Dear ones, we have been following Antonia on Instagram for a long time, where she has spoken openly about her patchwork family and the challenges. Now the mum of two has a new topic close to her heart: everyday minimalism. She explains exactly what she means by this and how it has changed her life here:
Dear Antonia, please start by telling us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Antonia, mum to two children (aged 11 and 14) – and the woman behind Mamaalltag in stark. I accompany mums on their way to more lightness in everyday life because I know how it feels when everything is too much. When you’re tired, exhausted and simply exhausted – just like many mums feel today.
With my concept of everyday minimalism, I show how you can put everything in life to the test: Things, situations, thoughts, feelings, relationships. And then, step by step, create an everyday life that is truly sustainable – with what does you good and without what only drains your energy. This creates lightness – not because everything is perfect, but because we actively decide in favour of what is good for us.I have overcome many challenges in recent years – from the separation from my children’s father to the patchwork constellation that I have lived in over the last few years. And now I’m going through another major phase of upheaval: in the summer, I experienced both a separation and a job loss within a very short space of time. That was a deep break – and at the same time another turning point.
In the last three months, I have stabilised myself step by step with the help of everyday minimalism, creating structure and giving myself stability again. I have learnt to let go of what no longer holds me back – and to create space for something new. Now I’m looking forward to what’s to come: I’m celebrating my birthday at the end of October – and from November I’ll be starting a new chapter with a great new job.I’m looking forward to continuing to live everyday minimalism, anchoring it in my everyday life and thereby maintaining the stability that makes full-time work possible in the first place. Everyday minimalism has helped me in many phases of my life – and it’s my anchor again now.
Through my work on Instagram, I am able to pass on this sense: I create instead of just react. And as a single mum, I have created a home for myself that is real. Not perfect, but loving and honest.You’ve had to overcome some personal challenges in the past. In hindsight, what were the biggest lessons you learnt from them?
I’ve learnt that strength doesn’t mean always carrying on – it means honestly looking at where it hurts. After my break-up, losing my job and all those years of constant functioning, my biggest learning was: I don’t have to manage everything to be enough.
I learnt that boundaries have nothing to do with weakness, but with self-respect. And that healing doesn’t lie in getting everything back the way it used to be – but in getting to know yourself anew. I have stopped building a life that only looks strong from the outside. And started to live one that feels strong on the inside – calmer, more genuine, clearer. That’s what sustains me today.
You have discovered everyday minimalism for yourself. What exactly do you mean by this term?
For me, everyday minimalism means bringing life back to the essentials. Not just getting rid of things, but everything that exhausts us in everyday life – expectations, pressure to be perfect, constant availability, comparisons.
It’s not a trend, but an inner attitude. It’s about taking a conscious look: What is good for me – and what drains my energy? And let’s not kid ourselves: The things that drain our energy are very often expectations that we accept from the outside or that we draw upon ourselves. And this is exactly what everyday minimalism puts an end to.
Everyday minimalism doesn’t mean living less. It means living more genuinely. With more clarity, with more space, with more awareness of what is really important – for myself and not for the others out there. And this is exactly what creates lightness – because we learn to let go of what no longer supports us.Can you give some concrete examples of this?
Yes, I’d love to – because that’s where it becomes tangible. My journey towards everyday minimalism began in 2017, shortly after separating from the father of my children. After many difficult weeks and months, I was home alone for the first time – the children were with their father, just for one night, but that was unusual enough.
I remember it clearly: I came home, sat down – and was completely overwhelmed by this unplanned time. What should I do with myself now? How could I use it „wisely“? And, how could it be otherwise, I started tidying and cleaning. In the process, I got stuck – quite literally – on a vase. I stood there and thought: Actually, it’s just in my way.
I have to pick it up every time to dust underneath it and, to be honest, I don’t enjoy it at all. The shelf it was on was full enough as it was. And at that moment, the thought occurred to me: why is it there at all? And what else is there in my life – visible or invisible – that I don’t actually need?
That was the beginning. My everyday minimalism emerged from this vase – and the decision to organise my life bit by bit so that I only have what is really good for me. Back then, I had cluttered kitchen shelves and always thought: I just need to finally find a good organisation system to make this work somehow.
