'Meet the new king of decluttering' - The Times
'Take your spring cleaning to the next level with Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki' - Parade'There's happiness in having less. If you are anything like how I used to be - miserable, constantly comparing yourself with others, or just believing your life sucks - I think you should try saying goodbye to some of your things'
Fumio Sasaki is a writer in his thirties who lives in a tiny studio in Tokyo with three shirts, four pairs of trousers, four pairs of socks and not much else. A few years ago, he realised that owning so much stuff was weighing him down - so he started to get rid of it.
In this hit Japanese bestseller, Sasaki explores the philosophy behind minimalism and offers a set of straightforward rules - discard it if you haven't used it in a year; be a borrower; find your uniform; keep photos of the things you love - that can help all of us lead simpler, happier, more fulfilled lives.
- ISBN10 1470862867
- ISBN13 9781470862862
- Publish Date 11 April 2017
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Blackstone Audiobooks
- Format Audiobook (CD)
- Duration 9 hours and 30 minutes
- Language English
Reviews
lex6819
mercurial
Joséphine
"This spring, I moved into a new apartment. I didn’t do any packing beforehand and yet it only took thirty minutes to take everything out of my home, including the time it took to remove the light fixtures and unplug the washing machine." (p.162)On several other occasions, he repeats how he downsized to a smaller apartment, and how simple it was. He also dwells a lot on the simplicity of Apple products. So yeah, Goodbye, Things could've been two-thirds as long.
"After going minimalist, I moved for the first time in a decade. It was from Nakameguro to an area called Fudomae, not too far away, and the packing (without a single cardboard box, mind you), the move itself, and unpacking all took but an hour and a half. I kid you not." (p.176)
"Finally moved for the first time in a decade (it took thirty minutes but it shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes next time)" (p.194)
Nonetheless, the inclusion of practical steps towards minimalism, makes Goodbye, Things a more than worthwhile read. I also enjoyed the discussions on how we we attach our self-worth to possessions and look to objects to shape our identities. Plus, I liked how Sasaki made it clear that he values experiences, and why, which is sure to lead any reader to healthy introspection.