CNLP 482: Joshua Becker on Becoming Minimalist, Clutter, Sunk Cost Bias and Eliminating the Things that Keep You from Your True Purpose

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Becoming Minimalist’s Joshua Becker talks about how he embarked on his journey to minimalism, the surprising impact of decluttering your life, and how a simpler life can lead to a greater sense of realized purpose in your life.

Welcome to Episode 482 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.

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Conversation Links

Becoming Minimalist by Joshua Becker

Things That Matter by Joshua Becker

The More of Less by Joshua Becker

The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker

CNLP 139: Andrew Mellen On the Surprising Connection Between Clutter, Order and Great Leadership

The Art of Leadership Academy

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Insights from Joshua

1. Modern minimalism is about values, not making life harder

When people hear the term “minimalism,” they often think of bare-bones living, an intentional movement to live with as few possessions as possible. However, the modern minimalism movement is centered more around values than reduction. The goal of a minimalist is to figure out what matters most in their life, and then eliminate any item that doesn’t serve those goals.   

2. Clutter steals time, money and attention

In his new book, Things That Matter, Joshua Becker explores how some possessions steal more from us than we initially thought. Money is obvious, but some items take money to upkeep, and we rarely factor those costs into our decision-making process.

Time is another cost we rarely consider—we often spend a lot of valuable time in the pursuit of certain things. But a big cost is loss of focus—how much of your waking hours are devoted to thinking about things you don’t have yet? A minimalist approach to life can help you devote more time, money and attention toward things that matter (like relationships) than to objects. 

3. Mental clutter takes a toll as well

Through marketing, advertising, social media and an outrage-fueled news cycle, our “mental spaces” also need to be protected from clutter that can take up residence. The world is constantly telling us what to value, what to purchase, and what to look like. So, in a way, the world is conforming our desires, dreams and possessions into the same things. And this affects the way we approach our lives. For example, we tend to view work as a means to an end, rather than the end itself.

Quotes from Episode 482

Most people don't realize how much of a burden their possessions have become until they begin to remove them. @joshua_becker Share on X It's tough to enjoy work when the whole goal of work is to stop doing it as quickly as you can. @joshua_becker Share on X My definition of minimalism is ‘the intentional promotion of the things I most value by removing anything that distracts me from it.’ @joshua_becker Share on X We don't think of how removing things actually solves the same problem. @joshua_becker Share on X

Read or Download the Transcript for Episode 482

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Read or download a free PDF transcript of this episode here.

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Next Episode: Francesca Gino

Harvard University Professor, TED Talk alumnus and author, Francesca Gino, talks about defusing polarization on your team, the psychology behind the division on the Canadian Truckers movement, why people who disagree with you aren’t stupid, control in leadership, and the skills you need on your team to create breakthroughs in leadership.

Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss an Episode 483.

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Carey Nieuwhof
Carey Nieuwhof

Carey Nieuwhof is a best-selling leadership author, speaker, podcaster, former attorney, and church planter. He hosts one of today’s most influential leadership podcasts, and his online content is accessed by leaders over 1.5 million times a month. He speaks to leaders around the world about leadership, change, and personal growth.