Contact email: mesreads AT gmail.com
###Winner Announcement Posts are linked here.###

GIVEAWAYS ARE NOW LOCATED ON THEIR OWN PAGE - CLICK ON TAB ABOVE; Giveaways also linked on right sidebar.
Showing posts with label Cleaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cleaning. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Audible Book Review: The More of Less by Joshua Becker

This audiobook added to my motivation to declutter and downsize.
The More of Less
By: Joshua Becker
Narrated by: Joshua Becker

Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 05-03-16
Language: English
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Genre: Cleaning, Nonfiction, Self Help
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0, Overall, Story and Performance


Publisher's Summary
Most of us know we own too much stuff. We feel the weight and burden of our clutter, and we tire of cleaning and managing and organizing. While excess consumption leads to bigger houses, faster cars, fancier technology, and cluttered homes, it never brings happiness. Rather, it results in a desire for more. It redirects our greatest passions to things that can never fulfill, and it distracts us from the very lives we wish we were living. But it doesn't have to be this way.
In The More of Less, Joshua Becker helps you:
Recognize the life-giving benefits of owning less
Realize how all the stuff you own is keeping you from pursuing your dreams
Craft a personal, practical approach to decluttering your home and life
Experience the joys of generosity
Learn why the best part of minimalism isn't a clean house; it's a full life
It's time to own your possessions instead of letting them own you. After all, the beauty of minimalism isn't in what it takes away. It's in what it gives.
©2016 Becoming Minimalist LLC (P)2016 Tantor


Review:
There are mixed motivations and mixed methods, but the goal is to minimalize the stuff we are responsible for and the time it takes from being with those we love or doing things we would love to do. This was a good resource to go with the decluttering book I read a few weeks ago.

Mr. Becker kept the topic interesting as he shared how he first realized that he was being controlled by his possessions. He decided that having time to spend with his young son was more important than working more, acquiring more and being responsible for more. He explained how some ideas worked and some didn’t and he noted how it is important to discuss steps with your spouse/significant other.

Becker shares how others made a similar decision and how each person can start at their own pace. Some people moved in to ‘tiny homes’ so they could move about more freely. Some sold their possessions so they could travel and explore or go on missions to help others.

This work tends to cover the reasons that people choose to minimalize more than provided details on how to accomplish the goal. He does give some steps that worked for him and others, but he stresses that each person can work in their own way at their own pace. Becker encourages his readers to make the transition a life change, not just a short term project. He shares some Biblical foundations and supports that were fine with me, but might not be comfortable for everyone.

I enjoyed this and think it is handy to have to remind me to keep working on reducing my clutter even if it is a little at a time. I recommend this to readers who are interested in the idea of pursing living with less.

Audio Notes: Mr. Becker serves as his own narrator and I felt he did a fine job. He was clearly comfortable with the material and delivered it in a natural manner. I think listening was easier for me although some people might like have the print version for easier reference back.

Source: January 2017 Audible Daily Deal $2.95. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019 Audiobook Goals.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

#NetGalley Book Review: Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff by Dana K. White

I was/am encouraged as I started slowly implementing decluttering rules.
Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff
by Dana K. White
File Size: 873 KB
Print Length: 240 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 27, 2018)
ASIN: B072TMNCBH
Genre: Cleaning, Hoarding, How To
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0


You don't have to live overwhelmed by stuff--you can get rid of clutter for good!
While the world seems to be in love with the idea of tiny houses and minimalism, many of us simply can't purge it all and start from nothing. Yet a home with too much stuff is a home that is difficult to maintain, so where do we begin? Add in paralyzing emotional attachments and constant life challenges, and it can feel almost impossible to make real decluttering progress.
In Decluttering at the Speed of Life, decluttering expert and author Dana White identifies the mind-sets and emotional challenges that make it difficult to declutter. Then, in her signature humorous approach, she provides workable solutions to break through these struggles and get clutter out--for good!
But more than simply offering strategies, Dana dives deep into how to implement them, no matter the reader's clutter level or emotional resistance to decluttering. She helps identify procrasticlutter--the stuff that will get done eventually so it doesn't seem urgent--as well as how to make progress when there's no time to declutter.
Sections of the book include
Why You Need This Book (You Know Why)
Your Unique Home
Decluttering in the Midst of Real Life
Change Your Mind, Change Your Home
Breaking Through Your Decluttering Delusions
Working It Out Room by Room
Helping Others Declutter
Real Life Goes On (and On)
As long as we're living and breathing, new clutter will appear. The good news is that decluttering can get easier, become more natural, and require significantly fewer hours, less emotional bandwidth, and little to no sweat to keep going.


Review:
I really enjoyed this helpful work on decluttering. Ms. White shares great tips and specific rules that help in the process. I’d love to share the questions but then others might decide they don’t need to get the book. The book read easily and the method of questioning makes great sense.The suggestions/guides are shared with experience and humor.

The first weekend I got my husband to help me clean a room that was a real mess. We filled a large bag with trash and two boxes of giveaway items. That was just the visibility level so there is still more to do but it was a big improvement.

I am guilty of buying items I like but not using them...because I like them. An example is candles. Now I have boxes and cabinets with lovely candles that I don’t use. So I have to decide to use them up or donate them if I want to clear that space.

I have also been implementing the tips during my Christmas gift organizing. I have pulled gifts that I won’t ever give to anyone (either expired or outgrown) and put many in a donate box. Some I have put in a box for future giving but I made a list so I won’t forget what I have.

My husband and I want to downsize our house but first we need to declutter our belongings! This book will help. It is nice that the implementation can be small as that is all the time I have had… but it has helped. Even five minutes a day can make a difference. I recommend this to people who want to declutter their places and lives.

Source: NetGalley 2018. This qualifies for NetGalley Challenge.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails