Joshua and Ryan talk about so-called luxury items—desiring them, purchasing them, clinging to them, understanding them, and letting go of them—and they answer the following questions:
How do you define “luxury item”? (01:10)
How do we differentiate between luxury, elegance, and trendy? (06:04)
As my fiance and I are creating our wedding registry, how do we ensure we don’t fall into the trap of exploiting the kindness of others for luxury items that will just fill the areas we just decluttered? (11:09)
What is “expensive pain”? (13:23)
What is an “alternative registry”? (15:44)
Is crowdsourcing a reasonable way to fund a honeymoon? (17:07)
Why do some pursue luxury instead of living within their means? (20:29)
What is “low-grade misery”? (36:02)
What is the ultimate luxury? (36:49)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about earning a living doing work that matters with career expert, author, and Ramsey personality Ken Coleman, and they answer the following questions:
Does one have to have a “purpose” at work? (02:16)
What three elements make up one’s purpose? (03:13)
Must a purpose be a lofty pursuit? (09:33)
What do you recommend as the best options for making money on the road for those of us that want to travel and see the world? (16:00)
How do I balance pursuing a purpose with the responsibilities and obligations of being a parent and a spouse? (24:01)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss The Minimalists’ Spontaneous Combustion Rule as it applies to material possessions, relationships, and homes, and they answer the following questions:
What is the Spontaneous Combustion Rule? (01:00)
How do we determine when it’s appropriate to let go of friendships, and how do we address the aftermath of loneliness when there are no new friendships to fill the void? (04:12)
What are the three types of relationships? (07:39)
How do we address the overwhelm we feel from others’ stuff when we’re living in an environment that’s not our own? (13:42)
How do we know if the desire to move to a new place that may “fit us better” is a genuine feeling and not just escapism? (24:30)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan are joined by Ryan’s wife, Mariah, on the occasion of his 40th birthday, and they talk about the wisdom that accompanies midlife maturity, as well as answer the following questions:
When do maturity, wisdom, and knowledge best align? (00:00)
What is Ryan’s favorite dinner? (11:50)
How have your needs in a romantic partnership changed as you move toward your 40s? (13:05)
What is “whataboutism”? (17:15)
How has responding instead of reacting helped your relationship? (18:21)
Are Ryan and Mariah always in agreement regarding their minimalist practices; and, if not, how do they find compromise with one another? (22:58)
How do you find equilibrium in your relationship when an individual is on their minimalist journey but their partner is not? (32:13)
What is the “hedonic treadmill”? (46:13)
What guests have you had at your tour stops? (47:41)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about inner conflict, self-doubt, and self-hatred with author, speaker, and attorney Mel Robbins, and they answer the following questions:
How do I rebuild my relationship with myself? (02:06)
What is the most important relationship in our life? (02:59)
What moment led to the High Five Habit? (08:42)
Why do most mantras not work? (15:22)
How did you keep from blaming yourselves and beating yourselves up for the failure of your marriages, and how did you restore your confidence in starting new relationships afterward? (16:54)
What does a high five represent? (19:39)
Can thinking about yourself negatively actually benefit you positively? (26:06)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about finding something more compelling than material possessions, and they answer the following questions:
Why is Salt Lake City one of Joshua’s favorite cities? (00:00)
How do I explain to my children the importance of curating their toys in terms they’ll understand? (03:14)
How do I let go of a relationship I didn’t end? (09:59)
Why am I relentlessly searching for the next thing that will improve my life, and how do I better channel that energy? (17:56)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about trading in our materialistic clinging for transcendent freedom with author, podcaster, and comedian Lisa Lampanelli, and they answer the following questions:
How do you define “humor”? (00:00)
What is the “United States of Avoidance”? (08:26)
When life changes your path, how do you stop clinging to the hope you once had? (14:20)
How do we accept the death of a dream? (15:33)
What do you mean by “daring to suck”? (17:45)
Is it helpful to simply treat our passions as hobbies until they pay the bills? (18:25)
How did Lisa get her start in comedy? (20:18)
When a loved one has passed, how do I honor their final wishes as executor and appropriately distribute the possessions they clung to when they did not leave specific instructions for doing so? (22:46)
How do you stop clinging to the security of a job simply because it pays well? (29:56)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about calm, serenity, and the sound of simplicity with musician Andrew Belle, and they answer the following questions:
