October Part 1 - The Simplicity Mindset

Week One

Photo by Maxim Berg on Unsplash.com

Welcome to Part 1 of October’s focus inside The Simplified Year!

This week, we’re starting fresh by rethinking the way we see our time, energy, and commitments.

If you’ve been feeling like your days are running you instead of the other way around, this is your reset point. We’re going to step back and look at the mindset behind a cluttered calendar… because before you can simplify your schedule, you have to change the way you think about it.

If you’ve noticed yourself saying “yes” before you even think, or if your days are packed so full you barely get to breathe, this week will be uncomfortable—in the best way. We’re going to face the hidden costs of that busyness and start rewriting the rules for how you spend your time, not the details that are already on your calendar.

What’s your starting point with this?

This Week’s Focus: The Simplicity Mindset

This week is about shifting from “I’m valuable because I’m busy” to “I’m valuable just because I’m me.” We’re going to name (acknowledge) the sneaky ways we overcommit, understand the deeper toll it takes on our relationships and energy, and start making room for what matters more.

The Simplicity Mindset is about seeing time as a sacred, limited resource instead of an empty container to fill with tasks, invitations, and “shoulds.” When you start from that place, decisions about your calendar get a lot simpler (and a lot kinder to you).

Why This Matters (Mindset Reset)

If your home can get cluttered with too much stuff, your calendar can get cluttered with too many commitments. And just like a cluttered house leaves you overwhelmed and distracted, a cluttered calendar drains your energy before you’ve even started the day.

Busy-ness has a cost—one that’s deeply emotional. It steals the moments that matter most. When you’re always rushing, you might be physically with your kids, partner, or friends, but you’re not really with them. You’re thinking about the next thing on the list, or the one you missed a few hours ago; missing out on memories and deeper connections.

For many of us, busyness is tangled up with pride. We subconsciously equate “doing more” with “being more”, thanks to societal conditioning. We like being needed. We like being seen as capable. And saying yes feels good, until we’re so stretched thin that we’re snappy, resentful, and completely disconnected from the people we care about most.

There’s another layer too: when we overcommit, we rob ourselves of the energy to be the kind, attentive, creative, effective, productive and connected person we want to be. The version of you that your kids, friends, family, and business/job/boss actually need.

Children especially feel this absence; even if they can’t name it. They learn to think, “She has time for everyone else but not for me”. They begin to question their own importance and worth. Over time, they either try harder to get your attention (sometimes in unhelpful/harmful ways) or they stop trying altogether. Neither is an outcome you want.

We need to flip the equation: the more you do for others (without boundaries - it’s not all bad!), the less you often have for your own well-being and closest relationships. The more you strip away, the more presence, patience, and joy you reclaim, across the board.

Simplicity Mindset isn’t about doing nothing, it’s about doing the right things with presence. It’s choosing connection over constant motion, depth over distraction, and intention over obligation. It’s leaving white space open to rest, opportunities and possibilities.

When you start seeing time as something precious instead of endlessly renewable, you begin to guard it more fiercely.