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

Joshua Becker

Apr 2022 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Joshua Becker

About this audiobook

#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 distractions: 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.

Ratings and reviews

It is one thing to "become a minimalist", but every minimalist will fill in the void of their missing stuff with something. Joshua masterfully draws our attention to things that can creep in (or rush in) and distract us from doing what we were created to do in this life. He simultaneously sends us on a search for personal understanding of what things matter the most to us and how to spend our lifelong journey engaging in those things.

I always thought I was organized and sorted. But Joshua's book put an entirely new perspective on it for me. Since reading the book, I've really started sorting and minimizing in a practical, happy way. Thank you.

About the author

Joshua Becker, the bestselling author of The More of Less and The Minimalist Home, is the founder of Becoming Minimalist, a website dedicated to inspiring others to find more life by owning less. The website welcomes over 1.5 million readers each month and has inspired millions around the world to consider the practical benefits of owning fewer possessions. He is a contributing writer to Forbes and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, HuffPost Live, and the CBS Evening News. Joshua and his family live in Peoria, Arizona.