{"id":7628,"date":"2020-02-02T18:09:25","date_gmt":"2020-02-02T22:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=7628"},"modified":"2026-01-19T23:10:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T03:10:19","slug":"best-books-on-minimalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Best Books on Minimalism and Simple Living"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Are you addicted to your stuff? Do you long to feel free of all the clutter, but somehow end up just buying more? The best books on minimalism can help you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-organize-your-home\/\">organize your home<\/a>, prioritize your goals, get your finances in order, and live a simpler, happier life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s <strong>our carefully researched list of the 5 best minimalism books of all time<\/strong>. To compose this list, we used quantitative criteria such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>High-quality recommendations from successful people like Jamie Lee Curtis, B.J. Novak, Oprah, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/8-top-ceos\/\">top CEOs<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Number of weeks on bestseller lists like the New York Times<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Common perception and ratings by common readers, from networks like Amazon and Goodreads<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t have time to get the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/benefits-of-reading-every-day\/\">benefits of reading<\/a>? That&#8217;s where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/\">Shortform<\/a> comes in. With Shortform, you can get the key lessons from the best nonfiction books in minutes, not in hours. Our experts condense the key lessons from minimalism books like these into an efficient summary. Check out our high-quality summaries of these 5 minimalism books to see if you can learn more quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-minimalism-live-a-meaningful-life-by-joshua-fields-millburn-and-ryan-nicodemus\">1. Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life, by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class='book-template'>\r\nTITLE: Minimalism<br>\r\nAUTHOR: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/joshua-fields-millburn-minimalism\/\">Joshua Fields Millburn<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/ryan-nicodemus-minimalism\/\">Ryan Nicodemus<\/a><br>\r\nTIME: 25<br>\r\nREADS: 27.1<br>\r\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/minimalism-cover.jpg<br>\r\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: minimalism-summary-joshua-fields-millburn-ryan-nicodemus<br>\r\nAMZN_ID: B006I7DDPI<br>\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Minimalism<\/em> offers a formula for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-live-a-meaningful-life\/\">how to live a meaningful life<\/a> by first getting rid of clutter (like excess stuff and debt) and then focusing on five key areas: your health, relationships, passions, growth, and contributing to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors Millburn and Nicodemus achieved the American dream of corporate success and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/inconspicuous-consumption\/\">conspicuous consumption<\/a>, but it left them unhappy, exhausted, and deeply in debt. They quit their jobs, re-examined their lives, and started the popular website TheMinimalists.com. In this book, they explain how anyone can follow their path of self-examination and how to make small daily changes to achieve a clutter-free, debt-free, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/living-a-fulfilled-life\/\">fulfilling life<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon, this book is a fan favorite. Intrepid Radio called <em>Minimalism <\/em>&#8220;the minimalism book everyone&#8217;s been waiting for,&#8221; and Leo Babauta, author of the site &#8220;Zen Habits,&#8221; referred to <em>Minimalism<\/em> as &#8220;an excellent new book.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up-the-japanese-art-of-decluttering-and-organizing-by-marie-kondo\">2. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, by Marie Kondo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n[su_book__the_life-changing_magic_of_tidying_up]\n\n\n\n<p>Have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/personal-life\/lifestyle\/too-much-stuff\/\">too much stuff<\/a>, and not sure how best to get rid of it? Marie Kondo is a world-renowned expert on tidying, and this book teaches you how to get past the most common barriers preventing you from decluttering. Go through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/marie-kondo-categories-konmari\/\">Konmari method<\/a> once, and you may find your relationship with things to be changed permanently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Celebrities have been outspoken fans. Actor, producer, and author B.J. Novak said of <em>The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up<\/em>, &#8220;This book lives up to its title: it will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-change-your-life-in-5-simple-steps\/\">change your life<\/a>.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/3822899\/marie-kondo-2015-ime-100\/\">Jamie Lee Curtis said<\/a>, &#8220;I recommend it for anyone who struggles with the material excess of living in a privileged society&#8230;.To show you how serious my respect for Ms. Kondo is: if I ever get a tattoo, it will say, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/does-it-spark-joy-marie-kondo-konmari-method\/\">Spark Joy<\/a>!&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-essentialism-the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less-by-greg-mckeown\">3. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class='book-template'>\r\nTITLE: Essentialism<br>\r\nAUTHOR: Greg McKeown<br>\r\nTIME: 33<br>\r\nREADS: 36.2<br>\r\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/essentialism-cover.jpg<br>\r\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: essentialism-book-summary-greg-mckeown<br>\r\nAMZN_ID: B00G1J1D28<br>\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We feel constantly pressed for time. We try to do too much, yet when someone makes a request, we say yes without thinking. We feel we have to do it all. But because we\u2019re going in so many directions, we make little progress in any of them. Yet most of these activities are trivial. As Greg McKeown, author of <em>Essentialism<\/em> puts it, we\u2019re majoring in minor activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The way out of this trap is to practice essentialism: \u201cdo <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/less-but-better\/\">less but better<\/a>.