Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism

: September 14, 2018; 21 March 2019

https://amzn.to/2t32Zg6

About the Book

Fumio Sasaki is not an enlightened minimalism expert or organizing guru like Marie Kondo―he’s just a regular guy who was stressed out and constantly comparing himself to others, until one day he decided to change his life by saying goodbye to everything he didn’t absolutely need. The effects were remarkable: Sasaki gained true freedom, new focus, and a real sense of gratitude for everything around him. In Goodbye, Things Sasaki modestly shares his personal minimalist experience, offering specific tips on the minimizing process and revealing how the new minimalist movement can not only transform your space but truly enrich your life. The benefits of a minimalist life can be realized by anyone, and Sasaki’s humble vision of true happiness will open your eyes to minimalism’s potential.

About the Author

Fumio Sasaki is the former co-editor-in-chief of Wani Books, and lives in a 215-square-foot apartment in Tokyo, furnished with a small wooden box, a desk, and a roll-up futon pad.

About the Reviews

So many things I've read on minimalism focuses on decluttering your possessions. One level up from this are the most typical reasons to minimise and the typical benefits. Goodbye things goes one level higher by discussing how your whole lifestyle, thought process and perspective can change. I feel like this book puts into words the fundamental obstacles and urges people who are interested in minimalism have but are unable to articulate fully. Reading this book gave me such a sense of relief, like all my unarticulated yearnings to simplify and find happiness had somehow tumbled out and were being reflected in every word written on the pages of this book. For every person looking to become a minimalist but can't quite find the motivation, I highly recommend this book.

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I purchased a bunch of Kindle books on decluttering a few years back, including the Marie Kondo one. They had some good ideas, but somehow I just kept collecting stuff. A couple weeks ago, this popped up in one of the srollbars on my Amazon homepage, and I picked it up (Kindle) on a whim.

So glad I did! For whatever reason, this one matched me better than the others, possibly because it looked like the author had some of the same issues I struggle with (books, in particular). One of his other offhand observations was that his old bed was heavy, and that was pretty much a direct hit too! I live with a couple cats in a one-bedroom apartment, and I refuse to get a bigger place just because the square footage has too much stuff for me to set up a writing/creative area.

With this book, I figured out a way to open up a lot of space in my current apartment, and while I doubt I'll make it to a real "minimalist" living space, I can definitely see getting down to a slender "mediumist" place. (I love my backup toilet paper!) This book doesn't "shame" you either, if you don't happen to want to get down to practically no possessions, it just does a wonderful job of explaining how to let go and find your own balance so your stuff doesn't take over your life.

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I'm very happy I purchased this book. As someone who wants to reduce belongings and simplify life it's hard to justify buying another book but this does have a ton of wonderful ideas to help you let go, simplify, etc. (tangible and nontangible things).

Product Info

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (April 11, 2017)
Language: English
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars 496 customer reviews

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