But every time I opened the cupboard door, it stressed me out inside. Because I knew that if I took one item out now, the whole organisation pile would collapse. And that was a complete error in thinking. Because do I really need ten different lunch boxes? No, I don’t. I reduced it from ten to three – and suddenly I could just open the door without thinking: Oh no, everything’s about to fall out again.The same with my wardrobe: only things that I really wear and feel comfortable in. Let’s not kid ourselves – those piles of „maybe again sometime“ or clothes that hang on the rack forever do make me feel uncomfortable, even if it’s only subliminally. This I’ll wear it again sometime dress exerts pressure: I have to lose weight. I have to change. I need another occasion first. Get rid of it. Just get rid of it. That not only creates space, but also clears my head in the morning.
What else is important to you?
Rituals and routines are also part of everyday minimalism for me – because they give me a structure in which I can move safely and stay organised. For example, I have built myself a little AI-supported personal assistant that helps me to anchor my rituals and recurring activities in a daily schedule.
I can then simply tick things off in order and no longer waste energy constantly asking myself: What’s next? For me, everyday minimalism also means consciously looking at energy guzzlers. I may not like some things in everyday life – such as certain household tasks – but they are just part of it. Then I decide for myself: I accept them. In doing so, I at least turn this energy guzzler into something neutral.
I can actively change other things – make small adjustments, adapt processes – and suddenly the things that used to stress me out are no longer so bad or have even become positive.And then there are energy guzzlers that make me realise: this is simply not good for me. For example, a person around me who just drains my energy. I can distance myself – I don’t have to keep this person in my life.
And that’s the crux of the matter: Everyday minimalism is not just about leaving things out, but above all about becoming aware. It’s about feeling what’s good for you again – and giving yourself permission to organise your life accordingly.mFor me, this is everyday minimalism in action: leave it, accept it or change it.
And that’s exactly what gives me stability – because I no longer react powerlessly, but consciously shape what is given space in my everyday life. Everyday minimalism isn’t something aloof – it happens exactly where our everyday lives take place: between the washing machine, WhatsApp and laundry basket. But when you start to choose more consciously what you really need, everything suddenly becomes easier.
What benefits can you gain from everyday minimalism?
The greatest gift for me is quite clear: peace and quiet. Not in the sense of stagnation, but of inner clarity. When you start to focus on the essentials – on what is really good for you – life doesn’t get emptier, it gets easier.
Everyday minimalism takes you out of constant functioning and back into conscious awareness. You suddenly know what you need – and what you can confidently let go of. This clarity gives you energy because you no longer lose it on a hundred small construction sites that don’t really have any priority at all.
You gain time – real, perceived time. Space to breathe again. And a new kind of self-efficacy: I am no longer the one to whom life happens – I actively shape what is part of it. Everyday minimalism is not a retreat from life, but a coming home to yourself. It gives structure where there was chaos before. It creates trust where before it was overwhelming. And it turns what remains into something valuable again.How have you specifically changed since you started living a more minimalist lifestyle?
I no longer function – I live again. My everyday life used to be a balancing act: job, children, household, expectations. I was constantly on the move, but completely exhausted inside. Today, my life has a structure that supports me instead of overwhelming me. I know what’s really important – for me, not for everyone else out there.
I start the day more calmly because I know my routines and have consciously chosen them. I no longer waste energy on things that only stress or strain me, but can instead focus my energy where it’s good for me and my children. I used to feel like I was always running after everything – to-dos, expectations, perfection.Today, I run with my life, not against it. I have learnt to no longer see breaks as a standstill, but as part of my movement. And that is perhaps the biggest change: I feel like I’m in the driving seat again.
Not because everything is perfect, but because I trust myself – even on the days that are loud or chaotic. I’ve become calmer. Clearer. More grounded. And I now know that lightness is no coincidence – it’s a decision I make every day.Is there anything else that is particularly important to you on this topic?
I want to encourage mums to take themselves seriously again. Everyday minimalism is not another to-do, not a new „system“ that you have to implement perfectly – it’s an invitation to take a closer look.
Towards what really matters. Away from what exhausts you, makes you feel small or makes you constantly compare yourself to others. Many mums believe they have to have everything under control before they can allow themselves to take a deep breath. But it’s the other way round: when you start to take a deep breath, life starts to fall into place.
For me, everyday minimalism doesn’t mean letting go of everything – it means holding on to what gives you stability. It’s about being able to feel yourself again. And to realise: I can make things easier for myself without having to justify it. I would be delighted if more people followed me on Mamaalltag in stark – because it really is a gift for me to take other women with me on this journey.
To be able to show by my example that it is possible to carry on again, even after break-ups, exhaustion and difficult times. And who knows – my big dream is to one day reach a lot of women with everyday minimalism, to encourage them and show them that it is possible: It can be done. Step by step. It’s a way back to life. Back to you.
