Since there are no “updates” available for our old hardware, we need to alter our environments so we can better perform. Yet here we are doing it and wondering why we’re stressed, depressed, and can’t stay on top of all the things we need to do. Humans weren’t meant to pay attention to so many things at once. Why does this matter? Because our old-fashioned brains are totally overwhelmed with the amount of information we consume and the things we need to care for. Sasaki notes throughout the book that while the world has drastically changed over the past 50,000 years with industry and technology, our minds haven’t adapted as quickly.

Goodbye, Things: Best Takeaways Human beings are like 50,000 pieces of hardware With just a few pieces of clothes in his closet and a few dishes in his cabinets, he doesn’t have much to keep track of or clean up after. There seem to be different spectrums of minimalism, and Sasaki is more of an extreme minimalist than most others I’m familiar with. Read About Why Moms Need Minimalism.Īccording to Sasaki, minimalism has allowed him to have freedom, satisfaction, and experiences he may not have had when he was buried under his belongings. There are many benefits to minimalism, especially for moms (and I’m not being sexist here, studies have shown that women are more affected by clutter and mess than men). Minimalism is having fewer possessions and being intentional with the items you have. You’re probably familiar with the concept of minimalism. Would his thoughts and ideas still be valid for me? I wasn’t sure. There’s just no way my family and I could ever live in a 215 square foot apartment with a mattress on the floor. Right off the bat, I struggled to relate to Sasaki.

Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki