Big Girl Panties Diaries - Entry #40 - Is Living a Simpler Life Possible? (Or Am I Just in a Mood to Trash It All Again?)
Do you ever get in one of those moods where you want to throw everything out? The piles, the clutter, the mental baggage, the people who drain your energy — all of it. Sometimes it’s an innocent closet clean-out. Sometimes it’s a full-on meltdown in the Target where you question your entire existence while clutching a label maker.
This weekend? For me, it was the Great American Girl Doll Purge of 2025. Anna turned 12 and woke up one morning announcing she was “done” with dolls. Poof — childhood, over.
At first, it was adorable. We giggled at tiny outfits and got lost in a sweet trip down memory lane. And then it turned into hours of rummaging through miniature chaos.
Unmatched shoes? Check. Chewed-up hairbrushes? Check. Mystery hats, decapitated accessories, and an ice cream cone that someone definitely licked? Check, check, check.
About three hours in, it hit me: these dolls were living large. House? Jeep? Fully stocked ice cream truck? A winter ski and snowboarding set that made me wonder why I never got one.
And of course, my brain did what it always does — started tallying up the hours and dollars. All that time, all those tiny accessories… was it worth it? Of course it was — the memories were priceless. But standing there in a sea of tiny shoes and half-braided doll hair, it made me think: the stuff adds up, but so do the moments we hang onto long after the toys are gone.
Turns out, the real clutter wasn’t the doll shoes — it was the guilt for spending it, the nostalgia for when she was little, and that bittersweet pang that your baby is growing up faster than you can KonMari her room.
✅ Big Girl Panties Tips for Actually Living Simpler
If you’re craving a simpler life (or just less to trip over at 2 AM), try this:
1️⃣ Declutter your yeses. Before you toss a single sock, look at your calendar. Where are you overcommitted? Clear your schedule before your closet.
2️⃣ Start tiny. Tackle one drawer, one purse, or that weird junk bowl by the front door. Small wins beat an all-day meltdown.
3️⃣ Drop the guilt clutter. Let go of the ‘someday’ pile: the unfinished projects, the jeans you haven’t fit into since 2013, the hobbies you secretly hate. You’re not obligated to keep it all.
4️⃣ Keep the good mess. Not all clutter is bad. Kids’ art, Starbucks coffee mugs, spontaneous wine nights with your best friend — that’s the mess that feeds your soul.
🏢 Same Mess, Different Desk: The Work Version
Of course, the clutter doesn’t stop at home. Work is basically one giant junk drawer we pretend is organized.
We hoard meetings, reports, tasks, and outdated processes like they’re sentimental doll shoes. We say yes to everything, keep doing things “just in case,” and cling to busywork that doesn’t move the needle.
Before you know it, your calendar looks like that dollhouse: random, over-accessorized, and nobody knows what half of it’s for.
Here’s the hard truth: A simpler work life isn’t about doing less work — it’s about doing the right work. It’s about purging what no longer serves you:
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Meetings that could be an email.
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Reports no one reads.
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Tasks that exist out of habit, not impact.
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People who drain your time and energy dry.
So maybe it’s time for a professional version of the Great Doll Purge. Crack open your work junk drawer and ask: What actually matters? What’s just dead weight? And what’s the work equivalent of that ski chalet set you bought because it looked fun — but now it’s just collecting dust?
🗂️ Try This at Work:
✅ Audit your yeses. What are you committing to that no longer serves you or your team?
✅ Start with a small win. Cancel that recurring meeting nobody loves. Archive an ancient doc. Unsubscribe from a group chat that brings you zero value.
✅ Keep the good mess. Not all chaos is bad — the hallway chats, spontaneous brainstorms, and TEAMs banter are often what make the work worth doing.
Big Girl Panties Rule
Simplicity isn’t about empty shelves or perfect calendars — it’s about carrying less of what weighs you down, so you have more space for what truly matters.
If you love a good purge, you might also enjoy this old favorite: Closet Cleanouts & Clutter Guilt — it’s proof we’ve been tackling this messy middle together for a while.
📣 Your Turn
Next time you feel the urge to toss it all, ask: What’s really worth keeping — and what needs to go?
When was the last time you went on a decluttering spree at home or at work? Did you feel lighter, or did you just end up buying more storage bins? Drop your funniest ‘simpler life’ attempt below — we can all use the reminder that life (and work) don’t have to be so heavy.
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