Book Review: Love People, Use Things by The Minimalists

I was pleased when, 1) I won an Advanced Reading Copy of Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works and 2) I was asked by BOOKish FIRST to write a review of the book. (The book was published on July 13, 2021 and is now available!) This is a topic that is intriguing to me and to many others. I am learning that Minimalism encompasses much more than just decluttering our stuff.

THIS BOOK HAS ADDED VALUE TO MY LIFE

Love People, Use Things is not what I expected it would be…it’s much better!

[Thanks to BOOKish FIRST and Celadon Books for the ARC!]

Although Love People, Use Things covers our relationship with “stuff,” it also speaks to our relationship with other things that are often buried under our material possessions. Relationships with our truth, our self, our values, our money, our creativity, and with people.

One thing I most appreciated about this book is that it meets us where we are. We are not all alike, not all in the same stage or chapter of our lives. And each one of those stages or chapters is different for each of us. This book has a universal appeal, but it is also very apropos to us as individuals.

I am a (fairly) newly retired mental health professional. In this chapter of my life I desire to purge the non-essential stuff in my home that has accumulated over the years. This includes a myriad of possessions from my personal and professional life as well as the things we acquire over time from family and loved ones. Sound familiar, anyone?

As I’ve begun to declutter, I am learning that this is more than just “organize, donate, and pitch.” There are so many memories, messages, regrets, and emotions that I’m uncovering too. Love People, Use Things does such a thoughtful job at looking at these different areas of our lives.

In my particular situation, I am faced with the knowledge that I need to deal with my relationships with my self (i.e. my health,) my creativity (I’ve launched two mental health and wellness blogs,) and with people (my career focus was on clients – not family and friends.)

I am not a minimalist (yet,) but I resonate with many of the ideas and principles espoused by The Minimalists. It just makes sense to me. Minimalism is more than just a conversation about stuff and decluttering.

Bravo to The Minimalists: Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Love People, Use Things is a thought-provoking, well-written deep dive into a most timely and timeless subject.

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Like reading book reviews? Check out this one on Hanger Management.