Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

by Joshua Becker

#1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER • Discover practical steps you can take today to live a life focused on things that matter, from the bestselling author of The More of Less and The Minimalist Home.“Things That Matter points the way to free ourselves from the distractions of everyday life so that we can build the lives we seek to create.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project Everywhere around you are That text you respond to quickly, just to get it out of the way. The newest money-making side hustle to cross your mind. The evening spent organizing your overflowing kitchen cupboards.Disruptions are the enemies of a life well lived—both the new distractions of our generation and timeless ones that have existed for centuries. They all add up to make you feel restless, tired, and unfulfilled. They’re keeping you from living with joy, from accomplishing the good that only you can do.But that can change today.In Things That Matter, Joshua Becker uses practical exercises, questions, insights from a nationwide survey, and success stories to give you the motivation you need to • identify the pursuits that matter most to you• align your dreams with your daily priorities• recognize how money and possessions keep you from happiness• become aware of how others’ opinions of you influence your choices• embrace what you’re truly passionate about instead of planning that next escape• figure out what to do with all those emails, notifications, and pings• let go of past mistakes and debilitating habits Things That Matter is a book about living well. It’s about overcoming the chatter of a world focused on all the wrong things. It’s about rethinking the common assumptions of today to find satisfaction and fulfillment tomorrow. How do we get to the end of our lives with minimal regrets? We set aside lesser pursuits to seek lasting meaning. And we discover the joy of doing it every day.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Personal Development, Psychology, Productivity, Lifestyle

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2022

About the author

Joshua Becker is the #1 Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of The Minimalist Home, The More of Less, Things That Matter, Clutterfree with Kids and Simplify.

He is the Founder and Editor of Becoming Minimalist, a website dedicated to intentional living. His websites are read by over 1 million readers every month and has a social media following of over 4 million.

His blog was named by SUCCESS Magazine as one of the top ten personal development websites on the Internet and his writing has been featured in publications all around the world.

He is also the co-creator of Simplify Media, the parent company of Simplify Magazine and Simple Money Magazine.

Joshua and his young family were introduced to minimalism twelve years ago during a short conversation with their neighbor. Since then, Joshua’s story and writing have inspired millions around the world to find more life by owning fewer possessions. Today, based on his thoughtful and intentional approach to minimalism, he is one of the leading voices in the modern simplicity movement.

He is also the Founder of The Hope Effect, a nonprofit organization changing how the world cares for orphans. Currently, he lives in Peoria, AZ with his wife and two young adult children.

His online course, Uncluttered, has helped over 95,000 people declutter their homes and live a more intentional life because of it.

His app, Clutterfree, is the only app to create a personalized, room-by-room decluttering to-do list for an individual’s unique home.

And his YouTube channel has over 350,000 subscribers.

Reviews

[Shani · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the first book that I’ve read by Joshua and it’ll be the last book that I’ll read by Joshua. I don’t know what reality this man is living, but it must not be this one. The section on money I found offensive. This man told us if you have more money than someone else then you’re not struggling. And if you pursue money you’re greedy. According to him, people over save for rainy days that will never happen, you don’t need retirement saving just work til you die and then if you can afford to donate five dollars a week and still have food on your table when you’re fine.

This book wasn’t written for the average person. Even though Americans have more money than a lot of the world this country is capitalistic, struggling with inflation and we’re paying double the amount that we used to pay for things. People are losing their homes because rent is doubling and tripling in areas, people can’t afford their medicine, gas prices are crazy and a lot of people can no longer afford food.

This is advice is easy for him to give considering he’s a millionaire and he seems to forget that most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.

[Jen Juenke · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I am reading a book, I often wonder who is the author writing for.
When I was reading the book, I nodded along at many points in the beginning of the book.
Then we got to the work section.
The author goes into detail about how we all should be loving our work. WE should work for our passion.
I think this is out of touch with reality. So many of us work because we HAVE to. We HAVE to work to make a living. If everyone did their passion, we would not have custodians, housekeepers, etc.
Then the author states DO NOT RETIRE! Wait! WHAT?!
yep, stay in the workforce till you die, nothing wrong with that.
LETS FULL STOP RIGHT THERE!
The author neglects to state that the majority of people CAN"T work till they die.
MOST people are forced out of the work force because of health reasons.

