A lot can change in seven years—so I think this blog post is overdue.
I also think, in this crazy, hectic world that seems to change faster and faster from one day to the next, this promise to you is overdue.
So, if you don’t mind, allow me the opportunity to take a look back, share what has changed, and commit to you what will never change, here at Becoming Minimalist.
14 Years Ago
In 2008, Becoming Minimalist was started. My goal was simple. I had just been introduced to the lifestyle of minimalism and this blog would be my journal—a place to share what we were removing, the decisions we were making, and the lessons we learned.
The blog grew quickly, reaching more and more people. Living with less became a passion for me.
Soon, a new passion began to emerge. A desire to spread the message of minimalism as best I could to a world bound to consumerism. To not just share my story, but to invite others into the joy of owning less and to offer any help I could along the way.
Becoming Minimalist began to change. The focus became less on my story, and more on helping others. The blog continued to grow—doubling from month to month over and over again.
9 Years Ago
In 2013, a hobby became a career. As I announced here on Becoming Minimalist, I transitioned from my role as full-time pastor to full-time blogger. As I said at the time, “My greatest opportunity for impact is to promote living with less in a world that has bought into the lie that pursuing possessions is a worthy endeavor.”
And so, for the last nine years, Becoming Minimalist has been my full-time job. And I couldn’t be happier.
A lot has changed since that announcement:
I wrote Clutterfree with Kids to help parents navigate the most common areas of clutter in their child’s life.
I developed and began teaching the Uncluttered Course, a 12-week online course that has now helped over 75,000 families around the world own less stuff and live more life.I wrote The More of Less, introducing minimalism to the world.
I founded and formed The Hope Effect, a nonprofit organization changing how the world cares for orphans. The nonprofit organization was initially funded by the book advance proceeds for my books on minimalism.
I created Simplify Magazine, a digital, entirely ad-free magazine published quarterly. Each issue features 8-10 experts focusing on one topic. We’ve published 13 separate issues since 2017.
I took over No Sidebar, a website that promotes simple and distraction-free living by highlighting new and talented writers in the simple living world.
By popular demand, I wrote The Minimalist Home detailing my minimizing philosophy and providing a room-by-room approach for anyone who wants to love the home they live in.
I launched a YouTube channel hoping to reach a new audience, through video, with the life-giving benefits of minimalism. The channel just passed 250,00 subscribers—so it’s definitely working.
I created Simple Money Magazine. A digital, quarterly magazine that complements Simplify Magazine by focusing exclusively on simple, practical financial advice.
I developed and launched an app called Clutterfree. Clutterfree is the first app on the market to provide a unique and personalized roadmap to declutter your home. It is based on my philosophy and provides everything you need, in the palm of your hand, to declutter your home. It has been used effectively by 30,000 people to develop a decluttering checklist for their home.
Then, I wrote a third book, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life, to take the principles of minimalism that I am known for and show how they can be applied to other distractions in life.
Like I said, a lot can change in nine years.
Today
As you might expect, Becoming Minimalist has become much bigger than I ever anticipated with more resources to help people own less than I ever dreamt possible.
The Becoming Minimalist team has grown to 9 active employees who help me create videos, edit articles, manage magazines, stay active on social media, bookkeeping, and provide customer support. Even both of my kids, now 20 & 16, are involved with the company.
We are reaching new people, in new ways, every single day.
The Becoming Minimalist Promise
With that history as the backdrop, and the fast-changing world surrounding us, I want to take a moment and offer a promise to you about this blog. Because there are some things that will not change.
Becoming Minimalist exists to invite people to own less and live more.
That was my mission 14 years ago and will be my mission going forward. I will not waver from it.
Regardless of what changes happen in the future, my focus will remain the same. I wake up every morning, excited to work, trying to answer this question, “How can I help people own less today?”
That passion (and this platform) have led to some wonderful opportunities. But the question I ask about new ideas is always the same, “Will this help people own less?” And that will remain my question going forward.
My promise to you is this:
No matter what happens around us, Becoming Minimalist will remain true to its purpose. We will help people own less and live more.
That you can always count on.
