Simplicity: Essays

by Joshua Fields Millburn

Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus—The Minimalists—left their six-figure careers, jettisoned many of their material possessions, and started focusing on life's most important aspects. And they never looked back.

The Minimalists write essays about living a meaning a meaningful life with less stuff for their online audience of more than 100,000 monthly readers at TheMinimalists.com. They have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, CBS, NBC, FOX, NPR, CBC, Zen Habits, and numerous other outlets.

Simplicity: Essays is The Minimalists’ fifth book and second essay collection, a follow-up to their bestselling Minimalism: Essential Essays. In the two years since the authors quit their six-figure corporate jobs and embraced simpler lives, they have written more than 200 essays on the subject of simple living. Simplicity: Essays serves as a “best of” collection for their most important collaborative writings.

This 151-page book contains 46 edited and revised essays about living a meaningful life with less stuff, including “UnAmerican Dream,” “Asking Friends & Family to Embrace Change,” and “I Am Not the Center of the Universe.” It also includes a special forward by The Minimalists and two unpublished essays that can’t be found anywhere else: “Simplicity” and “The Worst Christmas Ever.”

The order of the essays in this collection is deliberate; they are meant to be read in sequence from beginning to end. Doing so will result in an experience that is different from reading these essays individually throughout the web, connecting various concepts that may otherwise seem unconnected.

These essays were written to encourage readers to think critically about the excess in their lives and, ultimately, to take action towards living more intentionally. This collection is short enough to be read in a few sittings, or it can be digested slowly, reading one essay a day for six weeks, applying its principals each day to your own life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Essays, Biography, Lifestyle, Philosophy

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Joshua Fields Millburn is one half of the simple-living duo The Minimalists. As the bestselling author of five books, Millburn has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Time magazine and has spoken at Harvard, Apple, and Google. His podcast, The Minimalists Podcast, is often the #1 health show on Apple Podcasts, and his popular documentary, MINIMALISM, is available on Netflix. Raised in Dayton, Ohio, he currently lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Cher 'N Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars - I didn't like it.

Basic cheerleader-ish, self-help type of cheesy fluff. Was neither inspirational nor informative, sadly. I honestly did not get my $0.99 worth and would prefer to have my reading time back.

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Favorite Quote: N/A.

First Sentence: So what is this whole minimalism thing all about?

[Sairam Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it up because a friend had it on his Amazon wishlist, & I thought it interesting. It was exactly what I thought it would be, just a bit better. The essays are easily digestible and do what they are intended to do, which is to make you think.

I'm at a time in my life when I need this, and they have left me with a few good ideas. And hey, anybody who quotes David Foster Wallace & channels Jonathan Franzen must be doing something right.

Believe me, they are.

[Vivian Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic set of essays to get you thinking outside of the societal norms. They constantly say 'when we left our corporate jobs', which gets annoying and repetitive, But they have some good points and quotes.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Live the minimalist credo and do not buy it. Read Walden instead. Twice.

[Reema Sahay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I have been reading their blog so I didn't find anything new. Several things were also repetitive but yes, there are definitely a few points which are worth re-reading. As time passes, you lose sight of many things, it is good to keep reminding yourselves again what things are important for you in life. If someone new to the concept reads this, she will certainly find it more useful.

[Sinead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read the other books published by the minimalists there is nothing new in this book. Lots of the exact same anecdotes, written the same way are in their other books so it felt very repetitive. However if you are completely new to minimalist life you might find it helpful.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many tidbits of wisdom on finding contentment outside of stuff.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

So great. Filled with lots of helpful and thought provoking ideas. The perfect size for a leisurely weekend read.

[Sylvia N Mead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave me much to think about

I laughed, I wonder, I thought much about organizing your home is pretty much hoarding! I really enjoy reading and watching these guys on YouTube.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, quick read. Minimalism comfort food. Since this book is a compilation of past blog posts, it's a good way to get acquainted with the blog if you (like me) are a new subscriber.

It's free in the kindle lending library! Personally I also don't mind paying for blog books--I am happy to support good bloggers so they can be self-sufficient and continue to deliver such good products.

Favorite Quotes:

"And we discovered that working 70–80 hours a week and buying even more stuff didn’t fill the void. In fact, it did the opposite: instead of happiness, our excessive accumulation of material possessions brought us debt and anxiety and stress and discontent and eventually a debilitating depression."

"Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom."

"Minimalism is a tool used to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom."

"You can keep your American Dream. Give us back our time, our freedom, and our lives."

"That question led us to an important discovery about our own lives: an anchor is the thing that keeps a ship at bay, planted in the harbor, stuck in one place, unable to explore the freedom of the sea. Perhaps we were anchored—we knew we weren’t happy with our lives—and perhaps being anchored wasn’t necessarily a good thing."

"That’s because decluttering alone doesn’t solve the problem; discussing how to get rid of your stuff answers only the what, but not the why."

