Fill your life with stories to tell, not stuff to show.
The simplicity/minimalism movement is a beautiful community. And I enjoy any opportunity to promote writing that encourages people to live more by owning less.
I invite you to fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee or tea. Find a quiet moment this weekend. And enjoy some encouraging words to inspire more simplicity in your life today.
Shannen Doherty, who has stage 4 cancer, says she’s selling her belongings to fund more quality time with her mom | Business Insider by Amanda Goh. This is a tragically sad story and I debated including it here. But I think Shannen is trying to tell us something. And we’d be wise to listen.
What I Learned From My No-Spend Month | Gretchen Rubin by Gretchen Rubin. A brief period of deprivation can help us learn about ourselves and our patterns. It can re-set our tolerances, so that going forward, we indulge less.
Making Change: Consumerism | North Coast Journal by Jennifer Savage. Talk is cheap, buying nothing is spectacular.
Navigating Minimalism: A Guide for Those Struggling with Mental Health | No Sidebar by Miles Oliver. Minimalism is a state of mind that helps you refocus your attention on the things that really matter. This can be powerful if you’ve traditionally placed too much value on material things and spend your energy fretting about the state of your home.
51 Simple Ways to Overcome Consumerism in Your Life | Simple Money by Harper Bennett. I don’t think I’ve met a single person who, on some level, doesn’t want to break free from entirely consumeristic pressures. But breaking free is not easy—or more people would do it.
What Is Clutter Blindness? 6 Signs You Have It & 6 Tips To Stop It | Green With Less by Eva Astoul. Clutter blindness is when we get so used to having clutter in our home that we do not see it anymore.
Recently Released Inspiring Videos
Master Your Mornings: 7 Things to Do Before Bed | YouTube by Joshua Becker. For anyone wanting to optimize their morning and become a morning person, establishing a solid nighttime foundation is crucial. If you struggle to get going in the mornings, here are 7 habits to try before bed.
The Joy of Not Wanting Things | YouTube by Joshua Becker. If you find yourself overwhelmed with how much stuff you have, but seem to continually find yourself wanting the next new thing, here are some words of perspective to encourage you.
Adam says
Great articles, Joshua, thanks for sharing!
Tip for those mentioning the advertisements on shared links. If you’re using Safari (on iPhone, iPad, or Mac) you can open the article in “Reader” and all the advertisements are removed. It’s a stock setting that all updated devices have. In the URL bar you will see “aA”, click on this and select “Show Reader”. When you’re done follow the same prompts and click “Hide Reader”.
Hope this is helpful!
Judy says
Sad to hear about Shannon : (
I’ve been pretty good at getting rid of clutter—- just need to be more ruthless and get some deep cleaning done too.
Judy says
P. S. I had no troubles with the pop-up ads etc. We are always bombarded with these things. As a minimalist, haven’t we learned to ignore these things yet? 🤦🏼♀️
Really not an issue.
Karin says
I agree. I read the article about Clutter Blindness, but it was difficult. I kept being distracted by all the ads.
Karin says
Sorry, this was supposed to be a comment on Minx49′ s comment.
Minx49 says
Thank you Joshua for the Weekend Reads, it’s one of my most favourite things to read on a Sunday afternoon with a cup of coffee. I wanted to ask if anyone else had trouble reading the Business Insider article, for the second time in a row it opened to a blank page. The last time you shared a link also the same thing happened, I am wondering if that is a US specific website or it has some other restrictions.
Also another thing, as an aspiring and practising minimalist, I absolutely love the design of the Becoming Minimalist and Zen Habits websites, they are so clean and devoid of ads and other visual clutter. They are a joy to read. Which is why I couldn’t enjoy the article on Clutter Blindness, ironically enough. The page had too many distractions and adverts. I just skimmed through the article real quick because I couldn’t stand all that stimulation even though it had interesting links to other articles I couldn’t bring myself to click on them.
Peg pomeroy says
I grew up with very little. My parents Irish Immigrants to England during WW II. My Mother’s aunt and daughters were killed in the Blitz of Coventry while running for shelter. My parents had no one to fall back on for help. But they made it my Mother died when I was 15. When I was first married my husband had 2 children from his previous marriage. We had nothing. We survived. But even today in my early eighties I dream of that tiny closet in my bedroom back in England being full of pretty
clothes. And today dealing with stuff I don’t want to part with today.
Laura says
I enjoy these weekend reads, but I find that some of the pages are full of advertisements. The adverts distract me from the message and also, make me question the sincerity of the message.
I realise that you, Joshua, have no control over this situation. And I notice that your pages do not carry all these adverts. You walk the talk, that’s why I stick with you.
Caroline Cleaver says
I’ve never been so consumed by my stuff as when I started trying to divest myself of it.