Minimalism can still feel like an unusual or distant lifestyle, so this week we spoke with Joshua Becker to show how even a small introduction to minimalism can create meaningful improvements at home and in life. He explains how to prevent the slow accumulation of household clutter, what minimizing can teach children, and how simplifying your surroundings can actually support larger life goals that have nothing to do with organizing. We also give you a peek into an area of our house many readers haven’t seen before, and share a few changes we’re making to improve sleep quality.
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast app, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, and Spotify.
What’s new
- Below is a photo of our attic that generated a lot of curiosity from listeners after Episode #123. The space is a “secret” part of the house and contains a small selection of Sherry’s baskets and decor that were in limbo for a while.
- As mentioned on the show, Sherry filmed a short video tour of the attic so you can see its current condition and layout. If you missed the video in a feed reader, be sure to view the episode page to watch the tour.
- We haven’t photographed this space much because for a long time it was full of leftover decor, boxes, and items in purgatory. To give you a sense of its size, here’s a photo from when we first bought the house.
- It’s not quite as tidy as it was on move-in day, but after deciding what to send to the duplex and donating items we’d held onto for too long, it’s much less chaotic than it used to be.
- To orient you, the attic functions as our unfinished third story and runs beneath the entire roof, as shown in the exterior view below.
Joshua Becker, The Minimalist Home
- Joshua Becker writes about living with less and making space for the things that matter. His work offers practical guidance for reducing clutter and focusing on priorities in everyday life.
- His recent book, The Minimalist Home, provides room-by-room advice for paring down and organizing. If you’re curious about minimizing in your own house, it’s a useful resource.
- Sherry also recommends his earlier book, The More of Less, which explores the benefits of simplifying possessions and routines.
- If you want to revisit other episodes that cover decluttering and minimalism, here are a few highlights from past shows: Episode #30 on minimizing holiday excess, Episode #33 about buying less and doing more, Episode #45 on reducing toys, Episode #78 about creating a minimalist holiday, Episode #82 on tiny house living, Episode #87 on lessons from messy homes, Episode #89 about a year without shopping, Episode #96 on our relationship with stuff, Episode #106 on downsizing, Episode #111 on cozy minimalism, and Episode #116 on achieving style with fewer belongings.
We’re Digging
- One app we’ve been testing is Autosleep, which helps track sleep patterns and build consistent habits. The app visualizes sleep progress in a way similar to activity rings, shows your sleep bank, and indicates whether you’re running a surplus or deficit—useful information for planning catch-up sleep or celebrating improvements.
- Sherry has also been enjoying a weighted blanket and a lavender-scented sleep lotion as part of her evening routine, plus a caffeine-free organic chamomile tea that helps wind down before bed. Small ritual additions like these can complement better sleep habits and create a stronger bedtime routine.
If you’re trying to find a recommendation from a past episode but can’t remember which show notes to check, we keep a master list of favorite finds from previous episodes, plus a Book Club page with all the books we’ve mentioned.
A quick thank you to Agility Bed for sponsoring this episode. They offered a giveaway of a mattress and pillows to one listener on that episode. Check the episode page for giveaway details if you want to confirm the dates and entry instructions.
Thanks for listening and reading—we appreciate you following along as we explore ways to simplify home life and sleep better.
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