Becoming Minimalist’s Top Posts of 2016

A special thanks to each of you for making 2016 such an enjoyable and incredible year at Becoming Minimalist. This website continues to grow each month beyond my wildest expectations—in fact, this year represents the 8th consecutive year of consistent growth! As before, this growth has occurred entirely from the support of readers like you—thank you for helping to spread the inspiration.

Thank you for sharing this website. But even more, thank you for sharing the life-giving message of owning less.

Here are some numeric representations of our growth:

• Becoming Minimalist has grown to 1.1M unique visitors/month.
• The Facebook group grew from 320,000 to 560,000 followers.
• Twitter followers increased from 35,000 to 44,000.
• 80,000 people currently receive Becoming Minimalist posts via email. Sign-up here to do the same.
• In November, our book Simplify was #1 in Self-Help on Amazon.

But some of our most significant successes this past year are not found in the numbers above:

• In late 2015, we created The Hope Effect, a non-profit designed to improve how the world cares for orphans. To date, we have raised over $300,000 for orphan care around the world including a home in Honduras and our next home to be built in San Luis, Mexico.
• I released a new book, The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own, to introduce the world to minimalism. It was a USA Today/iBooks/Amazon/Publisher’s Weekly bestseller and has sold over 35,000 copies.
• In January, we created a 12-week course called Uncluttered to help people own less, live more, and find the life they’ve always wanted. Over 10,000 people did the course in 2016. The next edition of Uncluttered begins on January 9 if you would like to join us.

In case you missed any, here are the top posts on Becoming Minimalist from 2016.

Most Popular Posts from 2016 (as determined by readers):

To Declutter Any Room, Ask These Two Questions. Almost all of decluttering comes down to asking ourselves only two questions.

9 Simple Tips to Thin Out Your Closet. A streamlined wardrobe offers more benefits than simple beauty. It saves time in the morning (and sometimes, the evening). It reduces stress and frustration. And it saves money.

Why Millennials are Trending Toward Minimalism. Millennials are refusing to partake in the retail game as the rules are currently constructed and why retail giants are worried about it.

One Simple Question to Ask Before Any Purchase. To counter the empty promises of consumerism, I want to offer a simple, life-transforming question—five simple words to ask before making any purchase.

Your Biggest Expense is Your Greatest Opportunity. We own too much stuff—but rather than getting rid of it, we too often just build bigger homes to store it all.

My Personal Favorite Posts from the past year:

Why Saying You Want Change is Not Enough. There is a big difference between saying you want something, and actually working to make it happen. A goal without action is not really a goal at all.

Don’t Find Joy In What You Do But How You Do It. If you are content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.

You Are Doing a Noble Thing. You are doing a noble thing with your life. Keep on keeping on.

Maybe Success Just Feels Like This. Maybe success doesn’t always feel like it looks from the outside.

Most Popular Guest Posts in 2016:

Unlock Freedom By Simplifying These 4 Key Areas by Steve Kamb. If you’ve decided this is the year you’re going to improve your life, here are the areas that had the biggest impact on my journey.

The Art of Being Easily Fascinated by Joel Zaslofsky. If you’re like most people, you’ve never even heard the term “easily-fascinated,” much less considered how the approach to life might benefit you.

3 Steps to End Closet Chaos by Courtney Carver. If you can relate to a stressful closet scenario, or you are overwhelmed with closet chaos for other reasons, consider this three step process to end the chaos.

Most Popular Outgoing Links from the past year:

30 Things I’ve Done To Simplify My Life | Mind Body Green by Tyson Popplestone. Now I’m experimenting with a simpler way of living—one that’s less stressful and more fulfilling, I’m improving every day. Here are 30 of the most helpful tips I’ve picked up.

4 Absurdly Easy Things I Do That Make Life Disproportionately Better | Raptitude by David Cain. Lots of the things we spend our energy on are worthwhile, but some are a better deal than others.

The Benefit of Simple Living That No One Talks About | No Sidebar by Erica Layne. A simple life allows the gift of being present.

My Year of No Spending is Over—Here’s How I Got Through It | The Guardian by Michelle McGagh. The first six months were hard, but I found a new way of living and the challenge has left me wealthier and wiser.

Whether you have been reading Becoming Minimalist for one week, one month, one year or longer, thank you. This blog owes its success to the support of its readers. Thank you for reading. And thank you for sharing these posts with others.

We look forward to an exciting 2017. I will be completing another book—this one on the subject of challenging the assumptions we make about money.

Also, as I mentioned, Uncluttered will be launched three times this year. The first edition of 2017 begins on January 9th. You can sign-up now to receive an email notification when we open registration on January 1st.

No doubt, in the coming year, Becoming Minimalist will continue to evolve and be redefined. But it will always stay true to its core message that there is more joy to be found in owning less than can be found in pursuing more.

We will continue to invite as many as possible to discover this truth in their lives. And I hope you will join us.