Book Report Series: The Power of Less by Leo Babauta

One of my goals is to get rid of a lot of our possessions before the spring move, and one of the stickiest areas to even think about purging is my book collection.  Between my library card and the internet, I’ll never suffer any shortage of literature or info, but the very weight of these books is somehow comforting to me.  Funny, it’s also the weight of them that motivates me to heave them overboard.  Working with my own sentimental and nerdy nature, I’ve decided to archive my personal library in book report posts then leave the book in a spot where its next reader can serendipitously find it!

Now, in my efforts to simplify, I have chosen to first turn my attention to one of the great modern minimalists, Leo Babauta for wisdom and motivation.  His blog Zen Habits (www.zenhabits.net) is always insightful and helpful, and his book, The Power of Less is an amazing read for being such a quick one!  He has a knack for bringing awareness to the areas of life that hold priority and then simply letting the rest fall away.  He encourages the reader to look at herself and honestly define personal values, goals, and important commitments.  Once the essential has been clearly defined, all that’s left is to cut the fat!

The book is divided into two parts.  In the first, Leo explores and walks the reader though the six principles behind The Power of Less: setting limitations, choosing the essential, simplifying, focusing, creating habits, and starting small.  In the latter half, he offers practical tips for implementing the principles in different areas of life.   Each bite-size section offers so much information, but it’s written in such a clean, streamlined method that I never once felt overwhelmed.   The section that asks the most of the reader is ‘choosing the essential,’ but I'm glad I asked myself the questions and did the work-it was incredibly illuminating.  Again, cutting the extraneous only works once you know what’s vital.  In an age where we’re constantly being pulled in a thousand directions, this book is an excellent reminder that quality matters much more than quantity-give it a read!