Inspiration

I get a lot of inspiration from other people’s writing. In particular, lately I’ve been really inspired by a few minimalist bloggers. Here are a few of their e-books if you’d like to check it out, too.

Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life. By Joshua Becker

This book is a concise manual for rational minimalism. Unlike many minimalists, Joshua Becker doesn’t berate you for owning a house or a car. He doesn’t scorn anyone with over 100 things, and he doesn’t demand that you be ready at a moment’s notice to flit off to Borneo. He merely lays out some benefits of simplifying your life, and he suggests ways to make your own form of minimalism work for you, even if you have a regular suburban life with a spouse and kids (he does!). It’s not rocket science, but in our society, most people could really use some help in this area. This book is a quick-reading pep talk for anyone in that category. If you have papers and junk cluttering up your work spaces, if you can’t find things, if you spend weekends cleaning out the garage (or feeling guilty for not doing so), this book is meant for you. Or, check out Joshua Becker’s Blog, Becoming Minimalist.

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The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life By Leo Babauta

Leo Babauta is one of my favorite minimalists. He’s so practical and unassuming.

This book gets the basics of his message all down in one place. It covers how to simplify each area of your life, starting with why, and then giving what steps to take. It’s very concrete and helpful. If you’ve already read a lot about minimalism, there may not be much new here for you, but if you’re just getting started and need some direction, I think you’ll find it very helpful. It covers how to simplify your home, your office, you computer, your health, your travel–just about everything. The chapter on getting your house clean and decluttered is my favorite: very clear, concrete, sensible, effective advice there. You can also visit Leo Babauta’s blog, Zen Habits.

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The Art of Being Minimalist By Everett Bogue

The first two books are helpful, reasonable books written by nice, reasonable guys. If what you really need is sky-high dreams and a big kick in the pants to start working on achieving them, check out Everett Bogue instead. He will not settle, and he will not accept mediocrity. He is arrogant, but it works for me. Here’s Everett Bogue’s blog, Far Beyond the Stars.

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18 Months, 2 Blogs, 6 Figures by Corbett Barrr

This one’s free! Seriously, six figures?!?! It’s not magical, it’s not luck, it’s a lot of hard work. He tells you how. Or check out Corbett Barr’s blog, Free Pursuits.

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I will add more as I come across other really useful books, especially in areas other than minimalism. Also, just so you know, the book links are all affiliate links. That means that if you buy a book, I get a cut. If you do, thank you for your support.