Things That Matter

Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life

By: Joshua Becker

Narrated by: Joshua Becker

#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.

©2022 Joshua Becker (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"The thought-provoking insights and stories inside Things That Matter will help you live your one precious life with more presence, purpose, and peace.”—Rachel Macy Stafford, New York Times bestselling author of Hands Free Mama

“This book’s siren call—that we should aim to be generous, not wealthy, and get dirt under our fingernails by serving others—cements Joshua’s status as a much-needed voice of reason and kindness in the modern world.”—Helen Russell, bestselling author of How to Be Sad

“Ten years from now it won’t really matter what shoes you wore today, how your hair looked, or what brand of clothes you wore. What will matter is how you lived, how you loved, and what you learned along the way. And Things That Matter is a beautiful guide for getting there.”—Marc and Angel Chernoff, New York Times bestselling authors of Getting Back to Happy

Not what I expected, but better!

I’ve been minimizing for 6 months now. I have a huge house that can hold anything I want to keep but it also takes up my time and energy to keep all the inventory managed, clean, organized and accessible. I’m done with all that so I ordered the book sight unseen hoping for any help from Joshua. What I got was a huge dose of Is-this-how-you-really-want-to-spend-your-life?! By focusing us on the things that matter, it woke me up to all the time I spend moving stuff around, remembering where I put all the stuff, and cluttering my brain. I’m done wasting my time. Marketers enticing me to buy the next time-saving, life-enhancing fabulous product are now wasting their time on me. I have solidified my intentions: I will pare down so I can spend my free time reading, creating and contributing to my community. Thank you, Joshua!

A needed call to action

As someone in social media as a blogger and influencer as well as a mother and wife, I needed this book to put things into perspective and help me see things in a different way! Grateful to the author for his honesty and thought-provoking perspectives. I’ll be giving this to our adult children. There’s something in here for everyone.

Life changing

As always a very inspiring book from one of my favorite authors. I have been greatly blessed by all of his books. This book does a great job helping you to focus in on what matters the most in your life.

Easy to listen to

I love how good Mr. Becker is at making everything understandable to someone who has been in minimalism for years or just looking into it. His faith is evident (which I share) but not to the point that its a strictly faith based book. I definitely recommend this book to anyone seeking the way to implement minimalism without becoming consumed by it and it's "standards" which, by the way, there are none!

Must go through this whether paper or audio!

Joshua Becker has a way of describing and breaking down life in a way that helps me understand and soaks in. He is so down to earth and never makes me feel like everything he has accomplished is impossible for me. He breaks it all down and explains in such a way I can and do use it day by day. He is a great man with a huge heart that only wants people to have a truly joyful life!

Perfect guidance for setting life priorities

This was a good listen, calming and thoughtful pace (though I’ll probably listen again at 1.5-2 speed). Very helpful guidance in finding meaningful work or viewing your current work as meaningful. Also, excellent thoughts on prioritizing family and others rather than being completely selfish. Love the ideas and looking forward to practicing more mindfulness in the areas discussed, including finding work that I view as more meaningful.

Highly recommend

This book helped to clarify my focus and ultimately I noticed I was happier with less while reading the book. Thank you, this is a special book.

A great listen

I have been reading Becoming Minimalist blog for quite some time and immediately purchased the audio of Joshua's new book. I downloaded and listened in one day. I wish I could convince everyone to listen. I am passing along this title as a "goodie" when my book club and others ask what I have read lately that I enjoyed.
The narration was great ( nothing like when an author reads their own book :) ) and loved every bit of the content. I have listened and I intend to listen again. The message was so good I don't want to forget any part of it. - Thank you Joshua Becker.

Loved it

I've read/listened to a lot of books on this topic. This one was very unique. I've been growing into minimalism for many years, but by freeing up my time through this process, I've realized I've been focused on only tending to my own needs with the ultimate goal of working as little as possible and being able to focus on other aspects of life. This books challenges you to approach your work life differently and any tasks that aren't considered leisure and for pleasure. It challenges you try a new way of life, focused on the well being of others and shows that through this we will find value and meaning in our lives.

Thought-Provoking, Action-Inspiring

Joshua Becker is fantastic about not only offering advice, steps, and suggestions for how to apply his book topic in your own life, but also at diving deep into the "why" that motivates a change in the first place.

I have followed Joshua in his publications and online communities for years. He always demonstrates a sincere passion for inspiring others to live freer, more fulfilling lives. He is honest and compassionate as he challenges his readers to get outside of themselves to find themselves and to in fact find themselves in a life that reaches far beyond the one they are living now!

"Things That Matter" follows suit and is a wonderful follow-up or prelude to Joshua's books on minimalism/decluttering. I love that he has a book-club going (check it out on YouTube) and other additional resources to help you make this story not just another book you read/listen to, but a part of your own story! Thank you, Joshua and family! The work that you do matters so much to so many!