Minimalism is promoting what you value most and removing whatever distracts from it.
On this definition minimalism has no item count and no style; it starts from your values. Name what you want more room for before you pull anything off a shelf.
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Joshua Becker · 2010
By the founder of Becoming Minimalist
Simplify.
7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life
Clutter is not a storage problem. It is a question about what your life is for.
Clear a room7guiding principles
6rooms to clear, one at a time, below
1family of four that went first
The core idea
Less, so the rest can show.
“Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.”— Joshua Becker
Becker came to this as a suburban dad with a garage full of things that kept needing his weekends. The book is his short case that owning less is not a style or a rule about numbers. It is a way to make room for what you actually care about: people, work, faith, rest, whatever it is for you.
That is why it starts with being convinced rather than with bin bags. If you only tidy, the stuff comes back. If you know what you are clearing space for, the decisions get easier and the inflow slows down.
Two distinctions do most of the work. Moving things around is levelling; taking them out of the house is minimising. And the little rocks, the endless small objects, crowd out the big rocks that matter, so clearing the small stuff is how the important things fit.
Levelling
The clutter moves to the garage, the attic, a cupboard. The room looks better and the house weighs the same.
Minimising
What does not serve the life you want leaves the house. What stays has room to be used.
The framework
Seven principles, hung with space between them.
The book's seven principles run in order, from deciding why to taking the idea beyond the house. Read them like a gallery: one at a time, with room to stand back.
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No. 1 · Why
Be convinced
Know why you want less before you start. A reason you believe outlasts a burst of tidying.
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No. 2 · Fit
Make it work for you
There is no correct number of things. Fit the idea to your family, your work and your stage of life.
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No. 3 · Start
Jump right in
Start with one easy space today. Momentum comes from finished drawers, not from plans.
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No. 4 · Inflow
Stop the trend
Clearing out is half of it. Change what keeps coming in, or the room fills again.
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No. 5 · Endure
Persevere
Some rooms and some objects are hard. Keep going past the easy wins.
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No. 6 · Share
Share the joy
Talk about the freedom, not the rules. People notice the life, not the lack of stuff.
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No. 7 · Extend
Simplify everywhere
Once the house is lighter, apply the same question to your calendar, your money and your habits.
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Principle three says jump right in. So, a room.
Start clearing
Interactive · The clearing room
Ask each thing why it is here.
Pick a room. Each object gets four quiet questions and a suggested fate, which you can overrule. Watch the room empty as things leave. Rename the objects to match your own house, or add your own.
0%
Nothing has left the house yet.
0Donate
0Sell
0Recycle
0Toss
The leaving list
Everything you marked, grouped by where it goes: the donation box, the sale pile, recycling, the bin.
The room, after
A print of the room you're working on, with what stayed and what left.
Seven short sessions
Fifteen minutes a day for a week: one room a day, then a drop-off day.
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Community insights
What readers kept.
Lasting change starts with being convinced, not with a weekend purge.
Becker's first principle is that actions follow what we truly want. List the benefits you care about, such as less cleaning, less spending and more time, and keep the list where you declutter.
Make minimalism fit your life instead of copying someone else's.
A family with small children, a renter and a keen hobbyist will land in different places. Decide what enough looks like for your household.
Jump in small: one drawer, not the whole house.
Like training for a marathon, easy early wins build the habit. Pick the area you see most often and finish it in one sitting.
Moving clutter is levelling; removing it is minimising.
Shifting things into bins or the garage looks tidy but changes nothing. If it isn't essential, let it leave the house.
Stop the trend by changing what comes in, not just what goes out.
Consumer culture refills every space you clear. Put a pause before purchases and turn down free things you will not use.
Clutter gathers in predictable collection sites, so watch those first.
Counters, entryways and the chair in the bedroom fill up again and again. Persevering mostly means clearing those few spots often.
Clear the little rocks so the big rocks fit.
Becker's last principle takes simplicity beyond the house to time and commitments: family, friends, faith and goals first, then remove what crowds them. Ask the same question of your calendar as of your closet.
Action steps
Set the house up once. Then keep it light.
Set up
One-off changes for this week.
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Write your reason for owning less
Note three things you want more room for, like time with family, savings or calm, and tape the note inside a cupboard door.
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Clear the surface you see most
Choose the counter or table you look at most and remove everything that does not belong there today.
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Put a donation box by the door
Keep a box ready so that anything you decide to let go of leaves the house within the week.
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Map your clutter collection sites
Walk your home and list the three spots where things pile up, so you know where to check.
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Unsubscribe from five shopping emails
Remove the prompts that keep sending new things into the house.
Keep up
Small habits that stop the trend.
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Declutter for fifteen minutes a day
Set a timer and clear one drawer, shelf or bag a day until each room is done.
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Wait before you buy
For any non-essential purchase, wait a few days and buy it only if you still want it.
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Reset the collection sites each evening
Spend five minutes before bed clearing the counter, the entry and the bedroom chair.
Own what serves the life you want. Let the rest go, and keep the room for the people and work you love.HourLife note after Joshua Becker Back to the library
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Frequently asked
What is Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life about?
Joshua Becker wrote this short guide after his suburban family of four chose to own less, and it sets out seven principles for doing the same: be convinced, make it work for you, jump right in, stop the trend, persevere, share the joy and simplify everywhere. Its argument is that minimalism means promoting what you value most and removing whatever distracts from it, so the goal is a freer life, not an emptier house.
What are the key takeaways from Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life?
Readers on HourLife most often highlight ideas such as: “Minimalism is promoting what you value most and removing whatever distracts from it.” “Lasting change starts with being convinced, not with a weekend purge.” “Make minimalism fit your life instead of copying someone else's.”
Who should read Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life?
It's a strong pick for readers exploring Home & Minimalism, Life Balance, and Money Calm. HourLife distills its core idea into community-voted insights and one practical action worth trying.
What's one thing I can do after reading Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life?
Write your reason for owning less — Note three things you want more room for, like time with family, savings or calm, and tape the note inside a cupboard door.
How long does it take to read the Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life summary?
About five minutes. The HourLife summary distills Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life into its core idea, 8 community insights, and 8 practical actions you can apply right away.
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