I’ve been a fan of Joshua Becker’s blog on minimalism and simplicity for several years. Last year, an article I wrote was published on his site. I’ve also enjoyed his books, and now he has a new one, Clutterfree with Kids, and I’m pleased to write this book review.
While the book’s title makes it clear that this book is primarily aimed at parents, it’s a book filled with a lot of good information for everyone.
Early on in the book, Joshua gets into his oft-repeated minimalism theme: “Modern society has bought into the lie that the good life is found in accumulating things.” He quickly ties it into a clutterfree life, explaining, “It is better to own less than to organize more.” As a person whose fourth of Six Simple Rules is “Be Organized,” I couldn’t agree more!
In addition to my own hyper-organized ways, I’ve learn a lot from my wife, Marcie, who is a professional organizer. Marcie got her start as an organizer by helping a friend who asked, “You have three kids yet you are so organized, how do you do it?”
Marcie and I are also the parents of three college-age kids, so we’ve been there and done that. Reading this book from that perspective allows me to see how full this book is with timeless principles and practical, useful lessons for parents. Many of the suggestions are things Marcie and I did with our kids, which goes a long way towards explaining why our kids are so well-adjusted.
The wonderful ideas in this book come not just from Joshua, but also from other who have provided their stories–real-life examples of how they live lives of less stress and more happiness by being more organized with their children’s clothing, artwork, toys, and more.
The Kindle edition is only $2.99 this week, so if you are inclined, you might want to check it out right away.
What lessons like these can you share? Join the conversation with your comments…
Best regards,
David