The “Hard Truth” Hook: The Minimalism Myth
If you walked into my home during the holidays, you’d see every surface dripping in evergreen and ribbon. A Christmas tree in every room, a different theme on each one (because gingerbread, am I right?), and an outdoor light display that upsets the neighbors. You’d see the “maximalist” in me in full bloom.
So, when people call me a minimalist, I usually laugh. To most moms, “minimalism” feels like a cold, sterile room where children aren’t allowed to be messy or loud. It feels like a lifestyle of no, and in a house with six kids, my life is a very loud yes.
But here is the hard truth: You cannot have a “maximalist” heart if you are buried under a “surplus” home.
The reality is that I don’t have the mental capacity to manage an attic, garage, and basement full of holiday decor and a house that’s maxed out with everyday belongings. Most of us aren’t struggling because we have too much joy; we’re struggling because we have too much noise. We are paying a “mental tax” on the mountain of mismatched socks, the bins of broken plastic toys, and the “just in case” kitchen gadgets that haven’t seen the light of day in three years.
My philosophy isn’t about deprivation—it’s about Abundance, Not Surplus. It’s the bridge between the sterile world of minimalism and the suffocating weight of clutter. I reduce the surplus in the mundane areas of our lives so that I have the physical space and the mental capacity to go “all in” on the things we actually love. I’m not here to tell you to empty your shelves; I’m here to help you clear the clutter so you can finally see the feast.
The Math of Capacity: The Basket Principle
Look at your home like a basket. It’s a tool for holding things, but every basket has a limitation.
Imagine that basket is filled to the brim with a jumbled heap of clothing. If I asked you to find one specific shirt, the task would be nearly impossible without dumping the whole thing out. But what if we only put a third of those items back in? If we folded and sorted them, finding that shirt becomes fast and manageable. You could find multiple items in half the time it took to find the first shirt in the “full-basket” scenario.
This is my secret. It’s how I have six young children (four of whom are three and under) and still have the energy to do the things I love. My sketchbook isn’t just a list of to-dos; I actually have time to turn the page and sketch something inspiring. You and I probably have the same “tasks” written on our to-do-list each day, but we are not completing the same amount of “work.” The task of tidying the playroom truly only takes 5 minutes. Unloading the dishwasher, seconds. Putting the laundry away, I barely lift a finger.
Every item in your home requires a piece of your attention and creates a small bit of friction. If you place too many items in a basket, the friction becomes so great that nothing can move. The rhythms you try so hard to put in place simply can’t function. To move beyond the mundane, you have to significantly reduce the amount of “mundane” that lives in your house.
Abundance vs. Surplus vs. Minimalism
I used to think: How can I be a minimalist if I love stuff? The reality is that minimalism and surplus are both extremes. I don’t want a home where I’m tripping over my own thoughts, but I also don’t want a home that feels cold and restricting. A home should make you feel more secure, peaceful, and inviting than any other place in the world.
This is why I adopted the philosophy of Abundance, Not Surplus. I want abundance. I want:
- The pretty decor and the throw pillows.
- The well-stocked pantry and the stand-mixer on the counter.
- The cozy sweaters and the craft cabinet full of “just-in-case” scraps.
It fills me with so much joy when a piece of cardboard turns into a beautiful DIY Burlap Angel. So keep the things that inspire you—keep an abundance of them! But in order to do that, something has to give. You cannot keep an abundance of everything.
Practical Application: Where to be “Minimal” so you can be “Maximal”
This looks different for every home. For our family, we go big during the holidays and baking because that’s our joy.
Areas where we’ve simplified to “Minimal”:
- The Physical: Clothing, shoes, toys, unused kitchen gadgets, and DVDs.
- The Digital: Unused streaming services and digital clutter.
- The Mental: Time obligations that take us out of our home. (This one is stealing more time and energy than we realize) Read here about [My Home-Centered Life as a Stay-At-Home-Mom]
Finally, we simplify decisions. Through automated systems like my [4-Week Rotating Meal Plan], [Mom Uniform], and [One-Closet Kids Clothing System], I’ve removed the mental clutter of deciding. So much of our time as moms is wasted making decisions that should be automated.
What are some areas you need to simplify? What do you want to spend less time doing so you have room for the “feast”? Let’s talk it out in the comments.