©2025 – Amy Morin, LCSW. All Rights Reserved
©2025 – Amy Morin, LCSW. All Rights Reserved
About Joshua Fields Millburn
Joshua Fields Millburn is known as one of the minimalists. He is the co-host of the popular podcast The Minimalists, a New York Times bestselling author, and has starred in Netflix documentaries about the benefits of minimalism. He has created a movement that inspires millions of people to live a simpler, lower-stress life.
Key Takeaways:
“Minimalism is the thing that gets us past the things so we can make room for life’s most important things.” – Joshua Fields Millburn
“By clearing the excess around me, I started to make room. And you think about the most peaceful spaces in your life. Maybe you go to a museum. Quite often the museum is not defined simply by the artwork. That’s a component of it. But it’s defined by a lack of excess.” – Joshua Fields Millburn
“Our memories are not in our things. Our memories are inside us.” – Joshua Fields Millburn
0:00:00 Busy justifies saying yes to everything, but leads to saying no to important things
0:03:29 Minimalism clears excess to make room for important things
0:08:09 Minimalism improves mental health by reducing overwhelm and stress
0:09:42 Why having too much is actually about not having enough
0:11:21 How to identify what is “enough” in different areas of life
0:11:44 How giving up excess can help you gain peace and tranquility
0:11:59 Amy’s experience of living with less on a sailboat
0:12:31 Living in a small space makes you think twice about what you need
0:12:49 Making space for new items by getting rid of old ones
0:13:09 Benefits of living a minimalist lifestyle
0:12:13 How having fewer items leads to more time
0:12:44 The challenge of determining what is “enough”
0:13:45 The importance of questioning the things we hold on to.
0:14:47 The three categories of possessions: essential, nonessential, and junk.
0:16:44 How to get over the tendency to hold on to things “just in case.”
0:18:37 The challenge of letting go of sentimental items.
0:19:52 The memories are not in our things, but inside us.
0:21:38 Joshua’s experience of letting go of his mother’s sentimental items.
0:22:17 The process of letting go and the freedom it brings.
0:23:17 The emotional difficulty of parting with certain items.
0:23:17 Difficulty of getting rid of sentimental items.
0:23:49 The spontaneous combustion rule for letting go of items.
0:25:01 Letting go of possessions tied to identity is difficult.
0:26:29 Starting the decluttering process with the 30-day minimalism game.
0:28:50 Process for deciding what to do with decluttered items.
0:30:30 The importance of addressing calendar clutter and saying no.
0:32:40 The therapist’s take
Listen to The Minimalists podcast
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