When you talk to him, Joshua Becker radiates positivity and peace. Maybe that’s the natural result of a life spent eliminating distractions and focusing on what matters. For Becker, that’s at the heart of what minimalism means.
Becker has been writing and speaking about minimalism for 15 years, inspiring a wave of the growing movement, which encourages people to cut back on possessions in order to free up time, space, and mental energy for the things that really matter. To him, minimalism isn’t just about streamlining his possessions or becoming more efficient with his time—it’s about the art of living well and prioritizing the aspects of life that have true, long-lasting meaning. In Becker’s case, that means faith, family, and work. His work involves helping others get free of the consumerist trap that eats up paychecks, closet-space, and mental clarity.
Becker’s journey to the freedom of minimalism began in a Vermont suburb when he was cleaning out his garage, wading through all the stuff that clogged it. His wife was cleaning the bathrooms while their 5-year-old son played alone in the backyard.
Becker began chatting with a neighbor, who suggested, “Maybe you don’t need to own all this stuff.” Becker realized his neighbor was right: His day was slipping away, he wasn’t spending time with his son, all because he had to manage possessions he might not even need. Becker and his family began decluttering, recycling, and donating unnecessary belongings, and they’ve never looked back.
Today, Becker lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and continues to blog on his popular minimalist website Becoming Minimalist—when he’s not speaking on minimalism or working on another book (he currently has five to his name, including “Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life,” with a sixth on the way). Most importantly, Becker continues to reap the benefits of a richer life through owning less and practicing intentionality, alongside his wife and two children.
We sat down with Becker for a delightful interview about family, technology, and what really matters in life.
Becker has helped countless on their journey to minimalism. Gabriella Tamney
American Essence: Besides your first epiphany that you recount while cleaning the garage, have there been “aha” moments on your journey to becoming minimalist, or while helping others in doing so?
Joshua Becker: The first thing that came to my mind was the very first conversation I had with somebody after we had decided to become minimalist. I was at a dinner party, sitting across the table from a lady named Liz, and I mentioned my minimalism story, and she said, “That sounds like something I need to do as well.” It really opened my eyes to the fact that it wasn’t just me struggling with this, and that people other than myself felt the weight of owning too much and having too much.
AE: What questions have you found to be most powerful and life-changing, for yourself or for others?
Mr. Becker: I have three questions. The first two deal with my day. So at the end of the day, I ask, “Did I live to my fullest potential today?” Then number two, “Did I live with the right motives today?” There’s one other question, more general, and I learned it from a gentleman named Charlie Gilkey, and he asked this question at a seminar. “If you were to die today, what is the one thing you would most regret not accomplishing with your life?”
AE: Do you have a daily ritual you never skip, no matter how busy you are?
Mr. Becker: Bible reading, prayer, and quiet time is a daily habit I practice every morning, and it’s probably the most important thing in my day, regardless of what else is going on. Two others are exercise and eating healthy. I wrote an article one time where I said, “If I’m doing these three habits regularly, then life is going well.”
AE: Do you see a connection between the minimalist philosophy and those activities?
Mr. Becker: I connect them very directly. Number one, owning less, I think, frees up time and energy to do those other things. But even more importantly, intentionality in one area of life brings about intentionality in other areas of life. I became very intentional about “Why do I have all this stuff that I don’t need, and why do I constantly keep buying more stuff that I don’t need? What is the unintentionality in the way I’m living my life there?” Once I took hold of that, then I started noticing, “Hey, why am I so busy with things that aren’t important?”
AE: What priorities in your life have you made room for?
Mr. Becker: Three always drive me: faith, family, and work. Faith, of course. Family—not just my kids, but extended family. And work—I guess I’ve learned this also from my grandfather, just the value of work. I don’t think work is something that we should be trying to get out of, but something we should be finding fulfillment in and purpose in.
Becker says his three priorities in life are his faith, family, and work. Christie Darago
AE: You talk about the science of shared experiences and how these give us more joy than things. What are some of your favorite shared experiences?
Mr. Becker: One of the things I just learned this year is that there was a study done that found when you give an experience as a gift, it actually fosters a greater connection than a physical object. The researchers said, even if you don’t go on the experience with the person, it still fosters a greater connection.
