russia has launched a full-scale war in Ukraine. Donate to support Ukraine and protect the world’s peace.

library / 
book

Summary of Goodbye, Things 

What’s inside

Discover how possessing fewer things paves the way for your contentment and freedom. Find out pointers for an easy and joyful transition to a new lifestyle.

You’ll learn

  • How your belongings play against you
  • Why minimalism is a shield for your happiness
  • Tips to finally get rid of unnecessary things

Table of content

  • Summary of Goodbye, Things
  • About the author
  • What is Goodbye, Things about?
  • Who should read Goodbye, Things
  • Topics in Goodbye, Things
first key point

What’s wrong with having a lot of stuff?

Listen the first key point
00:00
00:00
Before immersing into the depths of a minimalist lifestyle, Fumio Sasaki tells several stories about people who transformed their lives by disposing of things they used to consider paramount. Most of them had too many belongings piled up in their apartments for years. But, after becoming minimalists, they kept essentials to a minimum: a single item for decoration, an ascetic set of clothing, and a traditional ‘airy mattress’ as a symbol of Japanese minimalism. Quite often, that’s all they needed. But how do they feel about their minimalist lifestyle? The answer can surprise you: they start seeing themselves more clearly by getting rid of things.
In the beginning, being happy with minimal belongings is mind-blowing because many people are programmed to evaluate each other by the solidity of their wealth.
Undeniably, we are afraid of uncertainty, and possessions’ accumulation is nearly a reflex. We tend to believe that having more things will preserve stability or tell other people something like, “Hey, that’s me — the biggest fan of bizarre beer cans! Can you see HOW MUCH I love my stuff?!” You may protest that attachment to material items isn’t harmful, but here’s a thing: when filling our lives with goods, we often infuse them with false meaning. Thus, we think of them as the only source of genuine happiness. And a significant number of soulful pleasures are left in the cold.

Where can this material-based happiness lead us? After a while, we become less and less satisfied with what we have. Further, we start assessing the possessions of people we know and comparing our joys with theirs. There’s no need to say that the less wealthy you are, the more pathetic you feel in a world of tangible delight. Thus, freeing space, we dispose of noise and imposed ideas of pure happiness.

After exploring this candid, apple-pie-order, and relaxing summary, you’ll strive to revise your relations with things and your perception of happiness. Moreover, you’ll learn working techniques helpful to kick the habit of cluttering. So even a tiny thought about comparing yourself to others or diminishing your accomplishments won’t visit you after this minimalist voyage. Explore a secret recipe for a happy life in rational Zen!

Did you know? Researchers found that an average person will spend approximately 4,000 hours looking for things out of place during their lifetime.
second key point

Before becoming a minimalist

People gravitate toward minimalism from the very beginning of their lives. Think about it: no one is born owning dozens of garden gnomes or guitar picks.
book
Continue reading with Headway app
Continue reading
Full summary is waiting for you in the app
third key point

The stories behind having too many things

fourth key point

Off with the old!

fifth key point

A minimalist lifestyle: goodbye, things & welcome, changes!

sixth key point

The final word about the nature of happiness

seventh key point

Conclusion

Buy full book on AmazonContinue the summary

What is Goodbye, Things about?

Who should read Goodbye, Things

book
book

Enjoy summarized nonfiction bestsellers

Grasp the book’s key ideas in less than 15 minutes

Get started

Get new knowledge easily

Let’s check how many titles you can finish in a month with Headway! Tell us how much time you’d like to spend on reading:

2 min/day
5 min/day
10 min/day
15 min/day
20 min/day
30 min/day
45 min/day
4 titles/month
10 titles/month
20 titles/month
30 titles/month
40 titles/month
60 titles/month
90 titles/month
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
4 titles/month
10 titles/month
20 titles/month
30 titles/month
40 titles/month
60 titles/month
90 titles/month
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image
image

Join 30+ million learners around the world

60K5 reviews on App Store and Google Play
icon

Everything you need to be motivate, to learn & to self improves is all here. I actually do appreciate the reminders because otherwise this wouldn’t work for me. Thank you

icon

sandypantalones

icon

Headway is the answer! No longer accumulating books I never read. With Headway, I initially chose the areas important to me such as productivity, time management, etc., and each day I'm provided several book summaries from which I devote 20 minutes or more each day reading. All of this on my phone! My life has improved with Headway. Truly my most useful app.

icon

Carol Slinker

icon

An excellent concept, executed well. Headway can help you retain what you've read while introducing you to the essential core of new information. It's an easier way to stay inspired, and to be reminded of the mental tools you've learned

icon

Fuse Henry

icon

In today’s world, we rarely have time. Between our jobs, our families are social obligations, when do we have time to grow and develop ourselves? Headway is an excellent app that gives you that time it gives you those little snippets of information that you need to direct your focus in on your life. Headway gives you a chance to find out the meat of a book that you might want to purchase and read or listen to in-depth without wasting a lot of time trying to figure out is this book for me? I highly recommend the app.

icon

sleepy sprite

icon

The selections are on point and the summaries are excellent! I listen while I walk my pup 🐶 and have in turn, ordered a few selections! REALLY loving the app, it’s layout, daily selections and features!

icon

JuicyBaby328

icon

I've gotten multiple books out of the library with the intent to read them, but always have a hard time finding the time. This app has helped me finally be able to get to them. Summarized, yes, and thank goodness too! Just short enough I can finish one on my way picking kids up from school/practice, or while I'm cooking dinner. I can't wait to listen to them over the summer when we visit the beach!

icon

Jillian Emmert

icon

It amazed me! There is the possibility to highlight the most important points of each book and instantly translate unfamiliar vocabulary. With the ability to review the searched words. It's a great way to learn more about English as well. The price is great.

icon

Fiamma

icon

I’m enjoying what I’m learning on headway.each summary comes with quotes at the end which you can save to help you remember key points. You can listen or read, I’ve found that reading puts me to sleep before I can finish but the listening feature keeps me engaged and I can finish in a brief amount of time if not one session.

icon

Epic waters

icon

The app it’s so easy to use. I use it while driving or cooking and is great. I love the fact that the chapters are short, so you can finish them quickly. Very knowledgeable.

icon

kathytaveras

icon

The best app for self development.It helps to keep pace with your reading and also suggests the kind of reading material you might like.It is fun as you can switch from reading to listening and vice-versa as per your convenience .Just get started and partake of the treasure of knowledge at your fingertips .I feel lucky to have spotted the app.It has helped me become self-disciplined and much better informed.The audio track is excellent.

icon

anita yadav

icon

Exactly what I need! I always have booklist to read, but can't committed enough to finish/start bc of too much pages. Headway is really helpful and concise with their summary. What I love the most is that the essence of the book is well crafted, so I don't only read the key points, but also there's the story and how personality of the author still well shown through the summary. Well done!

icon

Feninda Amalia

icon

This is outstanding best app ever and honestly whoever came up with is my app is an absolute genius kudos my gratitude definitely goes out and I’m only on my first week free trial and I’m certainly going to purchase this app annually. Now that I have it, I can’t even imagine living without it.

icon

Darlin NIKKIDOLL0923

Have questions?

Asking the right questions brings you closer to achieving your goals

Can I test out Headway before purchasing it for my team?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

What should I do if some of my employees already have your Premium subscription?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

Can I increase or decrease the number of subscriptions on my corporate subscription once it’s started?Payment

Sure, we will gladly give you access to our app for a certain period if you are interested in purchasing a corporate subscription for your team. Please fill out the form on the website or email partners@makeheadway.com. We will get back to you soon.

What are the benefits of books summary?

Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.

Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.