Whether you have been reading Becoming Minimalist for 14 years or 14 minutes, if you recognize that your life is too valuable to waste chasing material possessions, you have come to the right place. Whether you are looking for consistent inspiration to own less or practical ideas to get you there, or just curious about the lifestyle, you have come to the right place.
Stick around awhile.
I love reading everything you write about Minimalism. My parents were minimalists and I aspire to be their level of minimal. Mom died a few years ago, but when my dad died recently we discovered that the only thing mom hung onto were photos, cards and family newspaper articles. We are finding letters and photos from the days when the camera was a newfangled invention! We have no idea who many of these people are or why she kept holiday cards from 30 years ago! I am struggling to let this ‘treasure’ go and just don’t know how to do it. I tell myself that if I hadn’t seen it and didn’t know it existed, I wouldn’t miss it. I need to just let it go. Any advice from anyone would be appreciated!
Do you have to let it go? I don’t want to stop you from minimizing, by all means if you want to let it go then let it go. But, if it adds value to your life than you don’t have to let it go either. Your reference to it as a treasure suggests that it might. Making a decision in a time of loss can be difficult, and honestly isn’t always the best time to make a decision. My thought is if this brings value to your life today, maybe in memories of your parents or even in learning something new about your mother, than keep it. And tomorrow, or next month, or in another year or two if it is no longer bringing value to your life then you can let it go.
I’ve loved reading your blog over the last 7+ years and want to thank you for generously sharing your wisdom and connecting so many people around the world. I also love that you have crystallised one question to ask to keep you focused on your mission! Now I’m challenged to think hard about my own life and what one question I can ask myself.
I’m looking forward for your newsletter in my email box …. you inspire me so much. Thank you for your promise to continue your work. ( From Trieste Italy )
Like so many of your readers, I’m trucking forward on my minimalist journey as well. I’ve been interested for a few years, but after having a baby and working from home for almost a full year now, I couldn’t stand the junk that kept piling up and having to look at it all day. While minimizing with a child under 1 has not been easy, I’ve found slow and steady to be my mantra. I try to spend 5-10 minutes every day and every few days I have a box or a few bags that I post on Buy Nothing and if it doesn’t go with a week or two, take to Goodwill. People have been so happy to receive my extra stuff through Buy Nothing. I encourage others to look up if they have a Buy Nothing group in their area on Facebook. It is a responsible way to get rid of possessions that still have a lot of value, so they don’t end up in a dumpster behind a charity store (unfortunately, that happens a lot). Thanks for your words of wisdom
Hi Joshua. I want to say a heartfelt thank you for all your work. I devour every word you write here and enjoy your YouTube videos too. For 2.5 years since I was 25, minimalism has been my philosophy and guiding principle in life. I take so much inspiration and joy from your content. It serves as a regular reminder to me of what my values are and how to stay true to them. Minimalism makes me happy and gives me meaning in life, and for that I am so grateful to you.
It seems like there is a good amount of good intentions you have put into this blog. I have been enjoying it very much and very grateful this helps me going on in my spared alone time. I have other activities and this is one among many that captivate me the most. Love to see how much you have done and well. Thanks.
Thank you for the encouraging words. I appreciate them very much.
Like so many of the ladies on here I’m also in my seventies. Read Minimalist Home first then found your blogs and other minimalists. Thank you for today’s post. I subscribe to your Simplicity magazines and follow The Hope Project. Just didn’t realize that you were behind so much of it. My main reason for becoming a minimalist was because I had been left my parents’ home full of belongings and memories and owned my own home. Combining the two meant some purging but then realizing I didn’t want my daughter dealing with so much. She is grateful and pleased. Thank you Josh for all you’ve done for so many.
And thank you for being along for the journey.
I am happy to see some 70 + ladies(Carol, Paula, Betty) willing to post, so I can be brave as well. At 74, I have lost several dear friends, plus my mom, dad, only sister and last week, her husband. My nephew and his wife now have to “clean” his mom and dad’s place of over 50 years of stuff. I don’t want to leave a mess for anyone; I have no children and it would fall to nieces and nephews. So, I have started this journey of keeping only what I love and need. Thank you Joshua.