At this point in the book, I really had to wonder WHO was the author talking to.

He went further....maybe you have OVERSAVED for retirement.
When Americans are barely saving for retirement...to make that statement is really dangerous.
His point tied to this was that we should give out $5 a week to a charity of our choice to see if we still have a roof over our heads, food in our belly.
then to up the donation every week.

It was very hard to take the author seriously when he seemed to contradict himself in just about everything that he wrote.

Overall, I would be cautious to give this book to anyone to read without a firm grasp of the realities facing many Americans today.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

[CK · Rating 1 out of 5]

Regarding the form, the main issue is that the book is called « Things that Matter » while it mainly focuses on defining what constitutes « distractions ». It does contain some valuable ideas… which are already well known. A brief summary would be: memento mori and « superfluities in the end deprive us of necessities » (Choderlos de Laclos).

There are some very very problematic parts (the chapter about work would transform Reagan into a communist) that give an impression of a somewhat superficial analysis (retirement being bad because politicians/Bismarck invented it … ?!) on real issues. Among other things, it’s a rather interesting choice to tell your readers that they’re richer than most of the planet if they have more than $5 a day and live in a developed country. I’m sure all the Americans without healthcare or any form of social security feel very privileged knowing that they are richer than the majority of the planet… At one point I thought the author was about to remind us that we are indeed able to read (yet another privilege).

Overall, it did feel like reading your well-meaning but over-preaching uncle who can’t help but justify every opinion he has with a simple anecdote. The book started well but lost momentum due to excessive repetitions and a lack of depth on important topics (hence the feeling of inconsistency).

[Ginger Hudock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joshua Becker has been writing about minimalism and intentional living for over 10 years. He has written on his blog as well as several previous books and I have followed him most of that time. This book expands beyond minimizing possessions to the important topic of living an intentional, meaningful life. He shows that minimizing possessions is a means, not an end in itself. He also writes about the distractions of life, such as leisure, possessions, money, technology and happiness, which can hinder people from pursuing their higher purposes. The book has chapters that take a deep dive in each of these areas to help the reader reduce some of these distractions. The final chapter is encouragement to discover the meaning and purpose in the reader's live and then pursue that.
As someone who is on the path to living in a simpler way and trying to find more meaning in life, I very much enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed in any aspect of their lives for good ideas of how to reduce is and do more of what they want.
I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is said that a car delaer is capable of selling anyone a car. It is the good dealer who is able to sell someone multiple cars. To do that, service has to be grand. How many cars have you purchased from the same dealer?

I've read Becker before. I watch his YouTube video every Friday. Generally, I have a good impression of him. I invested in this book. I won't buy another.

My 119 notes are public. Take exception with them all you want. There was absolutely nothing of substance at all here for me. Time and time again his points contradicted a point that was previously made. It seemed like Becker has this POV and he is incapable of seeing that not everyone approaches these topics in the same manner he does.

What I took away is that Becker is full of pride and judgment. I found that surprising.

Constantly, Becker spoke of better decisions, better paths, more of this and more of that. I found it offputting. It all seemed to roll into wanting to be on one's deathbed and then feel proud of the choices he made to get there. I get it, but take a far different path. I relish that I am. I get to be. Behold what life has provided me. That is enough.

My choices are my choices. What I find valuable/meaningful today may be folly tomorrow. But I still am. That is what matters to me.

I'll continue to watch, I suspect, the Friday YouTube video. I'll read a blog post here and there. But I'll never spend another penny in this ecosystem.

[Lena · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is, by far, the most insulting book I've ever read. Preachy, misguided, and utterly tone-deaf. If I had a physical copy of this book (and thankfully I don't!), I would throw it in a river.

The way this fully grown, seemingly educated man thinks about money is frankly astounding. Joshua really said money only exists if people believe it does and he expects, what, a standing ovation? Breaking news: Man discovers fiat currency, writes a book about it! Like, ok Joshua.....what next??

