زندگی ات را مرتب کن!

by Olivia Telford, فاطمه محمدصادق (Translator)

«زندگی‌ات را مرتب کن» با فصلی به نام «با مرتب کردن تختخواب‌تان شروع کنید» شروع می‌شود. روشن است که نویسنده تا حدودی تحت تاثیر کتاب معروف «تختخوابت را مرتب کن» است، اما به آن وابسته نیست و در حد آن کتاب باقی نمی‌ماند. «اولیویا تلفورد» روان‌شناس حوزه‌ی رفتارگرایی شناختی است و به این حوزه از روان‌شناسی، توجه ویژه دارد. او کتابی نیز درباره‌ی درمان رفتاری ـ شناختی نوشته است که تمرکز اصلی آن بر کاهش استرس و بهبود افسردگی است. بنابراین توجه ویژه‌ی او به زندگی و ذهن انسان است و حرف‌هایش بن‌مایه‌ی روان‌شناختی قدرتمندی دارد.

تلفورد بیش از هر چیز بر مینیمالیسم متمرکز است. تا جایی که تقریباً در تمام نوشته‌هایش، توجه به سادگی و کاهش عناصر عینی و ذهنی دیده می‌شود. تلفورد در معرفی خود نیز همیشه از عبارت مینیمالیست استفاده می‌کند. او رویکرد کمینه‌گرایی و سادگی را در همه‌ی جنبه‌های زندگی، از وسایل موجود در اتاق‌ها و آشپزخانه گرفته تا در کمیت و کیفیت آدم‌هایی که با آن‌ها رابطه داریم و آن‌چه در ذهن‌مان انباشته‌ایم، مورد توجه قرار می‌دهد. در این کتاب نیز تلفورد با استفاده از مینیمالیسم، سعی دارد روش‌های ساده‌ای را برای سازماندهی ذهن و زندگی‌مان ارایه دهد.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Personal Development

104 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Annette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf. Ridiculously simplistic advice I could have written myself.

[Anna Mulvihill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am super cluttered and found my life so chaotic, but I am now married to and living in the confines of a van with someone who is the exact opposite. Rather than do anything about it, i thought I’d just read about it. Joking, this book provided so many useful tips. I can’t wait to get started and I do honestly feel it will make a difference to the way I live and feel everyday.

[Nerea Pedraz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even though the intention behind the book is kind, I found it overly simplistic and shallow. The author does not really explain the meaning of minimalism, she just shows off her happiness and makes it seem easily achievable. I must admit that some chapters do convey some good advice, but I feel that most of the book is based on cheap-psychology assumptions and lacks empathy. I thought I might find it inspiring but it was a waste of time for me.

[Jeff Hand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid Tips Over (Too) Broad a Range

I found many practical tips in this book, a few of which I have already put into practice. But I would have preferred a tighter focus. I did not expect to find cleaning tips and how-tos on producing organic cleaners in a book on the "art of minimalism." If those things interest you in addition to decluttering and organzing, then you may like this book more than I did. I also found some of the "organizing tips" - use of wire baskets, toilet paper rollers, etc. - to be somewhat contradictory to the "decluttering" advice. (If you find yourself using cheap storage alternatives, you may not need the items being stored.) Lastly, the copy I recieved had a number of spacing issues - usually lack of space following end-of-sentence punctuation - which I found distracting.

Despite this non-5-star review, if you are looking for practical tips on decluttering, organizing, and cleaning, pick up this book, give it a read, and make your bed. You will almost certainly find several practical tips.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Carlynne Toomey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed going through this book. There is a wealth of knowledge about reducing your clutter in this book. More is not always better and the author manages to explain in detail the whys and how's of paring down your life to what is important. She also doesn't just focus on decluttering your physical possessions, but covers all aspects of your life including relationships and thoughts. She has examples, stories, and scientific data to support her processes. I definitely recommend this for anyone looking to pare down!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[miss.anthrope_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got a bit confused with this book. I thought it would MAINLY talk about the art of minimalism, but I ended up reading more about organizing and decluttering. For me those are two different things.

It started out good though talking about decluttering and why it is taking much of your time and your energy but with that it also assumes that we want people coming to our houses. That we dont have visitors because we would be embarassed or it would take too much time to clean when someone wants to come over. Uh, nope. We can be minimalists or have well-organized houses and still not want visitors. Hello, fellow socially awkward and solitary-loving introverts!

