Bri Clark is so much more than a writer, blogger, speaker, builder, designer, minimalist, wife, mother, and grandmother, but these are just a few adjectives.
We all have a closet of “someday.” Someday I’ll wear that dress. Someday I’ll learn to use that bread maker. Someday I’ll get back into that hobby.
But here’s the hard truth: “someday” rarely comes.
When I was minimizing, I realized most of my “someday” stuff was actually holding me back. The dress mocked me for not being a different size. The kitchen gadget reminded me of a skill I never picked up. The supplies collected dust and guilt.
So I let them go. And you know what? Someday never mattered. What mattered was today. Today I had space in my closet. Today I had less guilt. Today I had more room to live.
If you’re stuck with “someday” things—ask yourself: would keeping this make my today better? If not, it’s time to let it go.
I’ll never forget the first morning I walked into my living room after a week of minimizing. The shelves were clear, the coffee table was bare, and for the first time in years—I could see space.
It felt like my home was breathing again.
That’s the thing about clutter. It sneaks up on you. You don’t notice how much noise it makes until it’s gone. Once I cleared it out, I realized how heavy it had felt to live with it. Every corner, every pile, every drawer was a to-do list I hadn’t tackled.
Minimalism gave me permission to put that burden down. And now, when I walk into my home, I don’t feel the weight of “should.” I just feel peace.
If your home feels heavy, maybe it’s time to give it a chance to breathe again.
If I had waited for the “perfect” time to start my health journey, I’d still be sitting in my recliner with my joints aching, telling myself, “Next Monday.”
The truth? I started when my gallbladder was making my life miserable. I was in pain, bloated, and tired all the time. Hardly the Instagram-worthy “new year, new me” moment.
But I was done waiting. I swapped my comfort food for real food, cut back on drinks, and figured out how to move my body without injuring it. And you know what? Starting imperfectly still worked.
Don’t wait for a perfect Monday. Start on a random Thursday at 3 p.m. with whatever you’ve got. You’ll thank yourself later.
I’ve been asked this in some shape or form. How do I convince my husband, wife, child, roommate, sister, parents to be a minimalist, declutter, be organized. The words are interchangeable but the solution is the same for every recipe.
You don’t.
The truth is your stewardship is first with yourself. I started my journey to simpler living by choosing what worked for me. Small steps like getting up at 3AM and going to bed at 7PM. I did that for a week then my husband joined me. Eventually I started working out. During that time I also found a podcast called The Minimalists. Listening to them while I went for morning walks motivated me to start to declutter and minimize my possessions.
Did I talk to my husband about it? No. He came home one day to most of my clothing gone from the closet and saw I’d listed a lot of other stuff on Marketplace. He asked me if I was leaving him, half joking, I laughed and said I was just simplifying my life. By getting rid of what I didn’t need I was making room for what was important.
That was it. I went about minimizing what was mine for about 6 weeks. Donating, gifting, selling, and trashing anything that didn’t make the cut. I was ruthless. Also I added the money earned to a joint savings account. My husband after about a month started doing it himself. We didn’t have a big conversation or a come to Jesus about it. It was quiet easy and purely personal choice
So my advice is to start with yourself pursue your own joy and then see what happens.
Let me tell you about my first real workout in years—it was… walking in a circle. Yep. At the YMCA. On a cushioned track. Over and over and over again.
At first, it felt almost embarrassing. Was this even a workout? I wasn’t sweating buckets or gasping for air. But it was the first thing I found that didn’t wreck my joints or leave me limping the next day.
For two years, I walked that track 3-5 days a week with my husband. No gym intimidation, no pain, no fancy equipment—just us and our sneakers. I walked the circle while he lifted weights and the magic? I actually looked forward to it.
Sometimes the “best workout” isn’t the one that burns the most calories—it’s the one you can actually keep doing.
If you’ve ever looked at the road ahead and thought, “No way, too far, too much”—welcome to the club. Two years ago, I looked at my health and thought the same thing. Nearly 300 lbs, multiple surgeries behind me, joint pain like I was 90 years old, and a track record of yo-yo dieting that could fill its own Netflix series.
But here’s what I learned: big changes start with tiny wins. Not the flashy, “I lost 20 lbs in 2 weeks” kind of wins, but the kind where you quietly swap your nightly soda for water, or you choose the 10-minute walk instead of the couch nap.
The best part? Those small, unsexy changes stack up. A 10-minute walk turned into 20. Skipping soda turned into enjoying food without cravings controlling me. And before I knew it, I was 94 lbs down, walking pain-free, and feeling like my future just opened up again.
If you’re overwhelmed, start so small it almost feels silly. It works. (Inspired by Atomic Habits, and yes, I still recommend it.)
I have been on a health journey my whole life. But now in my 40’s and as an empty nester I am finally making lasting changes.
For several years I had one health repair after another, thyroidectomy, complications from said surgery, partial hysterectomy (that one I loved) then finally I a gallbladder eviction.
This was all over the course of 3-5 years.
Two years ago, thanks to the pain from having my gallbladder whither, I was very motivated to change my eating and drinking habits. Then after the surgery I continued the same lifestyle changes.
After I healed I wanted to be active. But I was almost 300 lbs and had some joint complications from some of my autoimmune disorders. If you’ve ever been obese and then tried to be active you know the pain. In another season I used to walk 40 miles a week. But I was also on phentermine and in my 20’s. While I was losing weight, I was also losing muscle mass. I was not doing it correctly and did eventually gain it back.