"In America today, there is an argument that the current minimum hourly wage ought to be $15—three times the amount that 44 percent of the world’s population makes in an entire day!"

This quote seriously disgusts me. Just because people in other countries make less money, that doesn't mean that Americans aren't entitled to a living wage. You can be in the top 10.6% of the world in terms of wealth but still be poor in your own country. Does he realise the difference in cost of living across countries? America's complete and utter lack of social security? The impacts of, oh, I don't know, the global pandemic that was in full swing during the exact time he would have been working on this book? At one point, he even mentions that 2/3 of US workers are living paycheck to paycheck. Hey Josh, buddy, do you think maybe, just maybe, that that statement literally goes against your previous argument about how rich and entitled Americans are? The absolute nerve you have to have to even suggest that wanting to get paid a living wage is privileged, when you yourself have no concept of your own privilege and ignorance. And if Joshua thinks that having large amounts of money is immoral, I will gladly take it off his hands and redistribute his wealth on his behalf :)

"But rather than help to feed the homeless family down the street, we choose to set aside a portion of our money just in case we ever find ourselves in the same situation. Rather than properly funding elementary education in the heart of our cities, we set aside tens of thousands of dollars for our sons and daughters to attend premier colleges. Rather than donating money to buy soup for the hungry today, we hope to save enough to serve prime rib at our daughter’s wedding reception. Rather than helping to create affordable housing for the homeless, the average American is striving to save $1.7 million for his or her retirement."

While I agree that giving to charity is an admirable thing to do, I do not believe that this is the answer to systematic inequalities that need to be addressed on a structural level. Regular people donating small amounts of money will not solve homelessness. Not to mention funding elementary education? What am I, the US Treasury? I know America's public education funding is a joke, but has Joshua considered that these issues cannot be solved without major policy changes and higher taxes for the rich?

I don't know whom these incredible revelations about money could possibly be aimed at. Just billionaires, maybe? Surely not normal people who are still fighting for living wages, affordable healthcare, and paid parental leave?

Moreover, as a psych grad and lowkey social stats nerd, the misrepresentation of psychological studies and statistics was nauseating to read. There's the blatant disregard of "correlation does not equal causation". There's the biased reporting of his own survey results by grouping the "sometimes", "frequently", and "always" respondents together. There's the citing of secondary sources on pop psychology and news websites instead of original sources. I don't trust Joshua Becker to interpret psychological studies nor discuss them in an unbiased way.

This book is also extremely Christian. There's a whole chapter on regrets and forgiveness, which frankly seems like a completely different topic for a completely different book. The religious undertones were prevalent throughout every chapter, though, and it was seriously off-putting.

I took a lot of notes while listening to this book (on triple speed at one point, because listening to Joshua Becker turned out to be a newly discovered form of torture), but it's been 5 months since I wrote these so I have no idea what they mean anymore. Regardless, here are some highlights:

~The way he says "leisure" is so grating
~How tf you gonna talk shit about workers when you're a self-employed book boy
~You need money to survive, Joshua
-You rest to work better and be more engaged? Capitalist af, Joshua
~Sorry your grandpa was so lame that all he did was work until he died
~"Love your work because your work is love" ew lol just shut up already

TL;DR: Joshua Becker believes that we spend too much money and own too many things, so please don't buy any of his books - it'll only upset him! :(

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Things that matter started okay, and was going to get a 3-star rating, but then I had some strong disagreements, and some parts of this book felt insulting and insensitive. The author was a pastor, and though he did make sure the book did not have a religious tone, there are parts of the book that read close-minded and with judgmental assumptions. In one chapter, he slut shames and claims that people who have sex with multiple partners are unhappy. In another chapter, he discusses money like people aren't REALLY struggling financially and just want more money.