Two things that I think are my most favorite shared experiences: I’ve never regretted any travel with my kids and creating memories, especially around food. My kids love food and they love different kinds of food. I’ve done different book tours with each of my books, via the West Coast, East Coast, and then a Midwest book tour. In every city, we always find one of the most popular places to eat. And 10 years later, we still talk about different restaurants that we ate at. My wife likes the beach, and so do I. Fun restaurants with my kids and hanging out on the beach with my wife have been great memories.
AE: It makes sense. You might think that an experience is transitory. You’re going to have an experience that will be gone quickly, whereas you could get that nice, big screen TV, and the TV will be there—not forever—but for a while. But that’s not really true, because, like you say, the memories and the conversation and the bonding over an experience last forever. You’re never going to get that from the TV.
Mr. Becker: That’s exactly the way I used to think: “Why would I go far away for a weekend that’s going to take three days when I could buy a couch that I’m going to use for 12 years?” Until I started doing the research and started realizing, “Hey, I already have a couch. I don’t need a different couch, or I don’t need a bigger house with an extra room full of couches.” I started seeing that the money could be used on experiences.
My kids were aged 2 and 5 when we found minimalism, and the first time we went on a trip with extra money rather than buying something was about a year into that process. I remember the trip. We went to Boston. I can remember the restaurant where we had roast beef sandwiches. I remember the beach, and it was really cold, but they loved playing out in the sand. That meant so much more than the couch. Studies will tell you that experiences bring us more happiness before, during, and after.
AE: Helping others is another meaningful endeavor that you mention. Could you tell us about your own projects or goals, in this regard?
Mr. Becker: I’m writing a book right now that’s tentatively titled “Uncluttered Faith,” and it will come out in February 2026. It’s my first Christian faith-based book. And I’ve started doing professional training for professional organizers or professional declutterers. It took 15 years of writing about this and helping people and trying to teach others everything I’ve learned so that the knowledge doesn’t end with me.
Gabriella Tamney
AE: For anyone who would like to simplify his or her life, but feels overwhelmed, what would be an easy way to start?
Mr. Becker: Decluttering your possessions is a great place to start, and I would encourage someone to declutter an area of their home where they spend a lot of time—your bedroom, living room, even your car if you have a long commute, the bathroom where you get ready. So not the attic, not the basement, not the garage. Those things might need to be decluttered, but if you do the living room, then you get to spend time in a decluttered living room every evening. If you do the bedroom, you get to wake up to a decluttered bedroom every morning. Decluttering an area of your home that you spend a lot of time in is the best way to get the best bang for your buck. It tends to motivate you to move on to another space.
AE: What advice would you have for those who have difficulty with keeping distractions like screens at bay?
Mr. Becker: Let me give four practical pieces of advice. Number one, look up your screen time on your phone—not just how many hours a day, but look at what apps you’re spending time on.
The second step is to weigh the opportunity cost of that time. I’m on Tik Tok 45 minutes a day, I could probably read a book every two weeks, or spend an hour a day with my kids. What am I giving up for that screen time?
Number three, recognize when you’re doing meaningful work. The statistics say it takes 23 minutes to go from a distraction to get back into doing thoughtful, meaningful work. If I’m in the middle of meaningful work, then I don’t want to pick up my phone, answer the ding, check Facebook, or look for a YouTube video. Stay in your work as much as you possibly can. Recognize those moments.
The fourth thing is to choose one period of the day when you’re going to put it away.
AE: What parenting advice would you have to raise kids who aren’t clamoring for material possessions or addicted to social media or other technologies?
Mr. Becker: Yes, three steps: We model it for our kids, we model it for our kids, and then we model it for our kids. That is always the answer: We live it. If you’re at Target picking out things for yourself, then your kids are going to be in Target asking for things for themselves. If Amazon’s showing up at your door every day, then they’re going to want Amazon to show up at their door for their own things. It’s the same with social media. When we’re not on our phones the entire time, our kids won’t be on theirs.
This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.
Walker Larson
Author
Prior to becoming a freelance journalist and culture writer, Walker Larson taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He holds a master's in English literature and language, and his writing has appeared in The Hemingway Review, Intellectual Takeout, and his Substack, The Hazelnut. He is also the author of two novels, "Hologram" and "Song of Spheres."
