The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus
Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, known as The Minimalists, share their journey from corporate success to a life of intentionality. They discuss their meditation practices, including Ryan's '20 minutes of awesome,' and practical steps like the '30-day minimalism game' to declutter and focus on what truly matters.
Deep Dive Analysis
16 Topic Outline
Introduction to The Minimalists and Their Background
Ryan's Journey into Meditation and '20 Minutes of Awesome'
Josh's Meditation Practice and Sauna Integration
Childhood Struggles and the Pursuit of Financial Happiness
Josh's Personal Crisis and Discovery of Minimalism
Ryan's Observation of Josh's Transformation and Introduction to Minimalism
The 'Packing Party' Experiment and Its Impact
Transitioning Out of Corporate Jobs
Life After Corporate: New Ventures and Values Alignment
Letting Go of Material Luxuries and the True Meaning of Minimalism
The 'What Do You Do?' Question and Societal Comparison
The Minimalists' Projects: Publishing, Tours, and Contribution
Minimalism, Consumerism, and the Buddhist Path
Minimalism and Capitalism: Intentionality Over Accumulation
Practical Steps: The 30-Day Minimalism Game
Final Thoughts: Love People, Use Things
5 Key Concepts
20 Minutes of Awesome
A meditation approach where one takes 20 minutes daily to let thoughts roll without judgment. The goal is to allow the brain to express itself, eventually leading to a sense of calm and quietness, helping to reset and regain control over thoughts, especially during anxiety.
Minimalism
A practice of ridding oneself of excess 'stuff' to focus on personal happiness and life's most important things, which are often not material possessions. It's about living a more meaningful life with less stuff, but more relationships, creativity, and passion, by questioning what truly adds value to one's life.
Compulsive Consumption
The problem where individuals feel compelled to consume or acquire things, often driven by advertisements that make them feel inadequate. This leads to a continuous widening of a 'void' that people try to fill with more stuff, rather than finding contentment.
Well-Organized Hoarder
A concept describing someone who owns a vast amount of possessions, but keeps them meticulously organized in systems of boxes and bins. Despite the organization, the sheer volume of unused items still gets in the way of pursuing a meaningful life.
Life's Most Dangerous Question
The question 'What do you do?' is considered dangerous because it is often used as a societal shorthand to ask about one's job, title, and income, primarily for socioeconomic comparison, rather than genuinely understanding a person's passions or contributions.
6 Questions Answered
Ryan started with a practice called '20 minutes of awesome,' introduced by a friend, Colin Wright. This involved sitting for 20 minutes daily, allowing thoughts to wander without judgment, which he found led to calm and helped him reset.
Josh initially thought meditation was 'stupid' but was influenced by Dan Harris's book '10% Happier' and Sam Harris's guided meditations. He started with a basic mindfulness practice using the Headspace app, beginning with five minutes a day and gradually increasing to 25 minutes.
In 2009, Josh's mother died and his marriage ended in the same month. These events forced him to question his life's focus on 'success' and accumulation of stuff, leading him to stumble upon minimalism as a way to focus on what was truly important.
Ryan noticed Josh seemed happier and asked him what was going on, leading Josh to introduce him to minimalism. Ryan, wanting fast results, didn't want to take months to pare down and instead opted for the 'packing party' experiment.
They consider 'What do you do?' to be life's most dangerous question because it's often used by society to compare people based on their job, title, and income, rather than understanding their true passions or contributions.
No, the Minimalists believe capitalism is the best system available, but the problem lies with 'unchecked desires' and how people spend their resources. They advocate for intentionality in decisions, rather than being anti-capitalist.
10 Actionable Insights
1. Love People, Use Things
Adopt the mantra ‘Love people and use things, because the opposite never works.’ This shifts your focus from material possessions to human connections and utility, promoting a more meaningful life.
2. Align Your Life with Values
Continuously align your daily activities, career, and use of resources (money, time, attention, relationships, health) with the person you aspire to be and your core values. This ensures fulfillment and purpose beyond just earning a paycheck or chasing status.
3. Play the 30-Day Minimalism Game
Find a decluttering partner and on day one, each get rid of one item; on day two, two items, and so on, for an entire month. This builds momentum for decluttering and helps you realize that memories are internal, not tied to possessions, making it easier to start with less sentimental items.