To elaborate, Chapter 6 is about money, and the author says people living paycheque to paycheque need to do a better job to cut down expenses AS IF people living this way aren't doing that already. I found this chapter to come across as if people don't have bills and debt to pay, and therefore they must have money but are careless with it. The book is new, so there's no reason the author shouldn't be witnessing inflation. The author doesn't show compassion or understanding toward the average person and is ignorant of people's circumstances. Not everyone is a millionaire or had a career when he did back in 2008 to afford a house when it was reasonable. Not everyone has a partner and the benefit of a shared income. Not everyone can afford to buy a home, and the costs make it difficult to save money with a fair income job. People struggle to pay for the costs of their home or upkeep if things happen. Renting prices have increased so much that individuals who want to save to buy a house cannot even achieve this. His solution to being happy if you're financially struggling is this:

If you're stressed about money, which is apparently 70%, the quickest way to elevate that stress and change your outlook is to give some money away.

Yes, giving makes us feel better. Many of us have no problem spending money here and there on friends and family but still need to make conscious choices on how much. The author doesn't have an understanding of circumstances and has no idea. He comes across as an inconsiderate, ignorant, privileged person who doesn't understand financial struggle because he's in a financial, secure position with his life many will never be able to get to or achieve in their lifetime.

This book is not for the average person or the majority born in the 90s or 80s, or without two household incomes.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's great stuff in here, but I don't think much of it is going to stick with me. I think that's just because I've heard much of this already, in Becker's Youtube videos.

Some of his advice has universal appeal, and some of his advice will only apply to white middle class suburbia. If not seen in context, many of his ideas can be taken the wrong way (as you'll see in other GR reviews). You have to add so many caveats to his blanket statements that things break down too easily.

I think I have the same problem with this book that I had recently with The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World -- Becker advocates for removing distractions from life so one can focus on the things that matter, but he doesn't talk about how to create/cultivate things that matter in life. He just assumes you already know what matters, and already have those things, and his advice is just how to focus on what you already have.

[Vannetta Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Joshua Becker having taken one of his minimalism courses, so I expected to enjoy this book. I was surprised to find that not only did I enjoy it, but I found it to be very applicable. Joshua manages to take a concept that most would agree with (we'd all like our lives to count for something, to make a difference in some small way) and show how you can define those goals, remove the distractions, and progress toward those goals.

The chapters that helped me the most was the section on fear (that was a big surprise) and the prevalence of digital distractions (not a surprise, but still super helpful).

Highly recommend.
Note: Joshua was previously a pastor and has a strong faith background, but this book would be helpful to anyone, regardless where they are in their faith journey.

[Holly G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and I can say there are a lot of small moments of wisdom that really snuck up on me. The author is willing to use himself as an example in ways that make his points even more accessible and human. The chapters on money and finances are really wonderful, and they contain the kinds of reminders I will return to frequently. Becker shares a lot about himself without making it about him, and this is a rare skill for an author. I was happy to have a chance to read the book.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read Joshua's books on minimalism and that's basically how I became interested in his work. 2022 is the year that I decided to delutter and minimize my possessions. So when I saw that this book was coming out, I was anxious to read it. I'm SO glad I didn't spend money on this garbage. One thing I don't like about books like this is that I don't like the writer making me feel bad for choices I have made in my life. He assumes that everyone who shares articles on Facebook are just doing it for fun and not because it might be helpful to others. Or those who watch YouTube videos are doing do as a distraction. This book is painfully boring and very preachy and I got absolutely nothing out of it. If you're wanting to minimize and declutter then his books on that subject are useful. This one was just a bunch of ridiculousness. To that end I'm so annoyed by this book that I'm going to declutter Joshua as well.

[Debbie Capeci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since reading Joshua Becker’s first book, The More of Less, I’ve continued to follow his blog and social media posts. His is a voice I’ve learned to trust. So when I had a chance to read Things That Matter, I jumped on it. The book doesn’t disappoint: it’s an easy read, yet thought provoking. I chose to take it a chapter every day or two, and examine each of the distractions he outlines to see which ones I need to work on most in order to live a life that truly matters, a life with few regrets. I’ve got a long way to go, but the examples and encouragement he provides demonstrate it’s possible and worth the effort. Do yourself a favor. Read Things That Matter. You won’t regret it.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I listened to this audiobook while multitasking so I am probably right off the bat not *really* ready to overcome distractions...

