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The Minimalists
The Minimalists are Emmy-nominated Netflix stars and New York Times–bestselling authors Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Alongside their podcast cohost, T.K. Coleman, this simple-living trio helps millions of people eliminate clutter and live meaningfully with less. Learn More.

The Problem with Common Sense

Human beings do the strangest things.

We forsake our health. We eat junkfood. We sit in front of the television for hours. We ignore our most important relationships. We pacify ourselves with stuff. We go into debt. We refuse to do difficult work for fear of failure. We imbibe in ephemeral indulgences that leave us fat on the outside and empty inside.

Changing any of these bad behaviors will certainly lead to a more meaningful existence for anyone. This seems like common sense, right? Yes, it is common sense. But the problem with common sense is that common sense isn’t too common these days.

It seems we’ve eschewed common sense in favor of the quick fix, in favor of what’s easy, in favor of tantalizing shortcuts. But in the real world, there are no shortcuts; there are only direct routes.

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