Have you ever felt like your home and work life were bursting at the seams? Like there’s just too much to do, too much to manage, and no room left to breathe? It’s an exhausting way to live, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.
I’ve been reading The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker, and it’s opened my eyes to what minimalism really means. It’s not just about decluttering—it’s about creating a life where your space and time work for you, not against you.
As moms and accountants, we often feel like we’re always running to keep up. There are deadlines to meet, kids to care for, and piles of things—both literal and figurative—demanding our attention. It’s easy to feel stretched thin and wonder if there’s another way.
What if simplifying your surroundings could make life feel more manageable? What if letting go of the unnecessary could give you more time, energy, and peace of mind?
In The Minimalist Home, Becker explains how the spaces we live and work in affect our mental clarity and emotional well-being. A cluttered home can make you feel frazzled, and a chaotic workspace can make it nearly impossible to focus. The good news? A few intentional changes can create a ripple effect that impacts every part of your life.
Think about how much better you feel when you walk into a clean, organized room. Or how much more productive you are when your desk is free of distractions. Minimalism is about creating more of those moments—more calm, more focus, and more space for what truly matters.
This isn’t about giving up the things you love or living with the bare minimum. It’s about choosing what adds value to your life and letting go of what doesn’t. Whether it’s at home or at work, minimalism is about making space for the things that matter most.
So, let me ask you: What would it feel like to walk into a home that brings you peace instead of stress? Or to sit down at your desk and feel clear-headed instead of overwhelmed? Imagine that for a moment, and think about one small step you could take today to move closer to that feeling.
That’s what we’re going to explore. Using insights from The Minimalist Home, we’ll dive into how minimalism can transform your personal and professional life. You don’t need to overhaul everything all at once—you just need to start.
This week, I’m going to discuss when ‘more’ becomes too much and embracing minimalism for clarity and control.
When ‘More’ Becomes Too Much
Let’s be honest—most of us are drowning in too much. Too much stuff, too many tasks, too much to manage. Whether it’s at home or at work, it’s easy to feel like you’re always playing catch-up but never quite getting ahead.
At home, the “more” can feel overwhelming no matter where you look. It’s the closets you avoid opening because they’re packed to the brim. It’s the laundry that’s never-ending, the piles of mail on the counter, or the random items scattered around that you’ve been meaning to put away for weeks. Every surface seems to collect something, and it’s exhausting just thinking about where to start.
Work isn’t much better. There’s the desk cluttered with papers you’re sure are important but haven’t touched in months.
There’s the endless flood of emails that seem to multiply every time you glance away. The back-to-back meetings leave you with little time to actually get anything done, and the tasks you’ve pushed to tomorrow just pile up day after day.
All of this excess doesn’t just take up physical space—it’s taking up mental space, too. When your surroundings are chaotic, it’s almost impossible for your mind to feel calm. Instead, you’re left feeling unfocused, stressed, and constantly on edge.
The impact of “more” doesn’t stop there. It follows you into how you feel at the end of the day. You might notice yourself snapping at loved ones or feeling anxious over small things.
Have you ever walked into a cluttered room, sighed deeply, and walked back out because it felt like too much to face? That’s the weight of “more”—it drains you, slowly but surely.
The problem with “more” is that it doesn’t stay in one place. It spills over into everything.
A cluttered kitchen makes cooking dinner feel like a chore before you’ve even started. A messy workspace can make the simplest task feel twice as hard. Over time, it eats away at your energy and leaves you with less to give to the people and things that truly matter.
And the frustrating part is that it can feel like there’s no way out. You might think, “This is just how life is,” or “I’ll never have time to fix this.” But that’s the lie of “more”—it convinces you to settle for the overwhelm, even when it’s stealing your peace.
The truth is, you don’t have to live like this. There is a way to reclaim your time, your space, and your energy.
Minimalism isn’t about perfection or giving up everything you own. It’s about clearing away the excess so you can focus on what truly matters.
So, how do you take that first step? How do you go from feeling buried under “more” to finally feeling free? Let’s talk about the power of minimalism and how it can transform both your home and your work life.
Embracing Minimalism for Clarity and Control
Minimalism isn’t about giving up everything you own or living in a stark, empty house. It’s about keeping what truly serves you and creating space for clarity, calm, and focus.
When I read The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker, it completely shifted how I looked at my home and work life. I realized I didn’t need more time—I needed less clutter, fewer distractions, and simpler systems.
