Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It requires a conscious decision because it is a countercultural lifestyle that stands against the culture of overconsumption that surrounds us.
The world we live in is not friendly to the pursuit of minimalism. Its tendencies and relentless advertising campaigns call us to acquire more, better, faster, and newer. The journey of finding simplicity requires consistent inspiration.
For that reason, I hope you will make an effort this weekend to find a quiet moment with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy some of these hand-picked articles to encourage more simplicity in your life.
That Clutter In Your Home Used To Be Money | Retire Before Dad. Earn more, spend less, and keep the rest to invest. Don’t spend it on crap that takes up space so you don’t need extra space to store it all.
The More We Limit Ourselves, the More Resourceful We Become | James Clear by James Clear. One assumption that often drives unhealthy behavior is that if we want to find happiness and meaning in our lives, then we need more: more opportunity, more wealth, and more things.
Want To Be Happier? Live In a Small House. | The Week by Bonnie Kristian. If you own an American home built in the last three decades, your house is probably too big for your life, sucking away your money, energy, time, and relationships, and adding only to your accumulation of stuff.
No, Nothing Comes For Free. Not Even Free Samples Or Free Shipping | USA Today by Jeff Stibel. What you may not realize is that even if you don’t buy the particular free product, you’re still more likely to spend more at the store on other items after you have gotten a sample.
Hi Elizabeth
I am just as confused as you seem to be. I live in Denmark and receive the Minimalist weekend Reads every other saturday. How come some people receive them every weekend??
I publish the Weekend Reads on an every-other weekend schedule. So you’re getting them all.
Keep writing! I read everything you write and you are always in the back of my mind every time I’m thinking of a purchase…90% of the time I put it back on the shelf!
Thank-you! I could quote many of your words today, but I’ll stick with this one ‘Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it.’
Yes, yes and more yes! This morning I watched inspirational TedX talks on the power of expressing our unique weirdness. The talks left me inspired with a strong feeling of connectedness; just like when I read your blog.
As a result, I felt moved to share the talks and ideas with others. I feel that we could all benefit from allowing more of our true selves to shine.
Reducing physical, mental & emotional clutter is a great way to create space for our true natures to emerge; and what a gift our individuality is to the world!
Liking the articles in this edition of Weekend Reads. One small gripe though. Not sure if it’s just me, but I’m quite put off/ taken aback at the vaguely sinister-looking photo accompanying this post. Rather DARK. Looks almost gothic, I say. Not exactly the warm and welcoming atmosphere we’ve come to expect… Anyone else feel the same? Just my 2 cents.
Thank you for sharing these Joshua. Enjoyed reading and good food for thought / reminders.
I love these weekend reads as well and I do look forward to them. I’m confused though, by the comments about them being posted every Saturday; I see that they are posted once per month. Am I missing something? Thank you for the great links!
Love the piece about smaller homes. Our house is about 2000 square feet. It can be split into two apartments, so while it was just 2 and then 3 of us, we lived in half that. Our family has steadily increased, through foster care leading to adoption, and now we are 2 adults and 5 kids. We use all 2000 square feet, and have recently started to look for a larger home, not because we need it, but because we want to be able to take in teens, and our current 3 bedroom setup doesn’t allow that. The two houses in our community for sale with 5 bedrooms just seemed SO INCREDIBLY BIG! The article was a good reminder of why we love our smallish (as far as sq footage per person) house!
I don’t often comment on articles but I just wanted to say thanks for this inspiration every weekend. Where I live it is in my inbox every Sunday morning and I love sitting down with my morning coffee to a great reading session.
i would like to know the size of the individuals who are advocating for smaller homes. How tall are they, weight. do they have any sort of hobbies, do they do any DIY? there are more questions but this will do for a starter.
thank you
So true, how the stuff in our homes used to be money. My wife, son and I just sold our California home to move to Nevada. Even though our home was uncluttered and neat, we still sold and donated a bunch of stuff. It’s incredibly freeing to purge. We need much less than we think we need!
thank you Josh, this came at a great time in my life. I am 50 something and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life taking care of household items and stuff as opposed to getting out and enjoying life!
I look forward to this post every Saturday!
I too look forward to the Weekend Reads! Thank you for making me aware of these great articles.
Agreed Jaime! I quickly scan the inbox for the “weekend reads” title. As a striving minimalist, I find the articles provide the necessary encouragement & confirmation to keep going.
Thanks, Joshua!
I think these weekend reads are my favorite thing about Saturdays!
Great articles. Consumerism is rampant these days with everyone trying their hardest to show off or find fulfillment. Minimalism is the best way to live life.