Some of this was useful - but other parts felt like it was explaining something that was pretty obvious. For example, I don't think many people would be surprised to find out technology is a distraction. But that section felt long to me as it was convincing people that technology is a distraction. And the kicker of "try a technology detox" felt kind of obvious.

[Rebecca Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh… it was only okay.
There were some great thoughts presented throughout the book. Yet, I was annoyed after I finished it. I found the discussion about money to be quite absurd. The cost of living is skyrocketing. People are living payday to payday. But, the way this is all written seems so nonchalant.
I suppose everyone has their own opinions, but I definitely won’t recommend this book.

[Lesr · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5-5
I really enjoyed his viewpoints on many things. One especially being how serving others brings happiness, not serving ourselves. Another being the obvious distraction of technology and it’s place in our lives.

I need to finish the end diagram that helps you define how You can best use your strengths and passions to help others.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about what really matters in life, not material things but relationships

[Stephanie Farmwald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reminder to be more intentional about your life and the things you choose to spend your time, energy, and efforts on.

[Audrey Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Becker does a great job in organizing the content through providing readers with a survey (that is frequently used in the book), making appropriate sub-sections, and showing the reader different graphs. The reader should be able to clearly pick up on the author’s passion for minimalism.

There are definite weak spots in this work. Becker has many contradictions towards the second half of this book. He tells the reader to do something, then two chapters later he’ll say the aforementioned thing is not good. Another issue was quite clear, the author LOVES to TALK about HIMSELF. Part of me questions how to categorize this book (in terms of genre) as Becker told a plethora of his own life stories but would try to give some self-help to the reader.

Joshua Becker is a nice person (I had the opportunity to see him speak at a conference many years ago) and has good intentions. However, I don’t think this book was his best piece.

[kinereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

- i took a good chunk of notes while reading this, and i think they’ll be helpful
- i want to say that this book is so straightforward and organized, i like how the chapters are done
- this was an easy but helpful read, it made me think twice about some things
- many great tips, and i liked that they were quite easy to understand
- this will definitely be a book i will visit back and forth, because there was definitely things that i think i would like to adapt and keep on reminding myself from time to time
- motivating
- i would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for some wisdom and to get a newer perspective on life maybe?? honestly it was great and i’m really glad i read it, because i’m not the person to read a lot of self help books!!


I really liked this “When a distraction becomes a lifestyle, we lose control over the life we are living” 🤍

[Moi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not love the way Becker engages with stats. He appears enamored of the bootstrap theory: People are selfish if they want more than a $15 minimum wage because much of the world lives on $5 a day. Or 85 percent lack of engagement at work (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) is because most workers have a bad attitude.

Becker doesn’t seem to consider that $15 could be too little to live a dignified life in a big U.S. city while $5 per day could be even more horrifyingly inadequate in a undeveloped nation. Or maybe undignified working conditions, meaningless labor, insufficient pay and benefits, and crushing work schedules might account for much worker disengagement.

I dunno. I think Becker is so enamored of his minimalistic lifestyle that he’s decided “We already have everything we need” is the answer to everything—which certainly would prejudice him toward an individualistic bootstrap model as opposed to considering oppressive systemic dysfunctions.

UH, WAT? He says that retirement is not good because “worrying about it” is the thing that keeps us from liking the work we do. Naw, dawg. He says Otto von Bismarck was partially responsible for introducing retirement at age 70 (and later 65) and hence retirement is arbitrary and created to garner votes, not based on what’s good for a meaningful life. Um, if the vast majority of people WANT retirement (read: it’s politically viable), this seems to be a population clamoring to call an end to their work life/not work into their dotage. I have NO PROBLEM if an individual doesn’t want to retire or not ‘til they simply CAN’T work anymore. But to say that retirement isn’t part of a meaningful life? And that the promise of retirement makes us spoiled and unhappy with our jobs? Naw, naw, naw.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Convicting in a non-accusatory way. The goal is not just decluttering, but getting rid of all kinds of distractions (pursuit of money, reputation, technology and more) in order to make room in your LIFE for the great, instead of just the good. A higher focus — to allow us to give to the world; the world needs the things that only our unique selves can give, and we can’t give them properly when we’re distracted by the lesser things in life. Yes, we have daily practical things that need to be done, but focusing on things that matter helps us to make the most of the rest of our time. A clearly presented, practical approach. Very inspiring!

