Joshua and T.K. speak with Luke Burgis about the identities hidden in our desires, the psychological problem with keeping things “just in case,” why sentimental items can be so emotionally heavy, and much more.
Listen to the Episode
Discussed in This Episode
- How has being a father made Luke better?
- Do the lightest objects carry the most weight?
- How much of what we keep is tied to who we believe we are—or who we might need to be again someday?
- Listener Tip: When we let go of something deeply sentimental, what are we actually letting go of?
- When two people have dramatically different tolerances for clutter, how do they determine what’s reasonable in a shared space?
- Why do we sometimes feel obligated to want what the people before us valued?
- What happens when the desires of the people closest to us start shaping the direction of our own lives?
- Talkaboutable: Nobody wants to inherit your junk when you die.
- Talkaboutable: You’re packing too much when you travel.
- Added Value: A song Joshua discovered while watching Your Friends & Neighbors.
Minimal Maxims
Joshua, Ryan, and T.K.’s pithy, shareable, less-than-140-character responses. Find more quotes from The Minimalists at MinimalMaxims.com.
- “Someday” is clutter’s favorite day of the week.
- Excess possessions preserve your false identity.
- We don’t grieve the object; we grieve what it represents.
- Shared space requires shared standards.
- Before deciding what stays, decide what the space is for.
- An heirloom becomes a burden when inheritance feels like obligation.
- Knowing what you don’t want can be the beginning of knowing what you do want.
Links Mentioned in This Episode
- Added Value: “Gambler”
- Book: The One and the Ninety-Nine
- Book: Wanting
- Resource: Minimalist Rulebook
- Tour: How to Let Go
- Study: Women overpack their holiday suitcases by an average of 26 items
- Watch: Axel Vervoordt Uncovers What Is Timeless and Universal through His Collection of Art
- Watch: Inside Two Design Entrepreneurs’ Danish Coastal Home
- Watch: Talkaboutable #1
- Watch: Talkaboutable #2
- Website: Luke Burgis
Follow Our Team
- Joshua Fields Millburn
- Ryan Nicodemus
- T.K. Coleman
- Benjamin Hull
- Matt Savidakis
- Shawn Mihalik
- Jeff Sarris
- Dave LaTulippe
- Cat Remaks
Have a question for the show? Call 406-219-7839 or email a voice memo to podcast@themins.com.
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