direction that YOU decide to take. The power is in your hands, and it’s books like Genevieve Parker Hill’s that provide the inspiration and practical help for you to manifest your dreams.
(I was given a free copy of a draft of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

As one of the beta readers for this book, I did receive a free copy and what I thought was just a way to help out in the "pre-book" launch phase, turned into launching me into action to declutter my home and create a more joyful, beautiful place to live. This book is highly motivating and inspires one to be able to really clear out things that are not serving them well any longer. Genevieve gives excellent theories and philosophies as to why we need to make room in our life for better things by getting rid of the clutter. She also examines consumerism and makes the reader think twice about this important topic.

Not only is the book valuable in helping one achieve decluttering for joy, health and creativity, but it is an entertaining read with fun stories and anecdotes. A well-written, excellent book that I would highly recommend!

Awesome advice for simple living. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned minimalist, it is worth the read.

Hmmm I must add this line because my review is too short... Maybe the review rule makers should read this book ;-)

The author makes a great case and lays a good foundation for minimalist living. I had to wade through a lot of psycho-spiritual talk that didn't fit my perspective to get to the gems, but on the whole I found this to be a good introduction to minimalism.

This book could be called "steps to conscious minimalism”; it is that powerful, deep and "unputdownable". I loved the narrator’s (MoMo) voice very much (soothing and friendly) and the opening is beautiful. The personalisation of the book with examples from the Genevieve Parker Hill’s life and other stories added so much. It is great that the book is not written in a didactic style. It is like a beautiful friend who has a soul deep understanding of life speaking to you lovingly. That helped me so much. What added to my experience of this book was the emphasis laid on values of human experience, stories, memories and more.

While the gypsy in me totally relates to the term 'international vagabond', the definition of minimalism in this book really helped me overcome my guilt of not living in a “sparse white space". What a relief to be aware that ownership can be fun and joyful and freeing. There are several such wonderful gems hidden in the book. I loved the social, political and economic expressions that leads to consumerism on auto mode and skews global consciousness, and how we can choose to live clutter-free lives. The deeper meaning of minimalism, about how minimalism is a reflection of me and my thoughts, how happiness and attitudes are the most important ingredients for our well being wowed me. I got to realise how things consume us robbing us of happiness. It is not even the gadgets we buy but the experiences, people, projects, options, thoughts, information, and even how we spend our time just because everyone is doing it that needs attention. Genevieve has such an intuitive sense of the human psyche that I found myself smiling ever so often knowing that I go through the same thought processes while piling up my clutter.

The techniques, tools and strategies discussed in the book gives us the task to identify what each item means to us. Wow! The book is an exercise in knowing oneself. It was beautiful journey to my inner self, about knowing how I could enhance my inner life and my greater purpose on earth.
It was such an incredible experience to go through decluttering this way. There is a lightness to Genevieve’s method in helping us get around the excuses we tell and believe in.

The book says there are all kinds of minimalists, and it does not mean you have to live with only say 50-100 things. Phew! what a relief as I like being a “moderate minimalist”. Though I did not know how to get here. But now I know, thanks to this book. As mentioned by Genevieve the book did hugely inspire me to get rid of my blocks and start taking steps towards minimalistic living. Honest confession here because I am a hoarder of all things sentimental and stock stuff out of fear of needing something in the future (don’t we all?). But, I realised that I was partly there in terms of not following societal norms. Wow! This made me feel on top of the world instead of feeling less. I was a part minimalist already. Yay!!!!!

Genevieve says that reading this book will not change anything unless you act (true for anything you do in life). But I say just listening to this book and paying attention and doing the exercises did it for me. It has helped my subconscious mind to release/unlock my stuff/blocks. I listened to it only once a week ago and today I saw myself giving away clothes that I had kept for years with the hope of fitting into some day ;) without any effort or stress. I cannot imagine how silly I was being. And this is just the beginning of my minimalist journey.

Do not buy this book if you are only looking for those “superficial to-do lists and practical tips" on decluttering instead of delving into the what and how of simple living. Getting to know the “reasons” on why we add clutter is a very important and effective part of the journey to decluttering. It requires a wholesome mind, body, soul process that helps us connect deeply to our spiritual self and truly be on our path to live a minimalistic and meaningful life. Do you wish to be “de-cluttered for life"?. If so, get this book to Let Go and Increase Your Joy, Health, Creativity, Brilliance and More...

I gave this book dive stars because it's very inspirational. My stuff and clutter have been taking over my life for months! After reading this, I'll be focusing on minimizing all of that clutter and can't wait!

I gave this book dive stars because it's very inspirational. My stuff and clutter have been taking over my life for months! After reading this, I'll be focusing on minimizing all of that clutter and can't wait!