Now in my 40’s I am wiser and looking for lifestyle changes I can sustain and enjoy
But where to start with my fitness?
I tried to walk outside. While I love it cement, and black top are too hard on my body at that size. Pool? Can’t do it I get too many yeast infections. Walking on a treadmill? Same issues as walking outside. Then I found the YMCA in my town has a walking track inside made of a thick matt that circles the work out area. For 2 years I went and walked 3-5 days a week with my husband. I also started incorporating stretches and massage therapy. Now 2 years I am 6 pounds away from losing my 100lb weight loss goal.
I feel amazing and I’m inspired to try many new things or to pick up things I promised myself I’d do when I was an empty nester or healthier. Two promises I’m keeping to myself. Now I workout in a personal home cardio room where I actually walk on a treadmill. (I actually enjoy it and have no pain!) I have so much more energy but mostly I have more joy.
And this all started by small and simple changes. (Learned from reading book Atomic Habits)
I’ve been asked if I can link some of the things that have helped. They are below. And I do make a small commission off some of these. FYI we all trying to hustle out here.
Over a year ago I used to be very into seasonal décor, specifically with an attachment to Fall and Halloween décor. I used to be the place where we all gathered at every holiday and family event.
We now do it but with less members and that’s ok.
I no longer decorate seasonally except for plants and a Christmas tree. So, I sold or donated most of my seasonal décor with the exceptions of some wreaths. And that’s ok
The value and time that minimizing these events and accoutrements made way for less mental, physical and emotional clutter.
While I still enjoy the décor I do it from online or in a store. If a spooky loving baddie posts their décor, I don’t judge them or even envy them. I can start up if I want to. I talk about how awesome the set-up is. Sometimes when I’m out I’ll sent photos of where they can get unique stuff and let them know.
I live my days being creative in other ways while also having a sense of peace with the amount of energy and time I’ve save by not taking down and putting back up seasonal displays.
I also have my attention more in the present which is why I was able to appreciate this spider web. I guess I am still decorating seasonally I just lean more to the organic.
What say you are you a seasonal decorator or a minimal decorator?
Today is the first day of my 30×6 Reset Challenge. The guidelines are ones that come with grace. This isn’t as rigid as a 75 Hard which is great for some people. But for me I need something with some grace but structure, so I created my own challenge.
Here are my guidelines you can create your own or borrow mine
Goals for Next 30 Days
30 min of Morning Exercise (This can be walking, stretching, a YouTube video)
30 min a day learning (podcasts, books, audio books, blogs, a documentary, do something to feed your mind)
30 min decluttering (Go through the whole house and declutter)
30 Min on finances (this can be anything that has to do with finances or money)
30 Min Creating (This can be a TikTok video, a Facebook post, a blog post, a coloring sheet, a painting, a drawing, a plant in a pot. etc)
30 Min Evening Exercise (same guidelines as the morning)
Guidelines
-Don’t spend money on anything beyond bills, necessities, and can be bought at regular grocery shopping trips.
-Save 10% of every time you make a profit for the next 30 days
-When decluttering if you can gift it first do it. If you can’t and you think you can sell it do it. If you don’t sell it in 30 days then donate it.
At the end of the day if you haven’t done them all. Make an effort. If you can’t then try again the next day. You always have the opportunity to catch up and regain the same rhythm that you started with.
At the end of this my goals are the following:
-Less time on screens
-To have learned more
-To have a better understanding of my finances, create a budget, and assess my financial goals going forward
-To loose the last 12 lbs that I need to reach a 100lb weight loss goal
-To have lost the burden of too many unecesssary possessions
-To have a cleaning routine down
-To have a more calm, beautiful, functional home
Share your version of the 30×6 Challenge in the comments.
A concept of faith that I’ve applied to my life and relationships
The Sure! Why not? Concept of faith is defined as when someone presents you with an idea you say Sure! Why not? and listen. If they ask you for feedback you are only allowed to provide positive points of view. That doesn’t mean that later you can’t offer things to look out for or tips for success. Its based on the fact that when someone is sharing something with you for the first time you allow them that initial glow that comes with the excitement of a new idea or dream.
You should start your own business. Sure! Why not?
When we married I was 18 and Chris was 25. We instantly had 2 sons and I got pregnant with our first daughter. By the time I was 19 we were a family of 5. That came with its own challenges but the first one was survival. You know making all the money to pay for needs. Chris was a trim carpenter. He worked for a very kind man who unfortunately died of cancer shortly after we had our first child. This was hard on Chris and he tried working for other companies but it didn’t work out.
With that Moxy that is overflowing with teenagers cause at the time I still was one. I said why don’t you start your own trim carpentry business? He laughed and said sarcastically, Sure! Why Not? If you can find me builders and figure all the legalities out I’ll do it.
It took me a week to do the legalities. And 2 weeks to find work. Which was hard because back then there wasn’t internet, email or website. But I did it and he worked his ass off for sometimes as low as $0.25 a square foot. But it was a start and we built that business up together. It was so successful it afforded us to be able to buy cars, work vehicles, trailers, and even two homes. We worked hard and learned a lot of lessons in that first decade of marriage. But the most important lesson was the value of doing something together and earning the confidence that comes with having a life partner at home and at work that is in it as much as you. This has saw us through almost 25 years of marriage.
Bri Clark 