[Michael Torbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a lot of minimalist books, and this is by far the worst of them. The author advocates for living with basically as few possessions as you can possibly handle, and that you should live to work. If you want to spend money, enjoy leisure time, go on vacations, etc then you're greedy. This goes far beyond rejecting hyper-consumerism/consumption and actively shaming people for spending their time and money how they want.

This is in stark contrast to The Minimalists, who are agnostic when it comes to how you spend your time/money, as long as it's purpose-driven with a sense of mindfulness, and you're upholding your values. These two entities are basically opposites.

[John Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found many nuggets of useful information, I felt these were offset with Mr Becker's preachy, little educate takes on many topics.

Pros: reducing tech time, meaningful work, volunteering, retiring to something meaningful

Cons: retirement is political trick, boasting about himself and impact, touch subjects he knows nothing about

I feel Mr Becker has been very impactful in minimalism but needs to focus on what he actually knows.

[S.A. Klopfenstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of the book is centering your life around the things that truly matter to you. Becker talks a lot about various things that can get in the way, such as technology or living to make money, etc. Some of this is probably more useful to each reader, depending on their life experience and lifestyle. Overall, though this was not necessarily ground-breaking in many of its areas of focus, it was still thought-provoking, and a reminder to pause and evaluate. I don't really buy Becker's view of work, at least not for the average person, who's not working their dream job that brings them absolute fulfillment. His thoughts on retirement were interesting, but maybe a bit over the top. Like much of Becker's work, I don't share every part of his worldview, but still find much of value to take away from his thoughts.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a lot of good nuggets of information and some takeaways for me while reading this. Some of it wasn’t new information but then some of it was framed in a way that was new. Ultimately, Joshua Becker is encouraging the reader to live a life of intention and purpose. He has some helpful tips and tricks for doing that.

I think the biggest takeaway I have from this is incorporating commitment states into my daily intentions. Each morning I choose 1-3 intentions and I write them down starting with “Today I commit to…”
This book has encouraged me to clear out some distracting clutter so that I can spend more time doing what I’m passionate about.
It’s a worthwhile read if you are someone who wants to live a meaningful life and get to the core of what your purpose is.

[Brittany Sumlar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author. At first glance I thought the ideas weren’t anything I hadn’t heard and considered before, but then the author added questions for consideration at the end of each chapter and I realized that I while I may have *thought* the idea wasn’t new to me, I clearly was not living in alignment with my values in several areas. It definitely provoked a lot of careful re-evaluation.

The book was a light read and set up in a way to make it easy to read a bit, think on it and come back. Although the author and I disagree with some underlying perspectives in certain areas, I still found the book approachable and was able to pick up applicable insights from it.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC to review through NetGalley

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I just need to find the thing(s) that I really care about pursuing and then this book would be a bit more relevant to me.

[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really should have reread my review of Joshua Becker's earlier book, "The More of Less," before diving into this one. Maybe I thought he would have grown and improved in the intervening years? Unfortunately, I found this book far worse than "The More of Less," now sinking from the 2 star review I gave that one to a 1 star for this one. These are the only two of Mr. Becker's books I have read, and I'm hoping I am smart enough not to subject myself to another one.

I have read a fair number of books on minimalism and intentional living and listened to many vlogs, podcasts, etc., so I am reasonably well-versed in the information currently available on the subject, and based on that, this entire book read like an AI was asked to write a book on minimalism and intentional living and pulled every over-used inspirational story, journal exercise, and cliche motivational phrase from the wealth of already existing material in order to paste it all together into a "new book". There were actually multiple times when the text was leading up to something and I would say outloud to myself, "Please don't tell the story of the (fill in the blank with a once-helpful now beaten into the ground reference), Please don't tell the story of--Oh Good Grief you're telling that story!" The number of times he quotes and summarizes Cal Newport's work (particularly "Digital Minimalism") is actually offensive. There is an entire section of "Things That Matter," that summarizes Cal Newport's system of Digital Detox, walking you through how to do it and how to integrate the philosophy into your life. Mind you, I love Cal Newport's work, gave "Digital Minimalism" four stars, but having already read that one, I wanted a DIFFERENT book by Joshua Becker, not his summary of Newport's work. I guess the fact Becker then goes on to preach the exact OPPOSITE advice on at least one of Newport's key points makes this book different...

