Quotessence
Home / Authors / Joshua Becker Books

Joshua Becker Books

Author

Related Quotes

“Ayelet Fishbach, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago, said, "Food really connects people. Food is about bringing something into the body. And to eat the same food suggests that we are both willing to bring the same thing into our bodies. People just feel closer to people who are eating the same food as they do.”

PeopleRelationshipsFoodEatingBehaviors
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“Nevertheless, I'm not sure I can quite express what is so basic, so right, so utterly human about cooking and eating together. As far back as you can go in history, you find human beings gathering around tables for the purpose of eating together. Offering food and water is an instinctive act of courtesy in almost every culture around the world. In the Bible and Jewish-Christian tradition, breaking bread together is perhaps both the humblest and the most meaningful reflection of unity.”

CultureChristianityEatingBibleTraditionCookingJudaismDiningBreaking Bread
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“Approach the spaces in your home this way: First, your living room and family room. Second, your own bedroom and the other bedrooms in the house. Third, all the clothes closets. Fourth, your home's bathrooms and the laundry room. Fifth, your kitchen and dining areas. Sixth, your home office. Seventh, your storage areas, including your toy room and craft work spaces. Eighth, your garage and yard. ...this represents the easier-to-harder progression.”

HomeOrderRoomsCleaningDecluttering
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“Before minimizing your home office, clarify in your own mind how you want it to work. Are you running a business out of there? Is it just for processing the household accounts? Do you want it to be inspirational, encouraging creativity and dreaming, or would you rather keep it sparse and utilitarian? Is it a retreat where you like to read a book or sip a drink- more of a den than a mere office? Is it for the whole family or just the parents?”

HomeOfficeMinimizing
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“What do you want your first impression of your home to be every day when you return? You don't have to face clutter and mess [in the garage], as you probably do now. Instead, you can experience spaciousness and order. What's even better is that it's going to be not just a practical reality but also a metaphor of the new life you are creating for yourself-- a life of openness, freedom, and opportunity.”

LifeHomeImpressionGarage
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“The bathroom and the laundry room may be humble, utilitarian spaces, but let me point out a simple fact you may have overlooked: they can also be noble places. If you're cleaning yourself and attending to your own grooming regularly, you're making an effort to present yourself well to the world. If you're taking the time to relax in a bubble bath periodically, you're recognizing that life is not all about activity and achievement and that there are suitable times to de-stress and meditate. If you're monitoring your weight on a scale or taking vitamin supplements kept in your bathroom, you're pursuing the value of health. If you're storing medical supplies that you can grab when a child wakes up sick in the night, you're prepared to bring relief. If you're bathing an infant, or perhaps a disabled spouse or elderly parent, you're giving comfort while serving a basic human need. If you're teaching and modeling a simple approach to health and beauty for your kids, you're helping to start them out well in life. If you're going through the routine of washing your family's clothes week in and week out, they may not thank you but they owe you. Let me say it: thank you for caring and thank you for making the most of these spaces in your house by keeping them tidy and uncluttered.”

RoomsHumbleCaringBathroomNobilityLaundry Room
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“Minimize your kids' playtime possessions and you may find that they become less selfish and less materialistic, cherish more and take better care of the toys they do have, and have more time for reading, writing, art, and imaginative play. They might spend more time with real live human beings. They might even go outdoors!”

ChildrenToysPossessionsMinimizing
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“Expect this stage [our storage, hobby, and play areas] of minimizing to stir up emotions and recall memories both sweet and bittersweet. You may encounter old photo albums whose pages you haven't turned in decades, mementos of celebrations long gone by, trophies you formerly sweated to win, personal objects you remember being in the possession of loved ones you've lost, the wedding dress you wore..., the stuffed bunny your daughter fell asleep clutching throughout infancy, and art supplies you once envisioned yourself creating beauty with. The experience at times may warm your heart and at times may fill you with sensations of regret, loss, or failure. Don't back away from these emotions. Work your way through them. This might be just the opportunity you need to process the past and position yourself better for the future.”

