Less Is More: My Personal Approach for the Year Ahead

As I look toward the upcoming year, I am not setting goals around doing more, achieving more, or adding more.

My theme is simple:

Less is more.

More peace. More enrichment. More joy. More presence.

All through doing less.

The Cost of Constant “Yes”

Over time, I’ve noticed something important: My stress is rarely caused by one big thing. It comes from accumulation.

Too many "yeses". Too many commitments stacked on top of one another. Too many social obligations, trips, events, and expectations; many of them good, meaningful, and well-intentioned in isolation.

But together, they create noise.

This year, I’m intentionally under-committing:

• Fewer social events

• Fewer travel plans

• Fewer extracurricular commitments for the kids

• More open space on the calendar

Not because connection and experience don’t matter, but because capacity does.

When everything is important, nothing is restorative.

Less Giving Away My Time

Time is not an infinite resource, and yet many of us treat it as if it is endlessly renewable.

I’m paying closer attention to:

• Where my time goes

• Who benefits from it

• Whether it aligns with my values, energy, and current season of life

Less over-extending. Less default availability. More intentional boundaries.

This isn’t about withdrawal. It’s about alignment.

This same principle is at the core of the work I do in The Protocol Coaching Program. Most people don’t fail because they lack motivation or discipline; they fail because they set too many goals at once.

The Protocol is built around doing less, but better:

• Fewer goals

• Clear priorities

• Specific, intentional action steps

• Systems that support consistency instead of burnout

When goals are simplified and focused, momentum becomes sustainable.

Less Buying, Less Filling Emotional Gaps with Stuff

Another major shift for me this year is around consumption.

Like many people, I’ve noticed how easy it is to use buying as a form of emotional regulation:

• Stress → buy something

• Boredom → buy something

• Discomfort → buy something

The result is more clutter, more financial leakage, and less satisfaction.

As a concrete step, I cancelled my Amazon Prime membership.

Not as a dramatic statement, but as a friction strategy.

If I truly need something:

• I can get in the car

• Go to the store

• Make a conscious choice

Removing the ease of one-click purchasing forces intention. And intention creates clarity.

Less Doing in Relationships, More Clarity

This “less is more” philosophy also shows up powerfully in relationships and dating.

Many people approach relationships by doing too much:

• Over-texting

• Over-explaining

• Over-giving

• Over-accommodating

• Over-tolerating

Often without boundaries, clarity, or self-trust.

In Relationship Ready Coaching, I see this pattern constantly. People aren’t struggling because they don’t care enough; they’re struggling because they’re over-extending and under-protecting themselves.

Healthy relationships require:

• Clear boundaries

• Fewer mixed signals

• Intentional pacing

• The ability to say no without guilt

Doing less emotionally reactive work creates more stability, safety, and connection.

Less Noise, More Life

At its core, this year isn’t about deprivation.

It’s about subtraction as a pathway to abundance.

Less noise → more calm

Less clutter → more space

Less obligation → more freedom

Less consumption → more contentment

By doing less, I’m creating room for:

• Deeper connection with my family

• More presence in my work

• More rest without guilt

• More joy that doesn’t require a purchase or a plan

Moving Forward

I don’t expect this approach to be rigid or perfect. This isn’t about rules, it’s about direction.

A gentle but firm recalibration toward a life that feels:

• Quieter

• More spacious

• More grounded

This year, I’m choosing less because I want more of what actually matters.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or unclear about where your energy should be going, you don’t need another productivity hack or relationship rulebook.

You likely need less. Less noise, less over-commitment, and more intention.

The Protocol Coaching Program is designed to help you clarify your goals, narrow your focus, and build systems that support sustainable follow-through, without burnout.

Relationship Ready Coaching helps you simplify dating and relationships by strengthening boundaries, pacing, and self-trust, so connection feels grounded rather than draining.

If you’re ready to create more peace and progress by doing less, you can learn more about both programs here: https://www.affirmingwords.org/coaching-programs