The 11 Best Books On Minimalism To Inspire You Today

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Best Books On Minimalism

Do you ever feel like you’re drowning in stuff? Or do you just hate spending all of your free time cleaning, organizing, maintaining, and fixing items around your house?

If so, you are certainly not alone. Just look around and you’ll see that the topic of minimalism is everywhere these days, from articles to books, documentaries, podcasts, and TED talks.

Adopting a minimalist lifestyle is an easy way to start living more intentionally and simplify your life. And living in a barren house, while forsaking all consumer goods, couldn’t be farther from the truth for people practicing minimalism today.

Minimalism is all about surrounding yourself with things you truly want and need, not forcing yourself to constantly do without. So whether you feel drawn to minimalism to save more money, to travel the world, to live more sustainably, or to create a cozy minimalist aesthetic in your home, there are many ways minimalism can influence your life for the better.

To help you get started, I’ve compiled a list of the 11 best books on minimalism to inspire you to take action today.

You deserve to live freely and love your life. And by reading these 11 best books on minimalism, you’re taking a huge step towards creating the dream life you’ve always wanted.

1. The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker

Highlights:

• The author describes the journey he and his family took towards minimalism
• The universal benefits of minimalism are highlighted
• He shows you how to take a personal approach to adopting minimalist principles
• The importance of living a generous life is illustrated

My Take

The More of Less is a great place to start your own journey towards minimalism. It is especially suited for people who are Christians.

Review

“Often our biggest fear about living with less is that we might miss out, but Joshua Becker explains with crystal clarity just how much we have to gain from the minimalist lifestyle. Packed with actionable ideas you can apply today, The More of Less is the perfect balance of instruction and motivation. A must read!”
–Ruth Soukup, New York Times best-selling author of Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, and Soul

2. Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life by Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus

Highlights:

• The authors share their stories on how they made the shift from being focused on their high-powered careers and accumulating stuff to focusing on what matters most
• The downsides to power, spending, and prestige are discussed
• They teach you how to eliminate the excesses in your life
• They discuss the importance of passion, family, and health

My Take

Minimalism is like a giant mirror reflecting our own lives back to us. And it shows us what our lives could and should be like instead.

Review

“This is the minimalism book everyone’s been waiting for.”
–Intrepid Radio 

3. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Highlights:

• The author illustrates how our lives are full of non-essential things that burden us
• The differences between the way of the nonessentialist and the way of the essentialist are highlighted
• He shows you how to decide what is essential in your life and eliminate the rest
• He shares the best ways to focus our energy on what matters most

My Take

Essentialism shows you exactly how people let social pressures dictate how they spend their lives and ultimately spread themselves too thin. It’s a great book for those who want to design a life in which they make huge contributions to what matters most to them.

Review

“Essentialism is a powerful antidote to the current craziness that plagues our organizations and our lives. Read Greg McKeown’s words slowly, stop and think about how to apply them to your life—you will do less, do it better, and begin to feel the insanity start to slip away.”
–Robert I. Sutton, Professor at Stanford University and author of Good Boss, Bad Boss and Scaling Up Excellence

4. The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store by Cait Flanders

Highlights:

• The author shares her successes with paying off consumer debt and consuming less
• She explores the downsides to shopping and other vices
• She teaches you how to meet your goals by eliminating the excesses in your life
• The best tactics for getting out of the never-ending consumerism cycle are illustrated

My Take

The Year of Less highlights how often we turn to vices to make us happy only to realize that they are actually taking our happiness away from us.

Review

“Cait’s audacious goal—a yearlong shopping ban—has sparked a deeply personal book full of lessons for all of us on finding more fulfillment and meaning in our lives (without all the stuff!). A game-changing read for anyone searching for simplicity in our consumer-focused world.”
–Rachel Jonat, author of The Joy of Doing Nothing

5. Soulful Simplicity: How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More by Courtney Carver

Highlights:

• The author describes how her constant need to do more ended once she received a multiple sclerosis diagnosis
• She shares practical ways to adopt minimalism
• She shows you how to look at the big picture of your life to find out what matters most to you
• You’re left realizing all of the amazing ways living with less helps you get more out of life

My Take

Soulful Simplicity shows us that sometimes it takes a huge wake-up call to realize that we haven’t been living our best lives, but we certainly don’t have to wait for that to happen to make amazing changes that will benefit us now.

Review

“Courtney Carver’s book is vulnerable and helpful. Courtney shows us that living simply goes beyond decluttering your closets and junk drawers. She gently illustrates that simplicity is the way back to connection, peace, good health, and love.” world.”
–Tammy Strobel, RowdyKittens.com 
 

6. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson

Highlights:

• The author walks you through the Swedish process of decluttering unnecessary items from your home
• She discusses the many benefits of getting your life in order before you die
• She shows you how not to become a burden on your family
• The process of streamlining your life is the main focus

My Take

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is eye-opening for anyone who collects things to pass down to future generations. Margareta Magnusson shows you that your things are not actually a gift when you’re gone — they’re actually a burden.

Review

“A mindful way to sort through your belongings throughout your life, so that your loved ones aren’t burdened by a plethora of personal items after you die… Magnusson advises that the earlier we start the process of ‘death cleaning’, the better, so we’re not overwhelmed with a lifetime of objects by the time we’re elderly people.”
–Better Homes and Gardens 

7. Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste by Bea Johnson

Highlights:

• The author explains how she and her family reduced their waste output to only 1 quart of garbage per year
• She shares her practical tips for not allowing waste into your home in the first place
• She shows you how to live sustainably all year long
• The importance of health and family over stuff is illustrated

My Take

Zero Waste Home is perfect for anyone looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle, reduce the waste you produce, and spend less time cleaning your home as a result.

Review

“Waste not, want not isn’t about penny pinching. It’s about gratitude and loving our lives. Bea Johnson doesn’t just teach us to save the planet. She teaches us to save ourselves.”
–Colin Beavan, author of No Impact Man

8. Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More by Courtney Carver

Highlights:

• The author challenges you to wear only 33 items from your wardrobe for 3 months
• The emotional baggage that comes along with storing so many clothes is discussed
• She shows you how to pare down your wardrobe to eliminate clutter and stress from your life
• The key takeaway is that you are not defined by what you wear

My Take

Project 333 is a unique take on minimalism because it only focuses on one key area of your life. The biggest surprise of this minimalism book is how much relief you’ll feel after eliminating your excess clothes.

Review

“Project 333 is not just a fashion challenge, it’s an invitation to live more intentionally. Courtney takes a gentle, heart-based approach to decluttering and provides readers with plenty of support along the way.”
–Francine Jay, Author of The Joy of Less and Lightly

9. Minimalism for Families: Practical Minimalist Living Strategies to Simplify Your Home and Life by Zoë Kim

Highlights:

• The author approaches minimalism as a lifestyle the whole family should be involved in
• She illustrates the importance of spending less time worrying about stuff and more time making memories with family
• She discusses how to deal with family members who are resistant to decluttering
• She provides advice for simplifying each room in your home

My Take

Minimalism For Families is a life-changing book that shows you exactly how simplifying your lifestyle can strengthen your family bonds. It also provides practical advice for getting everyone on board so that you all have more time for doing things you enjoy together.

Review

“Zoë’s perspective of minimalism is pure joy. She brings years of experience as a mother and a wife to the table, paired with an ongoing love of the simpler life.”
–Brian Gardner, Founder of No Sidebar

10. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

Highlights:

• The author persuades you to get off of technology and experience your life more
• He shares practical tips for minimizing how many times you look at your phone and computer each day
• He encourages you to rethink your social media habits
• A 30-day digital declutter assignment is provided

My Take

Digital Minimalism is a book that everyone needs to read this year. Digital clutter is taking over your life more each and every day, and Newport shows you how to take it back.

Review

“You’re not the user, you’re the product. Hang up, log off, and tune in to a different way to be in the world. Bravo, Cal. Smart advice for good people.” 
–Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing

11. Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff by Myquillyn Smith

Highlights:

• The author teaches you how to design each room in your house with intention
• She shows you how to find items you truly love and eliminate the rest
• The steps for finding your unique style are discussed
• She helps you create a home environment that you can truly relax in

My Take

Cozy Minimalist Home shows you how to create a warm, relaxing home that you can be proud of. It debunks the idea that minimalists have to live in cold, barren homes with no furniture which is certainly not the case.

Review

“I devoured Cozy Minimalist Home … Create a chic and inviting house that isn’t stuffed to the gills so there’s more room for life?! I’m in!”
–SHERRY PETERSIK, blogger, Young House Love; author, New York Times bestselling Lovable Livable Home

These 11 best books on minimalism can help you rediscover your purpose in life and find true happiness along the way. Remember, happiness never comes from stuff. We find happiness by pursuing our passions and building strong relationships with the people who matter most to us.

Sources

• Amazon
• Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine: Minimalism: Having Less Gives You More
• Springer Link: Towards a Theory of Minimalism and Wellbeing

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What is your favorite minimalist book on this list? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.