About The Art of Enough

Most of us are not short of things. We are short of the sense that what we have is enough. The Art of Enough looks at why that feeling stays out of reach, and what actually moves it.

Drawing on research in psychology, behavioural economics and environmental psychology, it traces how the pleasure of a change fades, what possessions really do for us, and why more of almost anything stops helping sooner than we expect.

What you’ll explore

Why satisfaction fades. Psychologists call it hedonic adaptation: the boost from getting what we wanted tends to settle back quickly. The book also looks at what doesn’t fade.

The cost of materialism. Research by Tim Kasser and others links strongly materialistic goals with lower wellbeing. The book sets out what the evidence suggests in its place.

Spaces and attention. How the places you live and work in shape your attention and thinking.

Designed to want more. How digital products are built to make sufficiency feel impossible.

Time and relationships. The two areas where people most reliably underinvest.

Defining enough. How to decide what enough means for you and design a life around it.

The book includes a thirty-day practice, in four weeks, for putting it all to work. Simplicity here is not poverty or deprivation; it is the difference between a life shaped by what you have chosen and one shaped by what you have accumulated.

Who this book is for

Anyone feeling overwhelmed by stuff, spending or screens, or looking for a calmer, more intentional way to live.

At a glance

• Series: Psychology for Life, Book 17 of 20
• Author: A.N. Archer
• Publisher: Freyja Publishing
• Length: about 176 pages
• Formats: Kindle eBook, paperback and hardcover
• Kindle edition included with Kindle Unlimited

If you enjoy this book

Each title in the Psychology for Life series stands on its own. Readers of this book often go on to:

• What Truly Matters (Book 12)
• Build Lasting Wealth (Book 4)
• A Life Worth Living (Book 16)