Minimalism: Essential Essays
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- Create Date：2021-04-07 14:56:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Joshua Fields Millburn
- ISBN：1938793013
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Summary
The best of the Minimalists！
This book by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus collects the most relevant essays - some short， some long - from their popular website， TheMinimalists。com。 This collection has been edited and organized to create an experience that's considerably different from reading individual selections online。 From simple living， decluttering， and finances to passion， health， and relationships， Essential is for anyone who desires a more intentional life。
This book by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus collects the most relevant essays - some short， some long - from their popular website， TheMinimalists。com。 This collection has been edited and organized to create an experience that's considerably different from reading individual selections online。 From simple living， decluttering， and finances to passion， health， and relationships， Essential is for anyone who desires a more intentional life。
Reviews
Samy
，
In 2012， after just coming back from studying abroad for 6 months， I decided to do a massive clear out。 This book， along with the others from the Minimalists， was responsible for helping me hone in on what’s truly important in my life。 Living a life that matters is what matters。 And whether we realize or not， often the material things we seek， don’t extend themselves to that。Joshua Fields and Ryan Ricodemus had everything。 They had the house， the career， and the wife。 The big salary that kept on In 2012， after just coming back from studying abroad for 6 months， I decided to do a massive clear out。 This book， along with the others from the Minimalists， was responsible for helping me hone in on what’s truly important in my life。 Living a life that matters is what matters。 And whether we realize or not， often the material things we seek， don’t extend themselves to that。Joshua Fields and Ryan Ricodemus had everything。 They had the house， the career， and the wife。 The big salary that kept on jumping。 But deep down， they were miserable。 The takeaway from their books is to focus on what’s important。 You can find all the articles listed in this book on their website， so I wouldn’t encourage you to buy this。 Instead get one of their other books。 Their best books are: Everything that Remains and Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life。Mind you， eventually， their message of mininamilsm can get a bit repetitive。 But given the amount of repetition that's inherent to the cultural lullaby of consumerism and the pursuit of more， perhaps the repetition inherent in these books is necessarily to cajole us out of our systematic and persistent programming box。 。。。more
Kenneth Griswold
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Get rid of everything that doesn't add value to me。。。 because I am the center of the universe， of course！ Dump your wife and your kids if they aren't perfect for you。 Total BSSome of the essays had good stuff about dropping the excess。。。 but it was all coated with a layer of self-centered powder on top。 Even the parts about giving back sounded self-centered。There's a reason Jesus never wrote a word on a page and yet He's the most famous guy who ever lived。 Get rid of everything that doesn't add value to me。。。 because I am the center of the universe， of course！ Dump your wife and your kids if they aren't perfect for you。 Total BSSome of the essays had good stuff about dropping the excess。。。 but it was all coated with a layer of self-centered powder on top。 Even the parts about giving back sounded self-centered。There's a reason Jesus never wrote a word on a page and yet He's the most famous guy who ever lived。 。。。more
Thijs
，
+ Interesting and inspiring concepts nonetheless。 + Makes you think。- Repetitive。- Little depth。
Fabio Giusti
，
After I watched the two documentaries by the minimalists （the first one was enjoyable， much more than the latest one which I found it more or less as a quick resume of the first one）， I decided to read some of their books， starting from this one that probably will be the first one。。。 and the last。I didn't like it at all。 The problem is not （only） the content itself as more the way of explain or tell certain things。 Instead of talking about the reasons to live a meaningful life （term that I think After I watched the two documentaries by the minimalists （the first one was enjoyable， much more than the latest one which I found it more or less as a quick resume of the first one）， I decided to read some of their books， starting from this one that probably will be the first one。。。 and the last。I didn't like it at all。 The problem is not （only） the content itself as more the way of explain or tell certain things。 Instead of talking about the reasons to live a meaningful life （term that I think it's really vague and it can change from people to people） it's a full length about how they are fantastic， how their magnificent， how Joshua has lost pounds of "disgusting" fat as its written word by word， and their living their best life。Also， the thing that I didn't liked it is that this book completely and only focused on the process of growth: you need to grow， you need to do this， you need to stop doing this etc。 I found it quite hilarious how they talked about their lost jobs， how they were working so hard to turn out in the exact same process on reverse。 Don't get me wrong， personal growth is important。 I'm not saying the opposite， if it was opposite， we wouldn't be here reviewing this。What I found it upsetting is this focus on the work without even thinking about the rest， because rest sometimes is the most important thing to get up and be more， productive， reactive， ready。But no， there's no time of that， there's no time to take a full breath to think about your way of being， because otherwise you're losing time， do some declutter instead 'cause living with only one fork is more important， you'll think about that later。I don't know if I explained well （I'm not a native English speaker， sorry for any mistake） what I feel about， I just felt that there's not only black or white， there's also gray， there's a middle line， and it's okay to take time， it's okay to be wonder， it's okay to take a breath or a break in the meantime。Because （to me） minimalism is to find your perfect balance between （the right） things， not a declutter challenge。 。。。more
Arlee
，
If I wanted to hear someone referencing Fight Club and Tosh。0 as deep intellectual examples of minimalism I'd talk to the frat boy upstairs If I wanted to hear someone referencing Fight Club and Tosh。0 as deep intellectual examples of minimalism I'd talk to the frat boy upstairs 。。。more
Monique
，
Get rid of stuff and you'll get the point。 Kudos to them for the industry they've created around the simplest of concepts。 Get rid of stuff and you'll get the point。 Kudos to them for the industry they've created around the simplest of concepts。 。。。more
Mike Maus
，
While I found some of the advice in the book helpful， most of the book was rather repetitive and simplistic。 I could only read about a third of the book before I would put it down for several months since it was all I could handle。 There is also something about Josh's writing style that is a little off-putting。 I would recommend listening to their podcast， but skip the book。 While I found some of the advice in the book helpful， most of the book was rather repetitive and simplistic。 I could only read about a third of the book before I would put it down for several months since it was all I could handle。 There is also something about Josh's writing style that is a little off-putting。 I would recommend listening to their podcast， but skip the book。 。。。more
Louise
，
It’s hard to give this book a bad review because it does exactly what it says: it is a collection of blog post。 However for that reason， it doesn’t make a very organised argument for minimalism。 I want to read， ‘Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life’ next and hopefully that will be what I’m looking for。 I would only recommend this book for people who are big fans of the minimalists and want to read their most popular blog posts more easily。
Jane Peng
，
Good thoughts of making the best of life。 Minimize the unessential part to make room for the truly important things。
M
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Listened to the audiobook on Youtube。 Enjoyed it， but as it suggests is very minimal。 I didn't hear much new information， but it was still worthwhile for a short listen。 Listened to the audiobook on Youtube。 Enjoyed it， but as it suggests is very minimal。 I didn't hear much new information， but it was still worthwhile for a short listen。 。。。more
Alejandro De La Torre Manjón
，
It was eassy with some good ideas。 But there is something I miss that I can not expressI would read it again for sure
Lisa
，
3。5 stars
Alexandra Zhukovskaya
，
Totally bullshit， repetitive and boring stories almost without interesting ideas。 Podcast is so much better！
InquiringMindsSaugerties
，
The only reason that I would give this book 4 stars and not 5 stars is because I could have used a bit more on the instructional side of things。 I loved every other aspect of this book。 The casual informality used emphasizes a type of introspective connection with the reader， treating an essay as though it were a conversation with a close friend or family member。 I found great value in this book， and plan to return to it in times where I find myself lost。 My particular favorite essays were "Wort The only reason that I would give this book 4 stars and not 5 stars is because I could have used a bit more on the instructional side of things。 I loved every other aspect of this book。 The casual informality used emphasizes a type of introspective connection with the reader， treating an essay as though it were a conversation with a close friend or family member。 