I recently received a copy of Meg Wolfe’s new e-book, Having It All to review. I had the chance to look it over yesterday.
As always, before we begin I’d like to take a second also and point you to my review guidelines. Full disclosure is very important to me, and I want you to know where I stand.
On with the review!
The Organization
There are three “projects” in this book.
The “Stop Shopping Project” encourages you to curb your purchasing by restricting shopping to the absolute necessities (food, medicine, and other things that you really do have to have).
The “Personal Selection Project” encourages you to declutter those areas of your life that are deeply personal – your clothing, grooming supplies, and your kitchen.
The “Onwards & Upwards Project” discusses the “final frontier” of minimalism – the mind.
The Negative
I like to start off with the negative, so I can end on a high note, but there’s not a lot of negative to this ebook.
If you’re expecting a flashy design you’re sure to be disappointed. This e-book is completely black and white, with very few pictures, and all the pictures (except the one of Meg at the end) are of crumpled up paper.
If I had to say something negative, it would be that while the first two “projects” in the ebook are well-written and contain good advice, I think regular readers of minimalism blogs will be pretty familiar with the information in them.
The Positive
Remember how I said all the pictures are of crumpled up paper? I noticed that the amount of paper in the photos seems to get less and less as you progress through the book, until the last page where it’s all gone. Brilliant artistic choice.
There’s a thread running throughout the book that brings the reader’s focus not to lack, but rather to skimming the dross so that what’s left can really be appreciated. It’s been done before, but I love the way Meg’s book handles it.
The last project, however, is where this book really shines.
“Onwards and Upwards” addresses negative thinking, fear, regret, interpersonal relationships, and bringing mindfulness to the moment.
There are a few good, actionable tips in this section, but most of its value is in the fact that she lays things out in an open, accessible manner. Once everything is on the table, it becomes much easier to see how ridiculous certain things really are.
It’s not rocket science; most of the important stuff in life isn’t. But a little awareness of the problems goes a long way, and Meg’s ebook does a fantastic job of bringing that awareness.
To Summarize
As mentioned previously, there’s lots of information in here that you’ve likely seen before. With so much information at our fingertips in the Internet age, this is to be expected.
The thing that separates a mediocre book from a good book, in my mind, is the presence of “gems” – little ideas that really get us thinking, or open our minds to think in new ways.
I think this ebook has enough “gems” to be worth your consideration. It’s a quick read, but there’s more than enough here to keep you thinking for quite some time to come.
Pricing + How To Get It
This ebook is free to download.
“What?” you say, “surely there’s some string attached?”
Nope. You don’t even have to sign up for a newsletter. You can download it with no commitment whatsoever.
That being said, Meg is requesting donations if you find the information in the ebook valuable, and I highly encourage you to make one – even if it’s only a couple of bucks.
Meg suggests a donation of $3. I would respectfully submit that plenty of books with less useful information go for much, much more than $3. Donate whatever you think it’s really worth.
Keep in mind that donating isn’t just about the money – it’s about showing an independent author that people find value in her work. That encourages her to write more, and with a writer like Meg that benefits everybody!
What are you still reading this post for? Head on over to Meg’s site and nab your copy of “Having It All” today!