Minimalism and the Things That Matter for a Meaningful Life

#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 hacks 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.

Selected Links From The Episode

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Connect with Joshua Becker: Website | Instagram | Twitter

Joshua’s Books:

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:

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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