How do we find serenity in the echoes of our decluttered spaces? (00:00)
If you’re living a life that aligns with your values, why would it be necessary to take a vacation from it to find solace and silence? (13:39)
Is there any evidence that overconsumption of podcasts or other informative audio is linked to anxiety? (21:08)
How do we move closer to access and further from excess? (24:18)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about resisting the incessant tug of consumerism while striving to simplify, and they answer the following questions:
How do we overcome our shopping addiction? (00:00)
What are the three prime indicators of compulsive buying? (04:00)
What is consumerism? (06:45)
When does something become an addiction? (09:39)
Why do people have shopping addictions? (19:17)
When creating a capsule wardrobe and running up against challenges regarding durability, should we buy more clothes at once or purchase clothes more often? (19:35)
What is Project 333? (21:33)
How do I adjust my shopping habits so they better align with my minimalist practices? (26:01)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about removing the excess to expose the everyday beauty that’s all around us with author, podcaster, and pastor Erwin Raphael McManus, and they answer the following questions:
What exactly is “beauty”? (00:00)
Can beauty help us find peace? (05:01)
How do we discover and incorporate singular beautiful accents and items throughout our homes while maintaining a simple, minimalist style? (11:55)
What is the value of negative space? (14:21)
How do we find the beauty inside ourselves, and then be content with it? (18:42)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about the folly of the self-help industry’s focus on exhausting positivity—on trying to convince us that we can out-eat, out-learn, and out-perform our humanness—with author, podcaster, and professor Kate Bowler, and they answer the following questions:
What is the “gospel of hustle”? (00:00)
What are the signs that positivity has become toxic for us as individuals, and what are the signs that our well-intentioned positive vibes are becoming toxic to others? (06:58)
Where did the ‘good vibes only’ orthodoxy originate? (07:21)
Why does complaining seem to encourage camaraderie? (10:03)
What is the problem with the language of positivity? (10:43)
What is “horizon work”? (12:23)
What is “choice poor”? (12:38)
How do we address those that weaponize perspectives, such as toxic positivity, to bully us into accepting and adopting their way of thinking as our own; for example, when people that disapprove of minimalism call minimalists “privileged”? (17:11)
How do you define “elitism”? (21:45)
What is “prudential wisdom”? (23:39)
Where did the notion come from that being positive is the cure for everything, the path for everyone, the solution to whatever life throws at you—what is wrong with embracing sadness, contemplation, grief, anxiety? (31:35)
What is “limited agency”? (33:13)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about how to avoid recluttering our lives with new possessions, burdens, and obligations once we’ve excised our excess, and they answer the following questions:
What is “recluttering”? (00:00)
How do we address recluttering with loved ones and roommates who seem to see our clean spaces as places to dump their stuff that doesn’t have a home? (07:55)
How do we ensure the items we bring back into our homes after decluttering don’t become recluttering? (18:11)
How do I figure out my ‘why’ for recluttering? (32:15)
What’s problematic about having options? (35:02)
How do you define “consumerism”? (35:39)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss our escalating advice epidemic as our society swells with scores of well-meaning people advising other people on what they are supposed to do, and they answer the following questions:
What are ‘shoulds’? (00:00)
What possesses some people to insist on giving others unsolicited advice? (03:13)
How can we provide appropriate advice and/or guidance to loved ones to alter behaviors that are impacting us negatively? (17:46)
How do our expectations complicate things? (21:14)
How do we critically evaluate all the ‘shoulds’ out there and take what works for each of us? (23:34)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about all the digital clutter on our computers, phones, tablets, and other devices taking up space on our hard drives and in our minds, and they answer the following questions:
What are the benefits of not having digital clutter taking up space in your mind? (00:00)
What is the Diderot effect? (04:48)
What do you define as ‘digital clutter’? (10:41)
Where do we start in addressing digital clutter to ensure we stay focused and motivated and not get overwhelmed with all of it? (13:31)
As an avid gamer, how do I ensure I don’t let my enthusiasm and passion for gaming turn into clutter with all of the games and consoles available, and how do I ensure it doesn’t consume me to the detriment of my relationships? (21:00)
How about a basic overview of how to manage it all: emails, documents, photos? (30:18)
How can overwhelm actually help us? (33:17)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about the perniciousness of compulsive decluttering (aka obsessive-compulsive spartanism) on the occasion of their 300th episode, and they answer the following questions:
What is spartanism? (00:00)
Hoarding, spartanism, ad nauseum—must we diagnose everything? (06:06)
How do we recognize and respect the challenges of others? (06:59)
How could letting go of everything be a bad thing? (11:16)
How do we ensure our decluttering doesn’t trigger other compulsive behaviors; for instance, the compulsion to constantly check our phones for notifications when we’re trying to sell what we decluttered? (11:46)
What is the “art of noticing”? (17:38)
When does minimalism turn into compulsive decluttering or obsessive-compulsive spartanism—what signs do we look for? (19:40)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about “summer simplifying,” and they answer the following questions:
Which moniker won in your audience poll—“simpletons” or “minimizers”? (00:00)
Where do you start when your entire home needs decluttering? (06:04)
What is the most important thing to do to get started? (10:04)
How do we get our children to participate in decluttering? (13:27)
How do I break my emotional and sentimental attachment to my collection of books, and how do I appropriately curate my collection and recycle the books I don’t keep? (14:07)
What is the Enneagram? (22:19)
What do we do with items that have a sentimental attachment? (25:51)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about the best options for therapy when you’re feeling sad, grieving, depressed, anxious, or overwhelmed with author, podcaster, and psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb, and they answer the following questions:
When is the appropriate time to talk to a therapist? (00:00)
What is “idiot compassion” compared to “wise compassion”? (02:53)
What is self-sabotage, and how can we identify and address its manifestation in us? (04:03)
What is the most important phase of change? (05:45)
What is the most challenging part of change? (07:09)
Why should someone schedule a session with a therapist? (08:48)
What key power can therapy give us? (09:49)
What do we do when cost is an impediment to mental healthcare? (11:26)
What are the downsides of trying to help others change? (14:42)
What mantras, self-talk, meditations, et cetera, have helped keep you focused, centered, and positive when addressing significant life challenges? (18:15)
In their lives, to whom do most people talk the most? (19:17)
How do we give ourselves self-compassion? (22:06)
How do we get past childhood traumas and disappointments? (23:42)
What is “forced forgiveness”? (25:24)
Must we forgive to move on? (26:15)
How do we handle pride appropriately? (27:13)
Why does there seem to be a stigma against mental health in older generations, and, more specifically, how can we get our parents to talk about their feelings and vulnerabilities? (29:35)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about the minimalism rules that have helped simplify their lives, and they answer the following questions:
How valuable are rules? (00:00)
How important are boundaries? (04:56)
Once I only have my essential items, how do I keep them from wearing out quickly? (18:48)
How is minimalism not a destination? (19:47)
What is our language problem? (20:19)
How effective is it to reverse clothes hangers to minimize a wardrobe? (27:17)
Is it helpful to restrict the amount of clothes hangers to create an appropriate wardrobe? (28:20)
How do you develop and maintain the discipline needed to stick to your minimalism rules or other habits you're trying to establish? (30:26)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about healing our relationships with stuff, truth, self, values, money, creativity, and people with podcaster and Director of Entrepreneurial Education for FEE, T.K. Coleman, and they answer the following questions:
What gave you the inspiration for Love People, Use Things? (00:00)
Do we learn more from those that have been redeemed, or from those that have led “perfect” lives? (08:51)
How did the line blur so much between private lives and public lives? (10:31)
How do I reconcile with my minimalist values when I must trash items I no longer use that can’t be donated, recycled, or upcycled? (13:48)
What is the true cost of things? (14:43)
How do I justify to my minimalist self that it’s okay to have numerous accoutrements for several hobbies that bring me joy? (21:00)
What separates minimalism from dogmatism? (23:57)
How do I rejuvenate my creativity when I’m overwhelmed by burnout? (36:04)
How do we avoid falling into maintenance mode as creatives? (40:31)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan discuss the perils of pursuing fame, clout, and attention in today's insta-world with director Nick Bilton and artist Chris Bailey of HBO’s Fake Famous, and they answer the following questions:
Why did Nick make a film about fake fame? (00:00)
What constitutes actual fame? (07:01)
What impact is social media having on our children? (09:24)
How has Chris’s life changed since the film? (13:04)
Why do the people who just post photos of themselves in skimpy outfits and pouts get five million followers, yet the people who actually have something meaningful to say get only a handful of followers? (21:27)
What is the number one photo opportunity in L.A. for influencers? (26:49)