I won't rehash here everything I said in my review of Becker's earlier work regarding his mind-boggling views on saving money for retirement (basically, don't save much, give most to charity, and intend to keep working until you die), etc., except to say that he continues and doubles down on his ideas here, and the neon signs of "priviledged" and "ableist" flashing above his head were particularly bright.

I really don't like spreading negativity. When it comes to books, I strongly prefer to spread joy. I try only to speak up when I feel something is doing some sort of damage, such as hurting/insulting/endangering a particular portion of the population. I actually think Joshua Becker is a good guy with good intentions, but despite a life that it would seem should have given him a wordly view, he seems to still be a victim of a very limited scope on the world.

What I can openly fault him for is publishing a book in 2022 that contains almost entirely what barely would have been considered new ideas and information in 2012 and is now only useful to someone who has been living under a rock (and even then, roughly half the advice is, IMHO, bad advice).

My advice? Wish Mr. Becker and his family well, but skip reading this one. There are far more inspiring books out there on similar themes.

[Marlene Linkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The publisher provided a copy for review.

Joshua Becker has been an inspiration since 2016 when I took his first “Uncluttered Course”. His teaching and words changed my way of living. Things That Matter, rises from minimalism to a discovery in purposeful living. Becker offers a guide in self-awareness revealing and tying our gifts, values and passions toward an intentional life. Reducing the distractions, honing in on what matters offer insight and wisdom into unveiling the meaningful.

Becker continues to guide us into the exploration of ‘what’s enough’ while posing questions to deepen our connection to ourselves, to others and to the world. Things That Matter, is another great read and powerful way to rethink and recommit to what matters in our lives. May you too be inspired by his latest book!

[Sarah Edgerly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely excellent. I will be honest, I am NOT one to finish books. When I initially signed up to read this book in exchange for a review, I was a little nervous that I may not be able to finish it (I have three young kids and have been working a lot, needless to say, my spare time has been limited!). I can honestly say that this book was so good I actually looked forward to reading it every night while I was putting my kids down for bed.

Joshua has done an outstanding job articulating his thoughts in this book. As I read it, one thought kept continually coming to my mind - these are the same things I have been thinking over and over for the past few years but have never been able to put into words. I could see how some people might say this stuff is the stuff we already know but don’t put into action. While that’s true, the way in which he communicates these ideas and values is what makes this book so great. He talks about all of the things that distracts us and takes away from our life even when we think those things are adding to it… the truth is, they aren’t. This book helps you open your eyes to see the truth behind the distractions. It gives you the tools you need to start living a life of purpose and meaning. To quote the author, “You don’t have to live like everyone else. In fact, you’ll probably be happier if you don’t.”

This book has truly changed the way I view my life and as a result, I have begun to make changes that have positively impacted myself, my family, and my friends - hopefully soon those changes will begin to impact those I don’t even know as well. One of my favorite ideas he imparts is living in a way that builds up the people around you instead trying to build yourself up - because if you do live that way, you will naturally build yourself up in the process but it’s done in a way that brings recognition to others instead. It’s such a simple concept but he presents it in a way that makes it safe to lose the pull to look out for our own interests first. We live in a very me centered culture. This book pushes you to live your life outside of yourself. To see the greater purpose in all of it.

I cannot recommend this book enough (and I don’t say that lightly). This is one that I will be personally purchasing for myself to read again in the future, as well as for my husband and other family members. Well done, Joshua. Your words and wisdom are greatly needed and I truly believe that this book will make a positive impact in the world. This book is definitely worth your time and I cannot recommend it enough. Do yourself a favor and buy the book. You’ll be happy you did.