Minimalism and the Things That Matter for a Meaningful Life with Joshua Becker

#54: Minimalist expert and award-winning author, Joshua Becker, joins Chris to talk about the many ways that “things'' get in the way of living a purpose-filled life. They discuss Joshua’s top decluttering strategies, the 8 distractions that prevent people from living more meaningfully, and tips to help guide you toward achieving the benefits of a more satisfying life through owning less.
Joshua Becker (@joshua_becker) is an expert minimalist, an award-winning author, and the founder of Becoming Minimalist, a website dedicated to inspiring others to find more life by owning less. He recently released his latest book Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life.
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Selected Links From The Episode
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Connect with Joshua Becker: Website | Instagram | Twitter
Joshua’s Books:
- Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life
- The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
- The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own
- Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life
- Clutterfree with Kids: Change your thinking. Discover new habits. Free your home
Podcasts mentioned:
Resources Mentioned:
- Harvard Study: Exchanging cents for seconds : the happiness benefits of choosing time over money
- Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending
- Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life
- Courtney Carver’s Website: Be More With Less
- Logan and Tammy Strobel’s Website: Our Tiny House
Joshua’s Phoenix Recommendations: Barrio Cafe | Camelback Mountain
Partner Deals:
- Free Vitamin D + Travel Packs with Athletic Greens
- 10% off your first month with BetterHelp
- $25 free in your Daffy Account
Full Show Notes
What most people get wrong when they think about minimalism [01:39]
The importance of having fewer physical distractions and unnecessary possessions in your life [02:32]
The first question Joshua asks those who are beginning the process of removing distractions from their lives [03:47]
Joshua's top decluttering strategy [07:01]
Staging your home for living: how to make small changes to promote a calm space and the importance of finding the purpose of your home [08:54]
How one conversation inspired Joshua’s transition to minimalism and the positive outcome of his decision [13:12]
Alternatives to keeping seldom-used items, the cost of holding on to them, and the benefits of letting them go [15:59]
How decluttering during a move afforded Chris the ability to use his space differently [21:31]
Donate or sell? Joshua provides insight about getting rid of valuable items [22:49]
Chris discusses the 5 core principles of smart spending as described in Elizabeth Dunn’s book Happy Money [25:40]
Spending money on things to buy time versus having fewer items, practical advice on learning what’s right for you [27:30]
As the trend grows in popularity, is there a ‘right’ way to apply the minimalist approach to your space? [29:38]
10 questions Joshua suggests you ask during the process of minimalizing [31:09]
The realization Joshua came to once he adopted the minimalist lifestyle and what inspired him to write: Things That Matter [34:07]
8 distractions that prevent people from feeling the most satisfied and fulfilled [35:53]
Acknowledging that money is not the end-all and the shocking results of a Harvard study of 100,000 people on time versus happiness [40:04]
Focusing on things that matter through generosity and acts of service [42:30]
Ways in which distraction of the ‘trivial’ prevents us from finding our purpose and the importance of taking a ‘digital detox’ [45:26]
Joshua’s top recommendations for ‘dine, drink, and do’ in the Phoenix area [50:21]
Where to find more information about Joshua Becker [51:58]
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