"It is possible to get rid of everything you own and still be utterly miserable, to come home to your empty house and sulk after removing all your pacifiers."

"We need to start thinking of organizing as a dirty word. It is, in fact, a sneaky little profanity—a pernicious little booger—that keeps us from simplifying our lives."

"Happiness + Constant Improvement + Contribution = Success"

"Or sometimes we ask other people for advice to reaffirm our own advice."

"Panicking, after all, is just a strange way to regain order in an otherwise disorderly situation."

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few days ago I read through Simplicity: Essays, a collection of essays on minimalism. Divided into three parts, the essays invite readers to consider their relationship with their things, create a meaningful life, practice habits that make themselves happier and better, and offer advice on getting friends and family to realize, no, you're not crazy because you're getting rid of all your stuff. It fits comfortably within the realm of self-help, with less philosophy than I'd hoped. The authors write a great deal about themselves, mentioning with frequency how they left their high-powered six-figure jobs behind to focus on helping other people, and how much happier they were without all the baggage. I purchased it as a $1 e-book, but it has a 'real' counterpart. I don't think I'm giving the book its fair due because it was so similar to Disrupting the Rabblement in terms of its advice, and I was looking for something more in the neighborhood of The Plain Reader, that invites us to think about a wide variety of areas of our lives that could do with grooming. The authors here only looked at owning things and mental habits.

[Ignas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice and easy read. And also very motivational. I have also read another book of the essays by the same authors and this book had some of them overlapping, but still there is nothing bad in it - the more you re-read same principles and ideas - the more it start to make sense. I really do like minimalism and the book really helped me to start my way to it. I MUST change my lifestyle (not that I'm consuming too much or own too much, but I just want to grow more as a human and give more to others too) and two books of essays I read - were a nice start to the journey.

[Keely Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was happy to buy an ebook which is a collection of essays which are mostly available for free on the Internet, mostly to support The Minimalists' work. The advices is simple, seemingly overly so, but that's part of the message. None of this is rocket science. You don't need multitudes of studies, masses of statistics or jargon-filled 30-step programs to live a more simple life. Just some inspiration, which this book/collection of essays provides.

[Nara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't remember how this ended up on my Kindle, but it didn't impress. A couple of affluent white dudes discover that stuff doesn't make them happy and write pedantic essays on minimalism. Eh.

From a pragmatic perspective, "Your Money or Your Life" is much more engaging; from a social persective, maybe "Affluenza"? From a personal perspective, I think I was just looking for something a little more insightful and a little less 101.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

These guys are relatively newly into simplicity, well, at least minimalism. There is a feeling to their writing that they are the ones to have discovered it and the first to share it.

That said, the writing is succinct and relatively enjoyable. They are clearly reaching new audiences with their blog, so good for them.

For me, the essays served as good reminders and as a time to savor this piece of how I live.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the book is material from their website, with minor edits, but there are a couple new essays. I'd recommend this to anyone who is a reader of Millburn's website, and wants a best of (along with the previous essay collection) or who wants to introduce someone else to minimalism beyond just getting rid of excess things.

[Dave Bolton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've "only" given this a three, but it is quite a happy three. Definitely the best "blog-posts-into-book" that I've read recently (though that is somewhat faint praise), because it doesn't pretend to be anything else, just a collection of essays. The ideas are strong, if sometimes a little banal, and the writing is engaging.

[Therése Åström · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm into minimalism. I am also into the Minimalists. Meeting them is one of the best things that happened last year, and I have a lot to thank them for. I found new things to think about while reading this, but I don't like the blog-style as much as for example Everything That Remains - there's a book that I really recommend!

[Ellyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short little essays to give you an idea about what they did to change their lives...not really that deep but made me interested enough to want to read their blog and their other book. Liked the essay about the difference between making a mistake and a bad decision!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a very nice collection of essays. Most of the essays come from their blog, but the collection orders them in a way that they have a stronger meaning and build on one another. It's a great introduction to minimalism and The Minimalists themselves.

[Jorn Straten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and a good introduction to Minimalism. A lot wasn’t new to me but I enjoyed the book and also the positive feeling while reading. I recommend this book and people should follow its advice in their daily life. "Not a perfect life, not even an easy life, but a simple one."

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I've been following these guys for some time now and am always astonished by the great amount of value I derive from their insights. This is a great collection of essays.

[TD · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not horrible but pretty shallow.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, easy, and fast read. Inspiring.

[Kony · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's short. It's simple. It treads a treacherously thin line between pithy and simplistic.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, easy read. If you like the blog, you should definitely check out this book. I read a couple essays before bed each night and when I was feeling stressed to calm my mind.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm on a roll!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, thought provoking, powerful. Recommended!

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love to read about minimalism stuff for inspiration and they are very good writers. Nothing exceptionally new, but a quick simple read that I enjoyed.

[Jimmy Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is now out of print, but still available at audible.com. Good little motivational audiobook, on Minimalism, about 3.5 hours long, can be listened to in less than a day.