[Kayleigh Hunter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't finish listening to the audio book version. I didn't like the readers voice, and the stuff in the book I felt wasn't helpful information "if you are stressed it's because you home is full of clutter." I'm sure their not wrong but also there are a lot of factors that can make one stressed.
What if there home is clutter free and yet they still feel stressed?
It did say at the beginning that they are not a health professional or phycologist but still I felt it wasn't really good advice.

[Diandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am somewhat of a procrastinator but after this reading this book I've realised that less most definitely is more. I love the simplicity of each step. Nothing feels like it cannot be achieved and incorporated into everyday life

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Michal Kowalski · Rating 3 out of 5]

i quite enjoyed the book but i felt that towards the end it became more about structure and organisation rather then minimalism also one of the chapters felt like it was from an motivational instagram page for 14 years old girls.
nevertheless i still quite enjoyed the book, and the way the author wrote the book felt really nice to read, it made smooth transitions between the different subjects.

[Fateme Sadeghi · Rating 1 out of 5]

این که آیا این کتاب را به دیگران توصیه می‌کنم رو نمی‌دونم اما برای خودم اگر برگردم عقب برای این کتاب هزینه(خرید کتاب و زمان برای خوندن کتاب) نمی‌کنم.
در مورد مینیمالیست از منابع مختلف(مقاله، کتاب،پادکست و مستند) اطلاعات کسب کردم اگر این کتاب اولین منبع بود هیچ وقت به این موضوع جذب نمی‌شدم.(مطالب گاها تکراری بود اما نحوه بیانش رو دوست نداشتم.)
خود موضوع مینیمالیست برای من جذابه اما این کتاب نه.

[Bryan Duffey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is ok

I guess I have already been doing most of the recommendations. I did not find the declutter of the home that helpful but found some good tidbits in declutter my mind and day.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read. Again, writing was juvenile. It had the potential to be a good book, but it didn't give good advice on decluttering in my opinion. I found other great books about cleaning and decluttering and mental health to be much more helpful in my own journey.

[Gina Von Der Vellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to help me declutter all aspects of my life.

[crazipotmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always wish I myself could get more from these books I know this stuff works I've seen it it's worth the read to get some info to help

[Jennifer Cagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book

This was a good read and included decluttering the mind which I think is very important when fluttering ones life.

[Thomas Focht · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to clean my room as soon as I got done reading it. :-)

[Nicholas De · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some simple tips and strategies

I found this an easy read with some simple tips. I found the advice on how to get started motivating.

[Marines · Rating 4 out of 5]

great option for living a simpler way

I would recommend the book to people whom are feeling lost and need to find sense in things again, I really e joyed the chapter on which she gives tips on how to organize different things

[virgoreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC.

[Liv · Rating 1 out of 5]

Half of this book wasn't even about decluttering or minimalism.

[Pratha Debnath · Rating 1 out of 5]

ehh

[Christine Hug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libro-guía con aspectos bastante básicos pero con tips y consejos muy útiles. Mi lectura didáctica del mes de febrero y una lectura que me ha motivado a cambiar algunas cosas de mi hogar y seguir haciendo limpieza de todo lo que tengo.

[Historical Maiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olivia Telford will give you the incentive and motivation to actually take control of your buying habits. By reading The Art of Minimalism...I have developed the skills to be able to recognize the "gimmicks" that advertisers use to convince an ignorant buyer(like myself) to really "need" their items...be it beauty products , clothing etc. These convincing advertising campaigns turn us
Into hoarders... What do we do with all this "stuff" when we realize that we don't need it or that we will need it in the future?
Olivia is correct is telling us just how our apartment, room, or house gets so cluttered and filled with all this unnecessary stuff year after year. . We push it under our beds....or we actually lose or forget about it and then stupidly buy the same product again because we can't find anything under all the clutter.
Olivia teaches us in her book how not to fall into this trap set by clever advertising campaigns to make us think we need items that we actually can do without. The author explains in detail how to stop being a slave to advertisers and just how to escape from this old pattern of spending our hard earned money on stuff that we really don't need. All this buying is just making the bigwigs richer...stuffing their fat pockets with our hard earned money. We Must Break This Pattern of wanting more & more.
Little by little , the author gives us the steps to unload the burden of clutter from our homes...this will free our minds from the control that all these beauty, cosmetic, and clothing companies ...that seem to make false promises in order for us to buy what they are selling. Olivia has taught me To think as an independent person and never to allow the bigwigs to control my mind. There are so many more chapters that explain and motivate....to live in a clean organized home. I honestly recommend this book to all those who want motivation & courage to take the steps to have a more prosperous & joy filled life. xx

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than Just the Art of Minimalism

I have read another book by this author on mindfulness, and in this book, she brings mindfulness to minimalism in a variety of ways. The book is roughly divided into thirds: generalities and mindset about minimalism, specific strategies for decluttering your physical environment, and ideas for decluttering your relationships, your thoughts, and your day. What I like about this book is that you can tell that the author walks the talk. She isn't just cobbling together a variety of information from online sources and other books as happens far too often in nonfiction books these days. Instead, she shares personal stories and insights as well as tips that she herself has come up with. I particularly loved the section on how to naturally clean all the areas of your home after you’ve decluttered. I'm planning to implement some of those ideas very soon.

I have read several books on minimalism, but her approach draws you right in because she helps you understand your thinking about the excess of “stuff” in your life and the history of consumerism. Much of her advice is very detailed, like the specific recipes for natural cleansers and how to use the pomodoro technique in your decluttering. The book has some unusual topics for a book on minimalism, like affirmations and time management—and of course, the entire last section that is more about the mental aspects, like clearing toxic relationships and thoughts from your life and replacing those thoughts with more positive ones. It might seem from the outside like it's an odd combination of ideas, but the ideas do work together to help support you in decluttering all aspects of your life.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was much more than a book on decluttering and organizing. In the spirit of ”give someone a fish and they eat for a day vs teach them to fish and they can eat their whole life”, this book discusses why clutter happens, why it’s bad for our overall health, why it’s so hard to deal with clutter and how/why it keeps returning, plus a whole lot of strategies and tips for dealing with the feelings of being overwhelmed and procrastination that invariably paralyze de-cluttering efforts and allow it to fester again, environmentally friendly cleaning methods, where to sell and donate excess belongings, and why mental clutter is as draining as physical clutter and how to deal with that as well, etc,. This isn’t a ”change your life overnight” sort of book, but rather a ”change your mindset” in order to reap longterm rewards and mental calm by employing mindfulness, situational awareness and some tried and true methods for being proactive about the life, living space, and mental attachments we choose to enjoy.

Additionally, the author included a bonus book called Take Back Your Day: How Simple Daily Actions Can Change Your Life, which seems quite promising as well.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

[Skie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Art of Minimalism, by Olivia Telford (.5/5)

This book was 10838384 blog posts on a trench coat, and it really struggled to be coherent. Even some paragraphs had no connection to the next one, never mind the chapters. The writing was juvenile in the worst way possible, and the author didn't think about the points they were making. Elon Musk is not a billionaire because he doesn't watch TV, he is a billionaire because he is an asshole with no morals, whose father owned an emerald mine and whose mother was rich by herself too.

While the author titled it "The Art Of Minimalism", the book barely explores what minimalism is, focusing more on how to organize the things you own, how to properly fold each type of clothing, and how you should put your nail polish collection on cookie jars. The author suggests time and time again that the reader BUYS stuff, which is kinda of the... opposite of what minimalism is.

Just watch a YouTube video. You get the same out of it with less wasted time (and money, if you’re unfortunate enough to buy this book).

[Dawn M. Seigo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be more than just another how to declutter book. Face it. After years of collecting so much stuff, it can be overwhelming to even consider downsizing! The author offers practical ways to begin the process... stick with the process... and see the satisfying result of sticking with it. Links to some helpful resources are even included. Procrastinators often do so because they feel overwhelmed at the daunting task presenting itself. Sometimes all we need is a little help getting started. I felt like I got that help after reading this book. The book was easy reading and to the point. Deliberately a thumbs up on this one!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mari (Mystics & Metaphysics Book Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think decluttering is hard? This book will get you doing it in no time. It's simple but goes through steps you can take to take back your life from all the mess. Sometimes we don't notice how clutter can affect our mental health and by clearing what is not needed and learning how to organize your stuff. This will help you in a simple manner.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tracy Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even takes away your urge to procrastinate
by TeMorrow

Lovely book filled with tips and tricks to purge the old and organize what you keep - including the most important reasons WHY you need to do this. every people moving into their own place for the first time needs this book. Those of us who have been keeping house for many years, also need this book!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed this information badly. I'm not a hoarder but we moved from a big house to a little house and we realized how much STUFF we have that we do not really need. So this book has been helping immensely. I like this book better than other books I have read on this topic because it seems to help me more and is easy to follow.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.