PastStuffEmotionsItemsConfrontingMinimizing
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“Does the memory associated with an object cause you to smile? Your reaction may show you that you need the object, not for utilitarian purposes, but for purposes of the heart. But then again it may not. Maybe all you need is this one last moment to savor the nostalgic charm that the object inspires. Your life has moved on- maybe it's time for the object to do the same. Remember, just because something made you happy in the past doesn't mean you have to keep it forever.”

PastStuffEmotionsMinimizingObject
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“The pull toward conformity can be strong. The desire to fit in with popular culture is significant at times, as is the desire to impress others with our clothing. And no matter how old we get, the desire to run with the cool kids can remain. But I believe that within each of us is a desire that is even stronger- the desire to be ourselves, to embrace the things we love and enjoy and that make us unique. One of the best decisions we can make is to reject the cultural expectations that change with the wind. And to accept the fact that we don't need to run with the cool kids to be happy. We can choose to be ourselves instead.”

ExpectationsBe YourselfClothing
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“Not everyone has, needs, or wants a yard. But if you've got one, then you know that it, just like your house, can contribute to the feelings of clutter, mess, and distraction you feel. On the other hand, if you minimize it well, you can turn it into a space that creates the context for a peaceful, orderly, and lovely place to live.”

MinimizationYard
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“When you've got your devices down to the ideal number, use these tips to minimize them and prevent distractions: - Remove as many icons from your desktop as possible. - Uninstall software you don't need. - Delete unneeded files from your Documents folder. (If you don't want to delete them completely, at least move them to an archive folder so they don't clutter your most-used folder anymore.) - Develop a simple but logical folder structure so that you can find documents you want easily. - Unsubscribe to blogs, email newsletters, and advertisements that no longer serve your interests. - Delete internet bookmarks, cookies, and temporary internet files you no longer need. - Delete apps you don't need, remembering that if you need them later, you can always download them again. Put only your most crucial apps (such as your calendar and your phone) on your home screen. Put the rest in folders on your second screen. - Turn off notifications, including social media push notifications and email audio alerts. - Make sure your spam filters are working. - Delete photos that are of poor quality or that you don't need. - Delete unused music and movies. - Subscribe to a password manager so that you don't have to keep track of a bunch of passwords.”

Social MediaDevicesEmailAppsElectronicsPhoneMinimizing
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“It's a completely different feeling when I return from work now. There are practical benefits: finding things quickly, being able to walk around the car without squeezing against boxes, and feeling less anxiety about the garage that I knew needed to be cleaned. But the benefits go beyond that. My minimized garage helps me to feel more in control of my life.”

CleaningGarageMinimize
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“...the Diderot effect describes the tendency for one purchase to lead to others... First a fishing pole, then tackle boxes full of fishing gear. Perhaps the place in our homes where we most clearly see the Diderot effect operating is in our wardrobes as clothing purchases lead to other clothing or accessory purchases.”

BuyingWardrobeClothing
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“Minimizing your garage and yard is likely going to be hard work for you. But at the same time it is going to be rewarding because the yard is on display for you (along with everyone else in the neighborhood as well as your guests) to see, and the garage is probably the first place you encounter when you come home.”

CleaningGarageNeighborsMinimizingYard
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image

“I get it. Who wants to contribute more to the buildup of the world's "trash mountains" than necessary?... The undeniable fact is that every object in your home already exists. The resources have already been pulled out of the earth and manufactured into something. If you can't recycle it, presumably it's never going to become usable raw materials again... It is already taking up space... namely inside your home. If you send it to the landfill, it will be taking up an equal amount of space in a location...designated for disposal and...to protect the public well-being. Let your regret about how much you have to throw away reinforce your determination not to buy so much in the future.”

GarbageDumpRecycleLandfill
Book:The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Create image