At home, Becker emphasizes starting small and focusing on the areas that impact you the most. For me, that was the kitchen. It always felt like a magnet for clutter—mail, keys, and all the random things that didn’t have a proper place.
Inspired by the book, I tackled the kitchen counters and cabinets first, sorting everything into “keep,” “relocate,” or “let go.” It was amazing how much lighter the space (and I) felt when the piles were gone.
Becker also suggests approaching each space with a question: “Does this item serve a purpose or bring me joy?” I used that question to go through my closets, where I found clothes I hadn’t worn in years. Letting go of those items created physical space, but it also lifted a mental weight I hadn’t even realized was there.
I spent a day bringing down boxes and boxes of pictures that I had in the attic and decided to sort through them. Back in the day when my kids were younger, we used to have our pictures developed at CVS or Walgreens and they typically came with doubles.
I went through all the pictures, divided them up in piles for each of my kids, and got rid of the rest. It was amazing to go down memory lane, but now I have a much more manageable number of pictures that I put into water and fire proof boxes for each of them.
I cannot tell you how much that one project made me feel lighter. I had been meaning to do it for years, but the idea of minimalism just took hold and inspired me to actually do something.
Another game-changer for me was simplifying routines. Inspired by Becker’s advice to rethink repetitive tasks, I created a streamlined evening routine. Now, I get coffee ready, set out clothes, and plan the next day before going to bed. It only takes 15 minutes, but it’s made mornings feel so much smoother and less rushed.
Although my kids are out of the house, Becker strongly recommends bringing your family into the process. Instead of trying to manage everything on your own, get your kids involved in decluttering their rooms.
Make it into a game, setting timers and seeing who could fill a donation box the fastest. They’ll love it, it will help you all feel like you’re working toward a calmer, cleaner home together.
And since minimalism isn’t just a concept for home, at work, I applied the same principles. Becker talks about how clutter isn’t just physical—it’s digital, too, so I started by organizing my files, creating clear folder systems, and deleting what I didn’t need.
I went through my email inbox and sent folders down to zero. I also calendared time every Thursday afternoon to do maintenance work so it doesn’t get cluttered again. I found that Fridays are less motivating to do this type of minimalism, but Thursdays seem to work best.
One of the most impactful changes I made was streamlining my workflow. Instead of being scattered with what I did and when, I was much more intentional with prioritizing my time.
Becker’s idea of “decluttering your schedule” helped me say no to things that weren’t essential, freeing up time for the work that truly matters.
Minimalism doesn’t mean perfection, and I’m still a work in progress. But every step I’ve taken—whether it’s clearing a counter, getting rid of 100’s of books, organizing files, or simplifying routines—has made life feel lighter and more intentional.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your home or your workload, minimalism might be exactly what you need. It’s not about living with less—it’s about making space for what matters most. And once you start, you’ll realize how much freedom comes with letting go.
But let me leave you with this one piece of advice – let minimalism unfold slowly. For me, that means giving myself a year to get through everything at home and work. I don’t want this to add pressure to my already packed day.
I’m allowing myself to apply minimalism to one area at a time and then paying attention to the difference I feel for a week or two. For example, after I went up in the attic and decluttered all those boxes of photos, I felt so much lighter, and still do.
I hadn’t realized how much those cluttered boxes were weighing on me. That inspired me to tackle all the other things in the attic and ask my adult children to let me know what they wanted me to keep and what could be donated or thrown away.
The bottom line is that the power of minimalism can have a profound effect on you physically, mentally, and emotionally if you take the time to let it.
Questions to consider
Question: What’s one spot in your home or workspace that stresses you out the most?
Think about the area that makes you sigh every time you see it. Is it the kitchen counter piled with mail, a closet you’re scared to open, or an email inbox overflowing with messages? Start small and tackle just one space—you’ll feel immediate relief and a sense of accomplishment.
Question: Does this item, task, or commitment truly add value to my life?
As you go through physical items, digital clutter, or even your schedule, ask yourself: “Does this serve a purpose or bring me joy?” If the answer is no, it’s probably weighing you down. Letting go of what doesn’t serve you opens up space for what really matters.
Question: What’s one simple system I could set up to make life easier?
Could you spend 15 minutes each evening prepping for the next day? Maybe it’s organizing your emails into folders or blocking out focused work time on your calendar. Small habits like these help prevent clutter from building back up and give you more peace and control moving forward.