I have had to clean after the de fabrica this of loved ones. Much of their belongings became stuff placed in our basement or house.
I do not want this to be the case for me or my husband. I don’t want our things to be dumped at the local thrift store without a second thought. Therefore, we have decided to purposefully get rid of stuff. My husband and I are now slowly, but determinedly, giving away our stuff. With each item, I feel a sense of freedom and accomplishment. Our goal is to be reduced to a fraction of what we have now so we can travel without worry…
My husband is the one who is bringing home some bulky furniture. And I am the one who dislike and complaints about it. So far no planning to get a bigger house, luckily ? because we are retiring .
Wow! That has been quite a journey. Becoming minimalist seems like a long term process for me too as I always find an area where clutter accumulates. Thank you for being an example for all of us.
I am glad to hear that you will continue with Becoming Minimalist and your other offerings and projects. Through your course I found some wonderful friends, and 2 years ago when I was in Wales, finally got to meet one of them! Through you I found Courtney Carver and so many other wonderful people in this community of owning less but living more. I look forward to what awaits :)
It was about 2 1/2 years ago when I stumbled across your UnCluttered Course and began my minimizing journey. More than freeing up space in my home, I’ve opened space in my mind by not having to think about and take care of all the “stuff” I don’t care about! It is incredibly liberating and I thank you so much for your commitment to sharing! I’m excited to soon be making my 2nd move during this process, into an apartment that is 1/3 the size of the home I owned when I began my Living With Less journey.
Thank you again for sharing how much more life can be found by owning less!
Joshua thank you! I am slowly started to shed the things we dont need or want. I have tried in the past on my own but never gotten very far. Your articles and Uncluttered course has been a source of encouragement. I have a ways to go in the journey but I have a vision of what life can look like. I had felt that I would never accomplish much in my life. Didn’t have a purpose but I can see the possibilities of what that purpose can be .
I have paved my way to become a minimalist homemaker. It is so important for me to an extra room and this is so hard to have when all you can have to the most here where I live is a 3 bedrooms for 5 of us. It is a one floor house. We live in Florida all seasons and we love this house and don’t want to move. So your blog has been a wonderful place for us to chip in. Thanks.
Right there with you. We live in a 1350 sq foot house. All 5-soon to be 6- of us. Small rooms/closets are not an issue and floors are clear. The kids have space to play and I’m less stressed because I can be a mom instead of full-time maid. So glad we embraced minimalism when my oldest was a toddler. Seriously, for a year we had one room devoted to all piles of junk we were constantly shedding; now we just need a box in the garage. Kids don’t need the piles of stuff and it’s so worth the time it takes to clear it out. Good luck!
I wish you more success in your hard work, Joshua. I have enjoyed learning so much about your work and great deal of effort towards minimalism.
I am having a great time giving things away. I’m 75 years in age, but not in spirit. Now is the time to have less so I can do more. My husband passed away 2 years ago and I am holding on to only things that I cherish. The hardest room for me to minimize is my craft room, so saving that for last.
Thank you for your inspiration!
Joshua, Thank you for 12 faithful years of focused work to encourage us all toward freedom from the tyranny of materialism. My wife and I have tracked with you off and on for several years now. The principles and tactics you’ve shared have been helpful tutors along our journey! In our latest response to the impulses of minimalism, we are selling our house and are shedding many possessions. We are stepping into the unknown with our three little ones. A question – how would you response to a thought that “owning less” doesn’t guarantee freedom from self-protection, materialism or greed (which can twist our hearts and manifest in other ways)? How do we consistently move toward minimalism for the sake of others (and not just my own happiness and comfort)? I’ve definitely seen *you* do this with Hope Effect, for example, but just wanted to see what thoughts arise after 12 years. Gratefully, Jonathan King
I have been reading your blog posts for some time now and love the idea of minimalism. I am slowly working through my ‘stuff’ and each time I create less I feel a sense of release. For far too long I have been consumed by consumerism, an advertisers dream client, but. now I have the strength to say NO! I am so proud that I am able to do this and look forward to living a more minimalist life going forward. Thank you for your guidance.
You’ll LOVE owning less Jules. So freeing.