I found great value in this book， and plan to return to it in times where I find myself lost。 My particular favorite essays were "Worthy"， "Life After The Crash"， and most importantly， "Unteachers"。 Read if you need some value or motivation added to your life， as I know this book did this for me， and my words are not quite doing its familiarity and kindness justice。 I do not feel judged， I feel like someone is sharing something they love with me。 I just so happen to love it too。I do not， however， recommend this book if you are unfamiliar with The Minimalists。 For that， I would go to their website， or watch their documentary， Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things。 They have a new doc coming out on New Years day， and I have not been more excited for a movie release since the Rise of Skywalker！-Matt 。。。more
Matthew Lewellyn
，
The only reason that I would give this book 4 stars and not 5 stars is because I could have used a bit more on the instructional side of things。 I loved every other aspect of this book。 The casual informality used emphasizes a type of introspective connection with the reader， treating an essay as though it were a conversation with a close friend or family member。 I found great value in this book， and plan to return to it in times where I find myself lost。 My particular favorite essays were "Wort The only reason that I would give this book 4 stars and not 5 stars is because I could have used a bit more on the instructional side of things。 I loved every other aspect of this book。 The casual informality used emphasizes a type of introspective connection with the reader， treating an essay as though it were a conversation with a close friend or family member。 I found great value in this book， and plan to return to it in times where I find myself lost。 My particular favorite essays were "Worthy"， "Life After The Crash"， and most importantly， "Unteachers"。 Read if you need some value or motivation added to your life， as I know this book did this for me， and my words are not quite doing its familiarity and kindness justice。 I do not feel judged， I feel like someone is sharing something they love with me。 I just so happen to love it too。I do not， however， recommend this book if you are unfamiliar with The Minimalists。 For that， I would go to their website， or watch their documentary， Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things。 They have a new doc coming out on New Years day， and I have not been more excited for a movie release since the Rise of Skywalker！ 。。。more
Daksh Gupta
，
This book doesn't feel like a sequel but more like a rant on why to choose minimalism。 The rules of minimalism is what I was after which would solidify the foundations。 After finishing this book I am convinced that minimalism is essential for me to remove the distractions from my life and truly enjoy the things I own while fulfilling my passion。 One thing that I don't agree with is that no one should be giving and receiving gifts， that's not it。 This book doesn't feel like a sequel but more like a rant on why to choose minimalism。 The rules of minimalism is what I was after which would solidify the foundations。 After finishing this book I am convinced that minimalism is essential for me to remove the distractions from my life and truly enjoy the things I own while fulfilling my passion。 One thing that I don't agree with is that no one should be giving and receiving gifts， that's not it。 。。。more
Michelle Ewen
，
A powerhouse volume of succinct， actionable advice for those who truly want to live an intentional life with less。 Easily digestible in one sitting， or in bite-size for those looking for a daily dose of inspiration， this book pulls together The Minimalists most profound thoughts， anecdotes， lessons and wisdom - providing a pathway to freedom from consumerism， debt and servitude to the corporate world。 Beautifully written， with every word carefully and intentionally chosen， this essay collection A powerhouse volume of succinct， actionable advice for those who truly want to live an intentional life with less。 Easily digestible in one sitting， or in bite-size for those looking for a daily dose of inspiration， this book pulls together The Minimalists most profound thoughts， anecdotes， lessons and wisdom - providing a pathway to freedom from consumerism， debt and servitude to the corporate world。 Beautifully written， with every word carefully and intentionally chosen， this essay collection is a call to arms for the disillusioned， maxed out masses。 。。。more
Julka Books
，
Complément du livre "Minimalism : Live a meaningful live"， ce livre se trouve également dans mes top。 Je conseille également le Podcast des Minimalists sur Youtube， qui， pour les jours où la lecture est plus difficile， ou lorsqu'on a déjà finit ces deux essais， permet de suivre des conversations， des débats， des interrogations autour de ce mouvement。 Complément du livre "Minimalism : Live a meaningful live"， ce livre se trouve également dans mes top。 Je conseille également le Podcast des Minimalists sur Youtube， qui， pour les jours où la lecture est plus difficile， ou lorsqu'on a déjà finit ces deux essais， permet de suivre des conversations， des débats， des interrogations autour de ce mouvement。 。。。more
