If Simplifying Your Life Feels Overwhelming, Start Here

For the last year, my word was rhythm.

But as I look back, I can see the quiet thread that ran through every new rhythm I tried to build: a deep desire for simplicity.

To simplify.

Now, before anyone imagines I wear linen dresses while gardening and tending to chickens—my children blissfully screen-free and nourished by perfectly balanced organic meals—let me stop you right there.

I am not that girl.
I wish I were.
But that’s just not me.

I’m a full-time working mom in ministry, with a demanding job and three kids—ages four, two, and one. Our home life is full and loud and tender and exhausting. Most days feel like a careful juggling act.

This isn’t a post from an expert who has figured it all out.

It’s from someone who is seeking simplicity, putting rhythms in place to support it, messing them up, reassessing, and resetting—again and again.

When Life Feels Manageable but You Still Feel Maxed Out

My desire to simplify didn’t come from a Pinterest board or a lifestyle trend.

It came from a constant hum of anxiety.

I lived most days feeling like a solid seven out of ten on the “she’s about to blow” scale. Always holding everything—but never feeling like I was holding anything well.

I was exhausted and still somehow losing ground.

That’s the tension that finally forced me to ask the question so many of us avoid:

Where does someone who needs to simplify everywhere even begin?

signs your life is too busy and shaped by too much more

Start Anywhere—Just Start

Here’s the honest answer I’ve learned the long way:

I don’t think it matters where you start.
I think it only matters that you start.

So I began with the thing that felt the most out of control—but still manageable.

My closet.

I have a larger-than-average walk-in closet, and I couldn’t tell you half of what was in there—much less when I’d last worn it.

I filled six bags for Goodwill – the big black ones.

Then, for months, I chose one manageable space at a time.

On days when I had ten minutes:

bathroom vanity drawers
makeup
the kitchen junk drawer

I took everything out.
Trashed a good bit.
Reorganized.
Only put back what I actually use—or could name a specific time I would.

On days when I had thirty minutes to an hour:

nightstands
the linen closet
the pantry

During nap times:

the McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A toy collections

For me, physical spaces were the place I could start. That was the door I could walk through.

starting to simplify your life by decluttering manageable spaces

When Simplifying Moves From Space to Schedule

As the clutter around me quieted, I began to sense the Lord gently nudging me toward something deeper.

My calendar.

My family and I began practicing Sabbath.

In its simplest form, Sabbath is one day a week where we enjoy the life we’ve built instead of working for it.

Devices are put away.
The calendar only holds what brings joy.
Laundry stays tucked in hampers.

I won’t romanticize this—it felt like a burden before it became a gift.

To make Sabbath possible, we had to build other rhythms:

laundry every day instead of one overwhelming pile
deciding when yard work would happen
navigating parties we felt obligated to attend
figuring out how to make it joyful for our kids (which doesn’t always look like rest for adults)

Now, it’s one of the most grounding simplicity practices we’ve put in place.

But it took time. And patience. And adjustment.