Simplify: An Interview With Joshua Becker

Yesterday I talked a bit about Joshua Becker, and his blog – Becoming Minimalist. I was intrigued to find out if any of the minimalist ideas that he has started implementing in his life had any impact on his marriage.

He was kind enough to answer some of my questions – so with no further ado, my interview with Joshua Becker, Author of the Becoming Minimalist blog and Simplify E-book.

Joshua – What has minimalism done for your marriage?

Minimalism has allowed us to have more time with each other and with our children. It’s amazing how much time is wasted by our stuff. Just consider all the time that we spend on our possessions: buying, transporting, organizing, cleaning, picking-up, storing, fixing, and throwing away our things. Removing many of the things from our home has allowed us to spend more time caring for each other and less time caring for them.

With the principles you apply for minimalism with your ‘stuff’, do any of those principles translate in how you do life with your spouse – simplicity in communication…etc… Could you give a couple examples?

This is an interesting question because I think just the opposite is true. Relationships are far from simple. They are complex (which makes them beautiful and unique). They always involve the emotional bond of two completely different people… which will always take time, effort, and energy. I don’t think there is any “simple way” to accomplish it well. As we have minimized our stuff, we have had more opportunity for our relationship with each other and with our children which has certainly allowed us do it better. But I’m not sure “simpler” is ever a goal we established for our relationship together.

It seems that many of the principles you discovered in Simplify are excellent to remember in our marriages as well – Perseverance, Sharing Joy, Making it Work for You (because all marriages are different) – What would you suggest a first step would be for a couple interested in simplifying – or minimalizing their life?

Buy my book. Just kidding…kinda. As I discuss in Simplify, often times simplicity in life is predicated by the purging our possessions because once we remove the physical distractions from our life, we are in a better place to evaluate our life and our relationships. I would give couples a simple challenge… minimalize your bedroom. Do it together. Remove everything from your bedroom that is not absolutely essential. You’ll find the process brings life and energy into your home. It will lead to brand new, unique conversations centered around values and the trajectory of your life together. It will deepen your relationship. And now that your bedroom is completely clear of distractions……

Nice! How have you grown as a person because of your decision to assume a simpler lifestyle?

Yeah, it’s completely changed my life for the better. I’ve always been a “values” guy, but minimalism has forced me to further identify and articulate my values. It has freed me up to better pursue them by removing many of the distractions that were present in my life beforehand. It is also interesting to see the impact of simplicity in other areas of life. I have become more physically fit. I eat healthier. And I have begun doing a lot of writing. I really credit minimalism for making those new endeavors possible. You’d be surprised how much your “stuff” is weighing you down.

What does minimalism look like for your kids – that has to be tough – because kids have lots of stuff – Right?

Kids do have plenty of stuff… too much. As parents, we often want to “provide for our children” or “make sure they are keeping up with the other kids in school.” Because of that, we buy them the newest technology or the hottest toys during the holiday season. Meanwhile, our kids are starving for attention and stability. We’ve got it all wrong. Most of them don’t want a new toy… they simply want us. But our desire to buy them nice things is the very thing keeping us from them.

What about your faith – applying minimalist principles there – do you do that – and what does that look like?

Again, the application of minimalist principles means that we focus on the essential pieces of our faith and try to remove the non-essentials. For the Christian faith, this is a return to the person and teaching of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we should be careful relying too much on church tradition or only seeing Jesus through the interpretation of another. Instead, we would be wise to return to the person of Jesus over and over again.

So…Jesus. Was he a minimalist? I don’t think that term was around then… but still.

Of course, He even said Himself, “But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” You can’t get much more minimalist than that! But even going beyond the physical possessions piece, He lived his entire life unified in his desire to give himself to other people. Now, that’s simplicity.

What is the best thing that has happened in your marriage after making the decision to have less stuff?

I think the journey itself towards minimalism has been the best thing that has happened. Minimalism is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. It forces you to identify and articulate your values. And, it requires you to align your life with them by removing distractions. This process has been good for my wife and I to go through together. We have learned a lot about each other, our family, and our relationship. It’s definitely brought us closer together.

Talk a bit about your e-book Simplify. I read it, thought it was terrific. What is the back story, in case my readers don’t know about you or the work…

Sure, thanks for the opportunity and the kind words. Two years ago, we became minimalist after a short conversation with our neighbor who introduced us to the lifestyle. We immediately embraced it and jumped in with both feet. As I mentioned earlier, the benefits to this lifestyle have been overwhelming: less stress, more time, more freedom, more relationships with people rather than things. It’s been amazing. Simplify is an e-book that I wrote 18 months into the journey based on the 7 guiding principles that emerged during our journey. It is a great beginner’s course to the principles of minimalism and was written to make the practice of simplicity within reach of the masses.

Thanks Joshua…but before you jet, I have a couple questions…just for fun. First thing that enters your head. GO:

Steak or Chicken: Steak (something corn-fed from the middle of America prepared medium-rare, please).

Crest or Colgate: Crest 3X each day. One flossing just before I visit the dentist.

What songs are on your media player of choice? The Broadway Musical “Wicked” Soundtrack (I bet you weren’t expecting that one).

Stuck on a desert island – what 3 things must you have? (this is a good minimalist question! lol) I have no survival skills so I need to play this safe: matches, shelter, weaponry. I couldn’t come up with anything funny with my very survival on the line.

Awesome. Another big Thank You To Joshua Becker from Becoming Minimalist for taking the time to chat. If the idea of simplifiying your life is interesting to you, make sure to check out his blog and his e-book – Simplify!

Because I have taken this simplicity idea to heart, and because I really enjoyed his e-book, I am now an affiliate for Simplify. That means if you decide to purchase the book using one of my links, I will make a bit of a commission. You do not have to use my affiliate links though – you can go there directly if you would like.