The More of Less

I was wary of reading any of Joshua Becker's books because I knew he was religious. I did, however. enjoy this book because it dove deeply into some of the reasons we buy so much and feel that we need so much. I have been minimizing my home, and I feel the benefits. I wanted to think more about the why's, not just get rid of stuff. I did find some great food for thought here, about why we feel we need so much, and how our generations have been influenced by circumstances on what we value and keep. The book was well written and easy to read. It touches on what our goals could be, choosing them mindfully, whether we are just doing what everyone else is doing, and being more intentional about how we want to live our lives, spend our money, and share our time. There are some religious parts where he mentions some lines in the bible and how HE interprets them to point to minimalism and service to others. (Let's face it, everyone interprets the bible their own way, and sometimes how it makes their point.) Personally, I did not need so much about service to others. It may have touched a nerve with some, but basically we all seem to know that serving others gives us joy and is a good thing to do. I will be blunt here...........I am an atheist, and "dejunking" religion is one of the best things I have done. There is no proof for any of it, (that is why you need faith), and the hypocrisy is unbelievable. I don't believe the bible is the word of a god, though it may have some good advice or life lessons, right along with the war and violence in it. So that part did not interest me at all. If we want to talk about modern life, and all the unnecessary things we cling to, unproven beliefs from past centuries are right up at the top for me. Believing that there is a god sitting in heaven, who had kids, and sent one down for a blood sacrifice, is not something I want to give any of my time or money to. I do good things now because I want to. I gave up all the fear, guilt, and brainwashing that was POUNDED into me as a child. I also gave up the dumb beliefs I was taught, such as, if you give the church $20, you will get 5 years off your sentence in purgatory!! I wish I was making that up, but I am not. Yet our society still applauds religion and is afraid to speak about it. I do not wish to offend, but I feel strongly about this, as you surely can tell, and do not understand it at all. Yet here it is in a book extoling us to get rid of unnecessary things!! Oh, the irony!! At the same time, I recognize that we all have our own beliefs, and the right to believe them. However, I will say that when Joshua mentions Jesus and the bible, he keeps it short, (minimal), and I was grateful. The only part, as I mentioned, that was long and drawn out was the end, trying to convince us how great it is to serve others. I already feel strongly that we all should do that. Yes, even atheists serve and care about others. So I will probably read this again, and just skip that part, and parts that for me are too religious. All in all, there is a lot of information here to help us along a path of being more minimal in our lives, if that is what we choose to do. And I will continue to minimize the things in my life that are not important, such as excess possessions, and mental stress, and I will continue to serve others and help animals, which is MY passion. I believe that humans worked together to survive as we evolved, and we can continue to do so.

I joined Joshua's online group for minimizing our home before reading this book. He was encouraging and upfront about making this lifestyle journey your own. So I finally read this book. Great ideas and examples of what to do without feeling overwhelmed. It's not a de-clutter your house book. It's a de-clutter and minimize your life book. I like that he references others and their ideas and journeys to a simpler life.

Of all the many voices and messages in the modern minimalism movement Joshua Becker’s The More of Less rises to the forefront. This book not only delivers a practical guide to owning less and leading a more meaningful life, but delves deeply into the joy and freedom that come from a minimalist lifestyle.I was first introduced to minimalism by Colin Wright and The Minimalists and embraced the message and movement years ago. I constantly seek to discover the most meaningful influences in my life and remove the things that distract me from them. I write this review midway through a challenge of no purchases for 90-days.I found tremendous value and insight in this text. Even as someone who fully embraces and lives minimalism, Joshua’s perspective and guidance challenged me to face even tougher questions about how I spend my time, money, and energy. I consider myself relatively mature in my minimalist journey yet Joshua’s insights added fuel to my flame and pushed me to grow ever further. My favorite practical guidance came from the Maintenance Program chapter. No matter how firmly we belief in the value of minimalism, without a strategy and vigilance to maintain, the cluster always finds a way back in. I have implemented many of this maintenance strategies. My favorite is to keep a bag in my closet for cloths to donate. I put items that I do not wear often in the bag. If I do not miss them by the end of the month, I donate them. This is a modification of his strategy to keep a box for “junk” items next to the trashcan for items you suspect you will not miss.The More of Less not only gives practical guidance and motivation to those of us already minimizing. Joshua offers plan to easily begin your minimalism journey. He outlines a beautiful process of beginning with the easy things and gathering momentum as you begin to the feel the value from the early stages. His offers personal beginning (and difficulties) with minimalism as motivation and to inform his guidance that will help you to begin for yourself.The greatest value that Joshua’s words offer are in his discussion of the philosophy, purpose, and meaning of minimalism. This is what truly sets his text apart. He not only wants to help you own less, but to “find the life you want.” He blends ancient wisdom from many philosophical and religious traditions with modern applications to deliver a unique brand of minimalism.I fell in love with Joshua’s words and message on his blog and I feel honored to receive and review an early copy of this book. The More of Less surpassed even my lofty expectations. Joshua’s message - shared here, his many other books, and at BecomingMinimalist.com - comes from a place of genuine compassion for his fellow human. He truly wants to help you live the most meaningful life possible.Whether you fully embrace the minimalism movement or you are just exploring for the first time, The More of Less will bring immense value to your life.

Ok, but a little disappointing - I may have read too many similar books and the religious element was slightly annoying

This book is totally fantastic! It has changed our life completely. Please buy this book. It opens your eyes to what is important in life. Worth ever penny. Hats off to the great guy who wrote it!!!

I've been doing lots of minimising and this book is inspiring and makes lots of sense

There’s more to minimalism than meets the eye. I got so much out of this book, and it's put me on to other resources that have helped me improve my life significantly. Can't recommend this enough.

Love minimalism; love this book. Spiritual and hopeful. As a minimalist, I am sharing it around as much as I can! It will never become clutter on my bookshelf...it has too great a message in it!