4. Practice “20 Minutes of Awesome” Meditation
Dedicate 20 minutes daily to sit and let your thoughts roll without judgment, allowing your brain to express itself. If thoughts become overwhelming, gently redirect attention to your breath (e.g., Tai Chi breath technique) to regain control and achieve a state of calm and quietness.
5. Start Daily Mindfulness Practice
Begin with basic mindfulness meditation for 5 minutes a day, using guided apps like Headspace if helpful, and gradually increase the duration to 10-25 minutes. Focus on your breath and body sensations to clear internal clutter, reduce stress, and cultivate calmness.
6. Achieve Financial Untethering
Focus on paying down significant debt (e.g., hundreds of thousands of dollars) and reducing recurring expenses like car payments. This lessens constant anxiety and allows you to make career and life decisions based on personal values rather than financial necessity.
7. Conduct a “Packing Party” Declutter
Pack up all your belongings as if you are moving, then only unpack items as you genuinely need them over the next three weeks. This experiment reveals which possessions truly add value to your life, allowing you to easily let go of the rest (e.g., 80% of items).
8. Question Societal Success Definitions
Challenge the common societal question ‘What do you do?’ by recognizing it often implies comparing socioeconomic status based on job title or income. Instead, focus on defining your own success based on fulfillment, purpose, and joy, rather than external achievements.
9. Perform Stoical Deprivation Experiments
Occasionally and temporarily deprive yourself of certain possessions or comforts. This practice helps you assess whether these items genuinely add value to your life or if you are simply attached to them out of habit.
10. Continuously Re-evaluate Possessions
Regularly question the value of the things you hold onto, understanding that what is important or adds value to your life today may change over time. This fosters ongoing intentionality with your belongings as your life evolves.
5 Key Quotes
I was successful, but only in a very narrow sense, sort of monetarily or, or status wise, right? I had an impressive job title, which, which is problematic because it's one of the first things we do when we, when we meet someone, we ask them, what do you do?
Joshua Fields Millburn
The soundbite answer is that minimalism is the thing that gets us past the things so we can focus on life's most important things. Which actually aren't things at all, but that doesn't mean that, that, that there, uh, there's anything inherently wrong with, with stuff. The, the problem is the, the attachment and the meaning that, that we give to those things.
Joshua Fields Millburn
I didn't see any, any, uh, one person whose life I wanted to emulate. But what I saw, uh, was just a lot of people who were very passionate people and they were living meaningful lives and they all attribute it to this thing called minimalism.
Ryan Nicodemus
Love people and use things because the opposite never works.
Joshua Fields Millburn
The problems with, with our society is, is not capitalism. The problem is us and, and the, the, the unchecked desires.
Joshua Fields Millburn
3 Protocols
Ryan's Evolving Meditation Practice
Ryan Nicodemus- Start with '20 minutes of awesome': sit and let thoughts roll without judgment, allowing the brain to express itself.
- If thoughts become too distracting or 'in the weeds,' draw attention back to the breath, using a Tai Chi breath technique (in-breath to stomach, then chest; out-breath through chest, then stomach).
- Develop a simple mantra for daily focus, such as 'Today I will be a teacher,' whispering it on the in-breath and exhale to maintain a steady line of consciousness.
The Packing Party
Ryan Nicodemus- Pack up all your belongings as if you were moving (clothes, kitchenware, towels, TVs, electronics, photos, toiletries, furniture, etc.).
- Over the next three weeks, unpack items only as you need them, day by day.
- At the end of three weeks, observe what remains packed, which often reveals how much 'stuff' is not truly adding value.
- Donate or sell the remaining packed items.
The 30-Day Minimalism Game
Ryan Nicodemus- Find a partner (family member, coworker, friend) who also wants to declutter for support and motivation.
- On the first day of the month, each person gets rid of one item.
- On the second day, each person gets rid of two items.
- Continue this pattern, getting rid of 'X' items on day 'X' of the month.
- The game continues until one person 'wins' by going the longest, or both 'win' by making it to the end of the month (having gotten rid of almost 500 items).
- Start with easy items first, avoiding sentimental items initially, as memories are not in the things themselves.