Feature: Black Friday Reflection: Less is Liberation by Christine Platt

This year, I have been trying to shift the way I think about “more.” More stuff. More sales. More scrolling. More everything. I picked up Less is Liberation by Christine Platt because I wanted a guide that spoke honestly about how complicated it can be to step back from consumer culture while still living in a world that constantly tells us to buy our way into comfort and happiness. The book hit me at the exact right time.

It’s had me questioning not just what I bring into my home, but what I’m choosing to invest my energy in; what actually creates meaning versus what just fills space. That’s been a big part of how I’m moving through this season, and it’s shaped some of the choices I’m making as the year ends.

Check out some thoughts below and tell us…how are you shifting your habits this year?

Less Is Liberation: Finding Freedom from a Life of Overwhelm

by Christine Platt
Published by: Hachette Books
on October 7, 2025
Bookshop
Goodreads

From lifestyle trailblazer and author of The Afrominimalist's Guide To Living with Less, a practical guide to move beyond decluttering your space and, instead, declutter your life.
Less Is Liberation welcomes those who are tired and weary to embark upon a journey of self-discovery. This is an invitation to understand the interconnectedness of overwhelm and our overall wellbeing.

For years, the constant pursuit of success silently wreaked havoc on Christine Platt's happiness and health. While taking a personal pause, Christine discovered how her limiting beliefs about selfishness led to self-abandonment and a life of overwhelm. So, she decided to use the same intentional living strategy that helped her reduce overconsumption: choose less.

With the perfect balance of wit and wisdom, Christine shares the necessities to come into alignment with Self and offers a roadmap for anyone ready to do the same. Less Is Liberation is more than a self-help guide, it is a call-to-action to tap into our most underutilized superpower: being intentional with our choices.

We do not have to have so many things--we can choose less.
We do not have to have so many obligations--we can choose less.
We do not have to have so many priorities--we can choose less.
We do not have to have so many relationships that feel transactional--we can choose less.
We must simply learn how to be intentional about honoring ourselves.

Less Is Liberation is an invitation to pause and begin the beautiful work of choosing ourselves over the profit and pleasure of others. It invites us to let go of behaviors that hinder our growth. It is time to embrace less as a gateway to find freedom from our lives of overwhelm, and a pathway to the life we want and deserve. Because we are not here for a life of doing. We are here for a life of being.

From Mindless Spending to Mindfulness

Christine talks about liberation not as a perfect minimalism aesthetic but as a practice. A mindset. A way of creating space for your real values to take up room again. That message has been sitting with me as the political landscape has shifted quickly this past year. I have been trying to make more intentional choices about what I bring into my home and my life. I still slip. I still get pulled into impulse buys and “limited time only” hype. But I am learning to pause, to ask better questions, and to notice the difference between desire and distraction.

Sharing this on Black Friday feels right. Not because I think everyone should boycott sales or refuse to participate. I’m not doing that myself. Instead I just want to offer a moment of reflection for anyone who, like me, is trying to spend with more purpose this year. Maybe that means choosing one thing you truly need. Maybe it means buying from a small business or a creator you want to support. Maybe it means closing the tab altogether.

Less is Liberation reminded me that we are allowed to want lives that feel calmer, more grounded, and less shaped by what we consume. We are also allowed to take imperfect steps toward that life.

If you’re looking for a thoughtful, affirming read as we head into the holiday season, I really recommend it. It has changed the way I think about value, about ownership, and about how I want to move through this world.

Less Is Liberation, and This Year, I’m Choosing Simple Over Stuff

This past year has been a season of clearing things out…habits, expectations, and a lot of noise I didn’t need. I’m learning that easing up and creating space isn’t about doing less; it’s about making room for what matters and letting go of what doesn’t.

Because of that shift, I’ve been really honest with myself about what I want at the end of this year. And the truth is: I don’t want any gifts.

What I want is to keep showing up for the work I care about every single day.

I became an Investor in Hope this year, not because it’s my job, but because I believe in what Make-A-Day does at a level that’s hard to put into words. I see people come to us hungry, tired, overwhelmed, and leave with a meal, a plan, a little bit of dignity back, or just one less barrier weighing them down. It’s real. It matters.

So instead of buying me anything, I’m asking friends and family to help me meet my own Investor in Hope commitment. I’m raising $2,500 so that 150 unhoused neighbors have a meal and access to support.

Every dollar goes directly into meals, outreach, housing navigation, expungements, and the everyday moments that make life a little less heavy for our neighbors.

Less stuff for me.
More hope in this city.
That’s what feels right this year.