Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works

Thank you to BookishFirst and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus is a really interesting book on minimalism. I've watched the authors' Netflix documentary on minimalism before, and I've also really enjoyed other books on decluttering like Marie Kondo's books. I had very high expectations for this book, because I suspected that I would enjoy it, and this book completely delivered! Here is an excerpt from an opening chapter, when the authors explain their "No Junk Rule": "Everything you own can be placed in three piles: essential, nonessential, junk. Since most of our needs are universal, only a few things belong in the essential pile: food, shelter, clothing, transportation, vocation, education. In an ideal world, the majority of your stuff would fit in the nonessential pile; strictly speaking, you don’t need a couch or a dining table, but they’re worth owning if they enhance your life. But sadly, almost all of the things you own fit in the junk pile, the artifacts you like—or, more accurately, think you like. While this junk often masquerades as indispensable, it actually gets in the way. The key is to get rid of the junk to make room for everything else." Overall, Love People, Use Things is a super interesting nonfiction guidebook to decluttering and looking for what really matters in life. I enjoyed reading all of the chapters. Even though I don't typically enjoy nonfiction books, I found this one fascinating and loved all of the tips that the author added to each chapter. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above or if you're a fan of books about decluttering and minimalism, then I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in July!

I've known for a long time that I need to do more than just organize and declutter my home; I tried organizing and still have too much stuff for the spaces in my closet. When I tried to get rid of things, my thoughts either crept to "but I may need this some day" or I realized the object had a strong emotional attachment to it, whether because someone I cared for gifted it to me or I bought it from a favorite trip. This book helped me see these thoughts are normal and ones I can overcome in time. And as I send things away, it will get easier and already has as I started implementing the ideas before finishing this book. The authors not only discuss objects, but how to view relationships, creativity, and even money with a critical eye and how they are affecting your personal values in life. So much of this book contains the authors' personal stories and struggles with the idea of minimalism that it reads like a memoir. After reading this book, I have my own ideas of how I can best "declutter" my life, and it doesn't need to be done all at once. Just a shelf, a drawer, one object a day will work for me. I also know that before I buy something, I need to really consider if I need this object. So many tools are in this handbook that everyone reading it will find ideas to fit his or her life.

Prior to reading Love People, Use Things, I had not heard of the Minimalists. I expected this book to be a how-to guide on how to get rid of your excess stuff. Practical tools and advice are definitely abundant, but the overarching message is on materialism's negative consequences and how to strive towards living a positive and meaningful life. The book is divided into the following chapters: Stuff, Truth, Self, Values, Money, Creativity and People. The emphasis is on focusing energy on people, creativity, positive values, healthy relationships and giving back, rather than accumulating stuff and chasing the latest and greatest shiny new thing. The authors reveal some very personal aspects of their past lives that do not cast them in a positive light. At some point, they were both living lives that were completely out of control. I appreciated their honesty as they provided real life examples on how materialism and consumerism negatively affected them. Amassing objects to fill a void did not work for them and will not work for anyone. In some ways, this book is like a memoir. Love People, Use Things provides advice on how to critically evaluate your relationships with material goods, money and the people in your life. They include strategies for saving and managing money and really questioning the your purchases. This book was interesting, eye-opening and easy to read and will benefit so many people. @CeladonBooks #CeladonReads #partner #LovePeopleUseThingsBook