I am often asked, “Why do people keep reading Becoming Minimalist? Isn’t minimalism a simple concept?”
And to be fair, there is truth behind the question. Minimalism is a simple idea: own less, live more.
But this summer, while on tour, I met countless people who told me they have been faithfully reading Becoming Minimalist for years and years. Some even said they started reading from the very beginning.
I am humbled and honored each time.
The answer to the question “Why do people keep reading Becoming Minimalist?” is twofold.
Number one, minimalism isn’t easy for everyone. It comes easily to some (just like cooking, dancing, woodworking, or golfing). But just because a concept is easy for you to grasp doesn’t mean it is easy for everyone.
In some cases, minimalism means changing a worldview that has been held for 50 or 60 years. And it’s incorrect to think just a few articles or videos are going to automatically rewire our brains.
Speaking of which, if that is you, next Thursday (October 15) I will be teaching a free, live online workshop called 7 Principles to Declutter Your Home (and Keep It That Way).
If you are just starting out on your decluttering journey, need some extra inspiration, want some ideas on how to keep your home decluttered, or have been feeling too nervous to even start, this presentation is for you. I’m going to be offering both the why and the how for owning less. I hope you can join us. Save your free seat right here.
But there is a second reason why people continue to return to Becoming Minimalist over and over again.
This website has always been about more than minimalism. We wrestle with and discuss topics well beyond owning less.
The goal of Becoming Minimalist is to inspire people to own less and live more. But removing the distraction of physical possessions and discovering what it means to “live more” is a much deeper and fuller, even lifelong, pursuit.
People read Becoming Minimalist because they are interested in minimalism. But even more, they read because they are interested in living their most intentional life, focused on the things that matter most.
To see what that looks like, I recently analyzed all the articles I have written over the last 18 years and sorted them into the most common topics.
I thought I would list those topics for you so you can see all that we discuss here.
The topics are listed in order of how often I have written about them. And for each, I have included the three most popular articles (based on reader comments) in case you want to learn more about any of them.
1. Minimalism & Owning Less
This is the heart of Becoming Minimalist: why owning less is worth it and what the lifestyle looks like in everyday life.
2. Decluttering & Home
Once we are convinced that owning less is better, we need to know how to get there, so these are the practical articles on removing what we don’t need, room by room.
3. Personal Growth & Motivation
Owning less is only one of the changes most of us want to make, and I write often about how to begin a change and keep going when it gets hard.
4. Money & Personal Finance
Minimalism changed our family’s finances almost immediately, and it continues to shape how I think about spending, debt, and wealth.
5. Intentional Living & Purpose
Removing distractions only helps if we know what we are making room for, so these articles are about deciding what matters most and building a life around it.
6. Consumerism & Why We Buy
Our homes will keep filling up until we understand why we buy, which is why I pay close attention to how advertising and culture shape our desires.
7. Relationships & Character
Who we are becoming and how we treat people will always matter more than what we own, and that conviction shows up here in articles about kindness, humility, and the words we use with one another.
8. Happiness, Contentment & Gratitude
Owning less is great, but wanting less is even better, and that means learning to compare less, envy less, and appreciate what we already have.
9. Family & Parenting
We became minimalist as a family of four, so kids, toys, and marriage have been part of this conversation from the very beginning.
10. Time, Busyness & Productivity
Our calendars fill with clutter just as easily as our closets, and the solution looks similar: slow down, say no more often, and give our best hours to the right things.
11. Generosity & Giving
One of the greatest benefits of needing less for ourselves is how much more we are able to give, which is also the story behind The Hope Effect.
12. Holidays & Gift-Giving
The pressure to buy reaches its peak every November and December, so each year I return to the subject of simpler holidays and gifts that won’t end up as clutter.
13. Attention, Technology & Distraction
Physical possessions are only one kind of distraction, and the screens in our pockets and living rooms may be an even greater one.
14. Work & Success
We spend a significant portion of our lives at work, and I believe there are better reasons to work and better ways to measure success than a paycheck.
15. Health & Wellbeing
Minimalism brought new intentionality to how I eat, exercise, and rest, and from time to time I share simple approaches to each.
What began 18 years ago as an online journal about cleaning out a garage in Vermont has grown into a conversation about almost every area of life.
Choose the topic that matters most to you today and start there. When you finish, choose another.
Owning less is where we begin. Living more is where we are headed.
Source: www.becomingminimalist.com…