Rossana Rocchini
，
This is an easy read and I very much enjoyed the first part as it gives very concrete advice on how to simplify your life by reducing material possessions and financial obligations。 I wasn't too excited by the rest of the book。。。 possibly because it was in essay format （often very short because by their own definition， the authors have become minimalists in writing as well）， it just fell a bit flat to me。 The portion on health I found rather ridiculous but the authors do state it wasn't exactly This is an easy read and I very much enjoyed the first part as it gives very concrete advice on how to simplify your life by reducing material possessions and financial obligations。 I wasn't too excited by the rest of the book。。。 possibly because it was in essay format （often very short because by their own definition， the authors have become minimalists in writing as well）， it just fell a bit flat to me。 The portion on health I found rather ridiculous but the authors do state it wasn't exactly advice; more like their own way of living， exercising and eating。 I thought the piece on working， following passions， not following passions， cultivating passions， not cultivating passions， rather confusing and at times it was conflicting。 But I also admit I skimmed on a lot of it。 。。。more
Kaffeeklatsch and Books
，
Great reading through this again。 Most info and essays you can also listen to via their podcast as well。
Britney Bartz
，
A simple， quick guide to the various ideas the authors have about minimalism。 The don't claim to be experts but encourage the reader to examine their priorities and what's around you。 Good advice on how to live with just enough。 A simple， quick guide to the various ideas the authors have about minimalism。 The don't claim to be experts but encourage the reader to examine their priorities and what's around you。 Good advice on how to live with just enough。 。。。more
Martina
，
Meerdere malen in het boek， schrijft de auteur dat minimalisme niet voor een bepaald soort mensen is （witte man zonder gezin die uit een drukke duurbetaalde， goedbetaalde zei ik al goedbetaalde baan）， maar geven daar bar weinig voorbeelden van。 Je baan op kunnen zeggen is een privilege van de rijken。 Een lekker voorbeeld van niet buiten het eigen perspectief kunnen kijken is het volgende: iedereen kan nieuwe gewoonte aanleren。 Persoon x kan elke ochtend naar de sportschool ook al heeft hij 6 kin Meerdere malen in het boek， schrijft de auteur dat minimalisme niet voor een bepaald soort mensen is （witte man zonder gezin die uit een drukke duurbetaalde， goedbetaalde zei ik al goedbetaalde baan）， maar geven daar bar weinig voorbeelden van。 Je baan op kunnen zeggen is een privilege van de rijken。 Een lekker voorbeeld van niet buiten het eigen perspectief kunnen kijken is het volgende: iedereen kan nieuwe gewoonte aanleren。 Persoon x kan elke ochtend naar de sportschool ook al heeft hij 6 kinderen， dus jij kunt het ook。 Maar kan de vrouw van persoon x dat ook？Alle voorbeelden waarin vrouwen voorkomen zijn op een handje te tellen。Vervolgens zou dit boek ons moeten vertellen wat het resultaat van minimalisme is。 Nou dat wordt door de heren wel heel rooskleurig neergezet en men komt tot allerlei inzichten （zonder onderzoek， gebaseerd op anekdotisch bewijs） en voelt zich gelukkiger。 Nou， als minimalist zelf。。。 heb ik anekdotisch bewijs voor het tegenovergestelde， dus kan ik ook een boek schrijven。 。。。more
Matthew
，
There are great lessons here。 It only gets 4 stars because the message is great and it’s clear the Minimalists are well meaning。 But， at times they come off a bit pompous and at times demeaning。 Overall， a great read。 I don’t recommend you read this as a primer to minimalism but as an addendum once you’re already waist deep。
Mrs。 Tongate
，
Tips: *If you want to get rid of an item but the only reason you are holding on to it is for sentimental reasons--if it is weighing on you--then perhaps it's time to get rid of it。 *Having more time causes less frustration and less stress， more freedom adds less anxiety and less worry， and more meaning in our lives allows us to focus far less on life's excess in favor of what's truly important。*If I bring a new relationship into my world， I know I must earn their love， respect， and kindness。 I a Tips: *If you want to get rid of an item but the only reason you are holding on to it is for sentimental reasons--if it is weighing on you--then perhaps it's time to get rid of it。 *Having more time causes less frustration and less stress， more freedom adds less anxiety and less worry， and more meaning in our lives allows us to focus far less on life's excess in favor of what's truly important。*If I bring a new relationship into my world， I know I must earn their love， respect， and kindness。 