Joshua Becker - The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life

Acknowledgments

From the moment my neighbor first introduced me to the word minimalism to the final word written on an airplane somewhere between Reykjavk and New York City, The Minimalist Home is a book ten years in the making. Both directly and indirectly, this book is a result of those who have spoken into my life.

First and foremost, I owe the biggest thanks that can ever be communicated on paper to Eric Stanford, my writing partner on this project. Eric was the editor on my first book with WaterBrook, The More of Less, and my only requirement for this book was that he be assigned to my project again. Amid missed deadlines, half-finished sentences, and barely rough outlines, Eric showed grace and confidence and even a willingness to accept a far greater role than previously imagined. As before, Im a better person after working with him. And this book is ten thousand times better.

Thank you also to my publisher, particularly Susan Tjaden and Tina Constable, for pushing my writing in this direction. Thank you also to my agent, Christopher Ferebee, for your support and guidance. This book is helpful and important. Thank you for your boldness in steering my writing toward it.

Thank you also to the tens of thousands of people who have participated in the Uncluttered course. Your stories and questions, comments and emails have brought real-life examples and experiences to my ideas. You have shaped the principles contained inside this book. And your success has inspired me.

Most importantly, thank you to my family to whom this book is dedicated. Thank you to my parents for modeling a healthy, loving family relationshipno doubt you will credit your parents for doing the same for you. And thank you to my wife and kids, Kim, Salem, and Alexa, for supporting me in my work and my endeavors. Wherever my work and passion take me, home will always be my favorite place to be.

Notes

Chapter 1: Minimalism Makeover

Frank Trentmann, Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First (New York: HarperCollins, 2016), 683.

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. Like The Wizard of Oz, E.T. is also about going home.

John A. Shedd, The Yale Book of Quotations, ed. Fred R. Shapiro (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006), 705.

Chapter 2: The Becker Method

Joshua Becker, Clutterfree with Kids: Change Your Thinking, Discover New Habits, Free Your Home (Peoria, AZ: Becoming Minimalist, 2014), 170.

Chapter 3: Us Rooms

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Guilia M. Dotti Sani and Judith Treas, Educational Gradients in Parents Child-Care Time Across Countries, 19652012, Journal of Marriage and Family 78, no. 4 (August 2016): 108396.

Chapter 4: Personal Refuge

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Ovid, Ars Amatoria, II. 351.

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Paul C. Rosenblatt, Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2006), 910.

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Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Problem, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated September 3, 2015, www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/ (site discontinued).

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Chapter 5: Iconic

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Henry David Thoreau, Walden, vol. 1 (1854; repr., Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1897), 43.

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Johnson, The Real Cost of Your Shopping Habits.

Frank Trentmann, Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First (New York: HarperCollins, 2016), 674.

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Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, rev. ed. (New York: Ecco Press, 2016), 103.

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Quoted in Jon Pierce, Social Studies: Collected Essays, 19742013 (Victoria, BC: Friesen Press, 2014), 205.

Chapter 6: Clean Sweep

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. The statistics are based on research conducted in 2016.

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Chapter 7: The Heart of the Home

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Frank Trentmann, Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First (New York: HarperCollins, 2016), 674.

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Bittman, A No-Frills Kitchen Still Cooks.

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Tim Chester, A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community, and Mission Around the Table (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011), 94.

Chapter 8: Freeing the Mind

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Chapter 9: Unburdening Yourself of the Past

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Carly Dauch, Michelle Imwalle, Brooke Ocasio, and Alexia E. Metz, The Influence of the Number of Toys in the Environment on Toddlers Play, Infant Behavior and Development 50, no. 2 (February 2018): 7887.

Chapter 10: Your Second Chance to Make a First Impression

William Ashdown, Confessions of an Automobilist, Atlantic Monthly, June 1925, 78892.

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A Brief History of American Garages.

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. Today there are 1.9 cars per household in the United States. Household, Individual, and Vehicle Characteristics, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, www.rita.dot.gov/bts/sites/rita.dot.gov.bts/files/publications/highlights_of_the_2001_national_household_travel_survey/html/section_01.html (site discontinued).

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Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers, Whats Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption (New York: HarperCollins, 2010), 83.

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Special Section: Minimalism Maintenance Guide

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Chapter 11: A Small Suggestion

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For the purposes of this chart, I am making the following assumptions: median cost to buy a home of $123 per square foot; mortgage payment at rate of 4.25 percent for thirty-year fixed loan; mortgage insurance of 1 percent annual on mortgage value; monthly property tax of 1.15 percent; monthly utility expense of $1.68 per square foot; monthly maintenance cost roughly based on 1 percent of home value.

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Trulia, 8 Reasons to Buy a 1000-Square-Foot House, Forbes, June 15, 2016.

. Adapted and used by permission.

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Chapter 12: This Changes Everything

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Patrick L. Hill and Nicholas A. Turiano, Purpose in Life as a Predictor of Mortality Across Adulthood, Psychological Science 25, no. 7 (May 8, 2014): 14826.

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