450 | Can't Let Go
The Minimalists PODCAST · NEW EPISODE

Listen to the Minimal Episode

Discussed in This Episode

• What can I do if my family won’t allow me to let go of certain sentimental things?
• What’s one thing that other people won’t allow you to let go of?
• Listener tip: A response to Gratitude Clutter.
• How do I help my parents get rid of trinkets that are decades old?
• Am I betraying my deceased family members if I let go of their ashes?
• Why is it so difficult for me to let go of my children’s old artwork?
• How do I encourage my significant other to declutter now that we’re living together?
• Talkaboutable: Celebrating T.K. Coleman’s 100th episode as cohost!
• Amass It or Trash It: Should I get rid of my 2,000 DVDs that I love but don’t watch?
• More About Less: Why is the “path of less” always the path less traveled?
• Added Value: Which TV show will make you question the false stories you tell yourself?

Minimal Maxims

• Letting go of acceptance is the most difficult part of letting go.
• Your attachment to a character doesn’t require me to play the role.
• You can’t be free if you can’t let go.
• Forcing someone to let go robs them of their dignity.
• Letting go does not betray the past—it honors it.
• It’s not wrong to hold on if you’re not ready to let go.
• Where there is pure joy there is no fear.
• Decluttering is compelling once the benefits outweigh the possessions.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

• Added Value: Dark Matter
• Book: Drops Like Stars
• Book: Love People, Use Things
• Book: Oblivion: Stories
• Essay: Store-Brand Insecurity
• Film: August (2008)
• Film: Less is Now
• Podcast: Gratitude Clutter
• Podcast: Minimal Aging
• Podcast: Unhappy Billionaires
• Resource: Minimalist Rulebook
• Song: “One Last Cry”
• Tour: The Everything Tour
• Watch: The Out-in-the-Open Rule
• Watch: Fragments

Follow Our Team

• Joshua Fields Millburn
• Ryan Nicodemus
• T.K. Coleman
• Malabama
• Post-Production Peter