Today there are 4 big black plastic bags full of stuff plus 2 boxes sitting by the curb waiting to be picked up by a local charity. My shelves are straight now my drawers are neat and my closet has breathing room. Could I sell some these things (small appliances), probably, but I want them gone! I benefit from my mind being cleared of looking at those things
A mission never wavers. It’s a journey; one that remains vital during the current revolution we’re all in. Worldly possessions, mostly expendable, never satisfy any longing of the soul. Keeping the burden light yields flexibility. Minimalism, because it’s never too late to liberate.
“Never too late to liberate.” Brilliant and true.
I am 75 and have followed you for years Josh. I think I’m pretty good about paring down possessions but still have a long way to go. I had hoped to box up more and more things and have a garage sale for financial reasons this spring but the virus put a hold on those plans for now. Your books, posts, etc help me keep a focus on what is really important in life and I appreciate you and staff so much. My son and family are moving back to Alaska as where they live is not safe due to racial unrest. They are benefiting also on what is really matters to them – family, less time on projects and more time in nature together. Thank you again!
I may have missed it on one of your other platforms, but I’d love to hear from your children about what it has been like to grow up in a minimalist home. An interview on YouTube or just a back and forth conversation posted here maybe.
I think that’s a great idea. YouTube would probably be the easiest place for something like that. I was on a radio interview several years ago where the station had called my kids to get some comments to play on-air, but that’s probably the closest to what you’re asking.
It IS a great idea. However I would be careful about how you expose your kids in the social media world. But you probably have thought of that.
Thank you so much for this ministry of minimalism. I’ve been intrigued with the idea of simplicity for nearly 20 years, after reading Richard Foster’s “Celebration of Discipline”, which had a chapter on simplicity as a spiritual practice. You have helped me continue the journey, moving gradually from decluttering (an on-going process) to living into the minimalism mindset. I am so grateful for the sense of lightness and increasing freedom that this way of life has provided me.
I read that chapter while in college and even taught a small group lesson on it. My learnings from that chapter took on new life when my neighbor introduced me to minimalism.
Here’s to the next 12 years and more!
We’ve been on board for the journey!
You’re providing so many helpful resources! I enjoy reading your blog and always walk away with a stronger conviction to keep my life simple. Thank you for the work you’re doing.
And thank you for the kind and encouraging words. They keep me going.
Thank you so much for continuing your passion and remaining true to the purpose of your blog Joshua. At first I cringed thinking you might be saying it has gotten to be too “big” or a bit much. Glad to hear we can still count on looking for your inspiration and new ideas!
Yeah, I didn’t want readers to think that, so I tried to cut off that thinking at the beginning by mentioning that some things never change. But an article like this usually ends in an announcement of some sort, so I hear you.
When you had a subscription for a lifetime to Simplify Magazine, I subscribed, but never knew how to where to get the digital copies. I also subscribed at a time when I got a buy one, get one subscription for a lifetime and don’t even remember who I gifted it to.
Anyway, is there a way I can access the magazine, which I believe is quarterly? I read all your emails, columns, etc. You do a wonderful job. Thank you.
Yes, if you subscribed, you can log-in to the website with your email address at any time. If you have any trouble, there is a Help page right there on the magazine website: simplifymagazine.com/contact
In a world of distractions, thank you for staying the course and knowing the purpose. You have inspired and helped transform my home, but more importantly, me. It has been a journey of facing what the material items were masking and I am stronger emotionally and spiritually today than where I started eight years ago this August. Thank you, Mr. Becker.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide just a little bit of inspiration.
Is 76 too old to get started? I doubt it! I realize that my husband and I have been headed this way for quite some time, so finding this source for information (that is you!) makes it official. We are officially on the side of living minimally!
Since I am 77, you are never to old. I wish I would have done this decades ago. I never realized how different my house could feel with less. I enjoy going into the kitchen and cooking when the counters are clean and empty. I no longer have problems finding room to put the laundry away. If I buy something there is no hassle to find a place, as I don’t buy it if I don’t need it. I never knew how much stress is caused by clutter and consumerism.
Never too old to get started Betty.