I also expect they， too， are willing to walk away should I not provide the support and understanding they require。 This means we must both work hard to contribute to the relationship。 We must communicate and remain cognizant of each other's needs。 And， above all， we must care。 These fundaments--love， understanding， caring， communication----- build trust， which builds stronger relationships in the long run。 It sounds paradoxical， but our willingness to walk away actually strengthens our bond with others。 And the opposite stance----being chained by the obligation to the relationship-- is disingenuous， a false loyalty birthed from pious placation。*Will this good or service add value to my life or does it drain value？ （real intrinsic value）*Ask before buying: Is this worth my freedom？ *The person you are today is directly related to the 5 people you spend the most time with AND your role models。 Examine your friends and role models。 If they're not in line with who you want to be then something needs to change。*Your job is not your mission。 。。。more
Wyatt
，
I was going to give this 2 stars because I think the message is solid even if the stories meant to convey the message lack both substance and relatability， but then they just spent a not insignificant amount of the last section just reading Fight Club quotes。
Marcus
，
Really 3，5 stars。Interesting and definitely makes you start questioning not only all your stuff， but also the things you spend your time on。For me personally the first half of the book was the most inspiring， while the second half felt a little too much of the same message to me。However， it might be me that is simply not yet there yet in my journey， as the second half of the book revolves not so much about stuff， but more of your intentions and choices in life。
Ana
，
Dicas interessantes para tornar a vida mais simples e feliz。
Marie Bergman
，
It honestly feels like I’m reading the same book three times。 Like I never can get past Minimalism 101。 Also， considering they claim to have edited this book quite heavily， I think it contains a lot of unneccessary stuff that doesn’t really add or expand on the subject of minimalism， it just seems like random thoughts。 Yeah and also， how much can you hate on fat people？ Like inside of the author （the one who lost all the weight） is still a fat kid who no girls wanted to kiss and who tries to pus It honestly feels like I’m reading the same book three times。 Like I never can get past Minimalism 101。 Also， considering they claim to have edited this book quite heavily， I think it contains a lot of unneccessary stuff that doesn’t really add or expand on the subject of minimalism， it just seems like random thoughts。 Yeah and also， how much can you hate on fat people？ Like inside of the author （the one who lost all the weight） is still a fat kid who no girls wanted to kiss and who tries to push down his self-hatred by getting up at 3。30 and doing intermittent fasting。 I do get the overall point though， people care way too much about the wrong things in life， and I definitely feel inspired and I do apply their wisdom to my life。 But when it comes to the book I have read （much） better。 。。。more
Chloe
，
It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with The Minimalists。 But it’s not often I call something life changing and this book， along with the general principles of minimalism was truly life changing。 Backstory: I’d always felt a little trapped。 Stuck in my cluttered bedroom， in my moderately cluttered parents house but it wasn’t until after my father passed away in 2018 that I stumbled upon minimalism and my life slowly changed。 I got rid of about 90% of my stuff and more importantly I started seeing “ It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with The Minimalists。 But it’s not often I call something life changing and this book， along with the general principles of minimalism was truly life changing。 Backstory: I’d always felt a little trapped。 Stuck in my cluttered bedroom， in my moderately cluttered parents house but it wasn’t until after my father passed away in 2018 that I stumbled upon minimalism and my life slowly changed。 I got rid of about 90% of my stuff and more importantly I started seeing “stuff” in a new light。 I started to understand what I truly wanted and needed and my gosh I was so so so much happier。 It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders。 Minimalism isn’t just about stuff。 Although that’s part of it。 Minimalism can seep into virtually every part of your life （financial， your work life etc）。 This book covers all aspects of minimalism perfectly。 I particularly liked the gift-giving section as this was something I used to find tricky。 Almost 2 years into my minimalism journey I finally decided to pick up this book。 As an avid listen of The Minimalists podcast， not all of these thoughts and ideas were new to me but this book is still an absolute wonder。 This will be a book I re-read and come back to time and time again。 Thank you Joshua and Ryan for creating this masterpiece。 You changed my life。 。。。more
Enzo
，