What is an “Instagram vacation”? (27:55)
If maintaining social media accounts is part of our daily work, how do we incorporate minimalism to ensure our use is intentional, appropriate, and valuable? (28:38)
What value have you gotten from social media? (32:19)
Has the experience of the global pandemic actually helped us get away from our glowing screens? (32:57)
What is the prime purpose of social media? (35:52)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about gift-getting, gift-giving, and birthday celebrations for adults and kids alike with podcaster and Registered Dietitian Rebecca Shern, and they answer the following questions:
What does Joshua want for his birthday? (00:00)
Why do we never seem to know what we truly want? (04:06)
Instead of spending lots of money and giving expensive gifts, what are some meaningful ways to celebrate birthdays? (06:22)
How do you celebrate your child’s birthday? (07:27)
What if gift-giving is one of my love languages? (11:14)
How do you celebrate your birthday? (14:57)
Is gift-giving just a matter of simply asking others what they want? (17:31)
How do we appropriately address a loved one who insists on giving us gifts when we’ve asked them countless times not to, and do we tell them that we’ve actually given away most of the gifts they’ve given us? (18:20)
How do my spouse and I address the societal expectations of others regarding our choice of participation in traditional gift-giving events, such as birthdays and Christmas? (31:04)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about how minimalism, in more ways than one, is about starting over with less, and they answer the following questions:
How do we start over? (00:00)
As I’m letting everything go and starting over, how do I explain it to my friends and family who think I am crazy or terminally ill? (05:25)
What advice do you have for those of us dealing with the stress and anxiety of being forced to start over professionally after being let go from our jobs? (09:06)
What is absolutely essential? (11:51)
What two questions should we ask ourselves when we’re considering a fresh start? (14:43)
How important is an emergency fund when you’re starting over? (15:46)
Is starting over simply a matter of considering a new direction? (16:23)
When you’re starting over from scratch and you realize you can’t do it alone, how do you get over your pride and ask others for help? (17:46)
What is the difference between enhancement and dependency? (19:38)
Why should we give money rather than loan money? (21:56)
When you’re starting over with nothing, how do you live without sentimental stuff in your life? (25:53)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about what we must refine to ensure our spiritual and material lives align with author, podcaster, and fitness expert Ben Greenfield and podcaster and Registered Dietitian Rebecca Shern, and they answer the following questions:
What is a “fit soul”? (00:00)
What are the dangers of transactional relationships? (08:47)
What are the four pillars of the spiritual journey? (13:35)
What is the practice of self-examination? (18:02)
How do we determine our purpose? (21:38)
Is there a link between sex and spirituality? (26:44)
How do you explain sex to your children? (29:21)
What is “eye gazing”? (33:58)
How do you punish and reward your children? (36:12)
What is the “God-shaped hole”? (39:59)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about how we all seem to find ourselves having the things we don’t need, and needing the things we don’t have—and how we’re so disconnected from our communities that bartering for those things is nearly impossible—with the founder of HaveNeed, Josh Kline, and they answer the following questions:
What is HaveNeed? (00:00)
How has the pandemic affected bartering? (04:01)
What is your distinction between items that are essential, nonessential, and junk? (06:16)
What would the world look like if there was no such thing as money, which has a vice-like grip on the material world; that is, what would the world look like if it ran strictly on barter? (07:02)
What is the history of bartering? (07:26)
What is the “mutual coincidence of wants”? (08:11)
What is “Object A”? (13:44)
Bartering has been around forever, but seems to have fallen out of favor in recent times—why? (26:51)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Joshua and Ryan talk about our want for things, why we want what we want, and how we can free ourselves from chasing unfulfilling desires with author and professor Luke Burgis, and they answer the following questions:
What is mimetic desire? (00:00)
Does it help to identify the origins of our desires? (05:05)
Should we strive to be immune from desires? (06:54)
What is negative imitation? (08:22)
How do we find fulfilling desires? (08:48)
Can a relentless desire to be debt-free actually cause adverse unintended consequences? (12:39)
What are “borrowed desires”? (16:17)
What costs should we consider in the pursuit of our desires? (18:13)
What is a “misery tax”? (19:42)
How do we recognize and address the influences, especially those online, that promote mindless consumption? (24:08)
How is social media addictive? (24:39)
What is “hate watching”? (26:33)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support