\u201d McKeown explains how you can distinguish the vital few from the trivial, then eliminate the nonessentials and make your optimum contribution in your life and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theceolibrary.com\/essentialism-disciplined-pursuit-less-4238.html\">CEO of TopLine Comms Heather Baker said of <\/a><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theceolibrary.com\/essentialism-disciplined-pursuit-less-4238.html\">Essentialism<\/a><\/em>, &#8220;This book taught me a valuable lesson about focusing on what\u2019s most important and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/saying-no\/\">saying no<\/a> to everything else. This approach freed up my time dramatically&#8230;.If you\u2019ve ever found yourself stretched too thin, feel simultaneously overworked and underutilised, or&#8230;feel like your time is constantly being hijacked by other people\u2019s agendas, then Essentialism is the game changer you\u2019ve been looking for. This book changed my life and the business.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-the-one-thing-the-surprisingly-simple-truth-behind-extraordinary-results-by-gary-keller-and-jay-papasan\">4. The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class='book-template'>\r\nTITLE: The One Thing<br>\r\nAUTHOR: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/gary-w-keller\/\">Gary Keller<\/a><br>\r\nTIME: 26<br>\r\nREADS: 29.8<br>\r\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/onething-cover.jpg<br>\r\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: the-one-thing-summary-gary-keller<br>\r\nAMZN_ID: B00C1BHQXK<br>\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <em>The One Thing<\/em>, real estate entrepreneur Gary Keller argues that the key to extraordinary success is focusing daily on the \u201cOne Thing\u201d that\u2019s most important for achieving your goal, rather than scattering yourself in many directions. Keller and co-author Jay Papasan explain how to determine your goal or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/find-purpose-in-your-life\/\">life purpose<\/a>, then focus intensely on getting there, while avoiding pitfalls such as multitasking, relying on an unprioritized <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/gtd-to-do-list\/\">to-do list<\/a>, thinking too small, misunderstanding willpower and discipline, and neglecting your personal life. When you know and focus exclusively on the most important thing every day, everything else falls into place. Extraordinary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/focus-on-one-thing\/\">focus on One Thing<\/a> brings extraordinary success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drift CEO David Cancel said of <em>The One Thing<\/em>, &#8220;This is the book that aligns everything we do at Drift and has helped our entire team focus on the task at hand&#8230;.This is one book that every new employee get [sic] when they join the team at Drift.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-the-power-of-now-by-eckhart-tolle\">5. The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class='book-template'>\r\nTITLE: The Power of Now<br>\r\nAUTHOR: Eckhart Tolle<br>\r\nTIME: 28<br>\r\nREADS: 30.1<br>\r\nIMG_URL: https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/powerofnow_cover.jpg<br>\r\nBOOK_SUMMARYURL: the-power-of-now-summary-eckhart-tolle<br>\r\nAMZN_ID: B002361MLA<br>\r\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Power of Now<\/em> proposes that the only way to reach true peace and fulfillment is through being completely present in each moment you experience. There is a part of our mind, called the ego, that derails us by ruminating on the past, speculating about the future, clinging to our painful experiences, and insisting that we will be happy and fulfilled if we can just achieve this goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Power of Now<\/em> reveals that inner peace and happiness can\u2019t be found in anything external, but rather must be found within by being present. Learn tips and methods for quieting your thoughts and fears to find fulfillment through presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oprah.com\/book\/the-power-of-now_2?editors_pick_id=49177\">Said Oprah of <\/a><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oprah.com\/book\/the-power-of-now_2?editors_pick_id=49177\">The Power of Now<\/a><\/em>, &#8220;Meg Ryan and Ellen DeGeneres gave me copies of this book, and it&#8217;s gotten me through more crises than I can count. It truly helped me discover how to live in the now\u2014to not linger on past mistakes, but to learn from them and then let them go.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you addicted to your stuff? Do you long to feel free of all the clutter, but somehow end up just buying more? The best books on minimalism can help you organize your home, prioritize your goals, get your finances in order, and live a simpler, happier life. Here&#8217;s our carefully researched list of the 5 best minimalism books of all time. To compose this list, we used quantitative criteria such as: Don&#8217;t have time to get the benefits of reading? That&#8217;s where Shortform comes in. With Shortform, you can get the key lessons from the best nonfiction books in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[71],"class_list":["post-7628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","tag-book-list","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The 5 Best Books on Minimalism and Simple Living - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The best books on minimalism, recommended by Jamie Lee Curtis, B.J. 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Organize your home, prioritize your goals, and be happier.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-02T22:09:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-20T03:10:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/top-books-minimalism.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"958\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"521\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amanda Penn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amanda Penn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amanda Penn\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/01b0e4c9ddb993e51d03808839d538b0\"},\"headline\":\"The 5 Best Books on Minimalism and Simple Living\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-02T22:09:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-20T03:10:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/\"},\"wordCount\":1064,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/top-books-minimalism.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Book List\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Books\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/\",\"name\":\"The 5 Best Books on Minimalism and Simple Living - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/best-books-on-minimalism\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/top-books-minimalism.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-02T22:09:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-20T03:10:19+00:00\",\"description\":\"The best books on minimalism, recommended by Jamie Lee Curtis, B.J. 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