Simplifying Your Life as a Mom: The Key to Reaching Your Goals

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Simplifying Your Life as a Mom may sound like a major undertaking. As a mom, your day is full — neverending laundry, dishes, diapers, text messages. Not to mention your church commitments, and maybe even a side hustle or homeschool plan. You desire intentional time with your kids, devotion in your marriage, and obedience to God’s calling… but instead, you feel stretched thin and stuck in survival mode.

That’s where simplifying your life comes in.

Simplifying isn’t just about minimalism or time management — it’s about creating space to follow God intentionally. When you clear the clutter (physically, mentally, and spiritually), you open the door to greater peace, clarity, and purpose.

Many moms believe the problem derives from not having enough time. But often, the issue is that their time is overcrowded with things that aren’t aligned with their God-given goals. Simplifying your life helps you create margin, mental clarity, and spiritual space to pursue what truly matters — without the unnecessary distractions and guilt.

Here’s how to simplify your life so you can focus on your goals, the good works He prepared in advance for you to do.

1. Start with God, Not Just a To-Do List

Before you simplify anything, start by seeking the Lord.

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

— Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Instead of rushing into another system or schedule, take the time to pause and ask:
“Lord, what are You calling me to focus on in this season?”

When you align your goals with God’s will, you simplify your life from the inside out. Anytime I’m struggling to discern His voice, I go back and do this bible study from Priscilla Shirer called “Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God Speaks.”

When you start with the Lord, your goals are no longer about hustle — they’re about obedience. You’re not just doing more for the sake of doing more. You’re stewarding your God-given gifts.

To start: Spend at least 10 quiet minutes in prayer. Below are some scriptures that can help get you started.

1. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
2. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.  Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)
3. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)
4. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

2. Define What Actually Matters

You can’t simplify your life if you’re unclear about your priorities.   

Ask yourself:

• What are my top 3 priorities right now?
• What tasks, habits, or commitments are taking my energy but not serving those priorities?

When you identify your focus—like growing spiritually, building a Christ-centered home, or a business that allows you to remain devoted to raising your children — it becomes easier to say “no” to the rest. 

Knowing your top priorities gives your goals a foundation. When you’re clear on what matters, you can say no with confidence and say yes to the things that move you closer to God’s call.

3. Simplify Your Consumption

Simplifying your life means cutting back on more than just physical items, although that’s critical too. You must declutter the tangible and intangible.

• Scrub your digital space –
  • Unsubscribe from email lists that overwhelm and add little to no value. I can’t tell you how many times I subscribed to something and eventually began to just instantly delete the email before even opening it. I could have saved myself time and mental energy by quickly unsubscribing with just a couple quick clicks.
  • Unfollow social media accounts that impact your peace by showing unrealistic expectations OR talking down about the blessing of motherhood. Silence group chats. You can even fast from social media altogether for a set time if needed. I’ve done this with Instagram and it’s been so freeing! Like surprisingly freeing.
• Relieve your mental space –
  • Avoid perfectionism. None of us can achieve perfection, so give yourself permission to let that go.
  • Quit the comparison game, good or bad. We all know that comparison is the thief of joy. 
  • Let the guilt go.
• Clear your Calendar –
  • It’s OK to cancel plans if you absolutely need to or to take a pause from things until your season changes. Saying yes to every invitation simply to please others is likely not aligned with your goals. It’s OK to decline when necessary.

• Reduce the inventory in your home. This doesn’t mean you have to be a minimalist, but you do need to acknowledge the elephant (a.k.a. junk) in the room. Physical clutter impacts us in major ways. I highly recommend keeping a donation box handy in each area of your home and regularly filling it and hauling it off to the thrift store. I can’t tell you how much this has helped my sanity over the last year as we welcomed our third baby into our small home.

If minimalism is something you want to lean more into, I’ve recently been enjoying Margaret Matheny’s content on YouTube!

Freedom often looks like choosing less. When your mind, schedule, and home are less cluttered, your energy increases for the work God has placed before you. Simplifying your life frees your focus — so you can finally follow through.

4. Create Rhythms Instead of Rigid Routines

Simplifying your life doesn’t mean turning your life into a rigid minute-by-minute schedule. Remember, we’re aiming for simple, not stressful. You have to learn how to build rhythms that support peace and purpose.

Examples of life-simplifying rhythms:

• A simple morning routine that includes time with God
• A simplified cleaning routine – my method can be adapted for most mamas!
• Special independent play blocks that all you to focus on your goals or to simply rest

Rhythms provide grace through flexibility. Even meaningful and intentional goals require flexibility in order to achieve them. Life is unpredictable, especially when you have littles. 

If you need help figuring out how to create a flexible “schedule”, be sure to download my free SAHM daily schedule toolkit.

5. Remove guilt from your life.

Guilt is one of the biggest obstacles to simplifying your life as a mom. If feeling guilty was an Olympic sport, moms would win every time. There are so many ways we work ourselves into guilt. We feel…

• Guilty for not doing “all the things”
• Guilty for needing help
• Guilty for pursuing something outside motherhood

But know this: God is not asking you to do it all. You can’t. He’s asking you to be faithful with what He has given you — not what others are doing. 

8 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

 — Romans 8:1

Guilt keeps you stuck. Freedom fuels progress. When you let go of false expectations, you’re free to walk confidently in the unique calling God has given you — without apology.

Pin These Simple Living Tips For Later

Don’t forget to pin these tips for later. They are great reminders when you plan your goals!

6. Take One Obedient Step Toward Simplifying Your Life

You don’t have to wait until you have the time to do a complete overhaul of your life. You will never have enough time and that’s OK. Just take one small, but faithful, step today to simplify your life. Here are some ideas: 

• Donate or toss 10 toys that are broken or no longer played with.
• Say no to an extra commitment.
• Write down ONE goal that you want to focus on. Yes, one. 
• Set aside 30-minutes during nap time to focus on your goal.

Intentional steps = sustainable change. And sustainable simplicity leads to freedom and focus.

Every small step you take toward simplicity strengthens your ability to follow through on the things that truly matter. Progress doesn’t come from doing more—it comes from faithfully doing the right things, one step at a time.

Final Thoughts: Simplifying Your Life is Stewardship

At the heart of it, simplifying your life is about stewardship. It’s recognizing that your time, energy, and attention are limited gifts. We want to be intentional with those gifts and steward them well as unto the Lord. 

You are not “just a mom”. You are a daughter of the King. A woman with purpose, vision, and a calling in this exact season of life. Simplify. Make space. Clear the clutter.

Pursue your God-given goals with clarity and joy.