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

Podcast 306 | Shopping Addiction

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

Podcast 307 | Sound Of Simplicity

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

Podcast 308 | Clinging to Things

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

Podcast 309 | Something More

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

Podcast 310 | Self-Doubt

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

Podcast 311 | Wisdom

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

Podcast 312 | Spontaneous Combustion

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

Podcast 313 | Paycheck To Purpose

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

Podcast 314 | Luxury Items

Joshua and Ryan talk about expired food, expired medications, expired possessions, and expired daily habits, and they answer the following questions:

How can we appropriately manage the expiration dates of everything in our lives? (00:00)
 
Is the expiration date listed on food the last day it can be used? (06:57)
 
How do I appropriately let go of perishable items that no longer serve me, especially when there was a degree of expense involved? (13:45)
 
What do you consider clutter? (15:21)
 
What can we do about expired sources of content, such as a blog with dated viewpoints, narratives, and opinions? (17:42)
 
How do we determine when we’ve entered a new season in life and it’s time to let go of hobbies, friendships, and dreams of past seasons? (21:41)

Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
 
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support

Podcast 315 | Expired Things

Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus discuss living a meaningful life with less.

New tracks tagged #finances,