A Work-in-Progress Minimalist Style

Don’t let “stuff” steal your life. A wake-up call—and a reminder that minimalist living can’t wait for “someday.”

I’ve been thinking about minimalism for a long time and craving a quieter, more meaningful life with less stuff.

In my Entrepreneurs Who Work from Home video series, I ask every guest how they manage work-life balance as self-identified workaholics. Again, and again, top performers credit minimalism as their edge. We often say:

• “Keep it simple.”

• “Don’t overcomplicate things.”

We reduce distractions—declutter workspaces, ditch excess paper, and create simple routines to begin and end our days. We aim to be more efficient by time-blocking and focusing on revenue-generating tasks.

When Loss Brought the Clutter into Focus

When my husband passed away four years ago, I inherited a room full of paper. But really, it felt like inheriting a room full of memories.

Inside were partnership documents, old checks, printed email threads—even his mother’s bank stubs. My late husband (God bless him) believed that if it wasn’t on paper, it wasn’t real. And don’t get me started on the one-inch-square family photos of long-gone relatives—many of whom I never even knew.

The roar of the shredder has become my morning mantra.
Every day, I spend an hour turning the past into confetti. Some days, it feels like I’m dismantling an archive no one asked me to curate.

Books, Boundaries, and What to Keep

Then there were the books. So many book…. My husband inscribed the inside of each one with our address, the date he bought it, when he finished it, and where we were at the time.

To protect our privacy, I’ve had to tear out those pages before donating the volumes.

What I Keep Now—and Why

Thankfully, we have a family historian who wants many of these items. So, I’m mailing off priority boxes to the mainland almost every week. His brother is also enjoying envelopes full of meaningful memorabilia.

I've become very clear about what needs to stay and what needs to go.
That’s what draws me to minimalism: only keeping what matters or serves a future purpose.

Here are the rules I wish I had lived by sooner:

• Scan and shred quarterly.
  If it needs archiving, it belongs in one digital folder or one physical envelope. Everything else goes in the “to be decided” pile—or straight to confetti.

• The one-year test.
  If it hasn’t been used, worn, or referenced in 12 months: donate, sell, or recycle it.

• Photographs.
  Keep what you love, digitize the rest, and let them go.

• Books.
  I haven’t figured out my limit yet (voracious reader here), but I use the library weekly and I’m learning to love audiobooks.

• Surfaces.
  My nightly goal is to clear the clutter. I’m making slow but steady progress.

Advice I Wish I’d Given Myself 20 Years Ago

Don’t wait for retirement, relocation, or tragedy to force your hand.
Pick one category a week—paperwork, books, clothing, photos—and schedule time for it now.

Open your calendar and block two hours.
Name the event something like “My Minimalist Future.”

Here’s the quiet truth:
Every box you ignore today is a burden you—or someone you love—must carry tomorrow.

Begin lifting now.
Let’s build lighter lives together.
One less thing at a time.

If you choose to accept this mission, email me with your progress—I’ll cheer you on.

Let’s build lighter lives together, one less thing at a time.

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