Let’s Frum Minimalism 2026!

Ellie Azerad
6 days ago
5 min read

Hi Frum Minimalist's💛

3 Announcements:

1. Scroll to the end of this email for a New Years Gift for YOU!

2. For those of you who watched the panel I lead on mom / work / life balance, I’d love to hear what you enjoyed and what you learned from it. In today’s email, I’m going to share how I’ve been applying some of those ideas in my own life.

3. And if you caught my article from Chanukah, on Between Carpools, tell me what you thought about that too!

Now for today’s hock!

Unfortunately, We are still in galus.

As much as we wait every day for Mashiach iy”H, we are still living in a world that runs on the secular calendar. And instead of fighting that reality, we can actually use it.

Yes, Rosh Hashanah is the real New Year, and may we be zoche to ONLY use our holy calendar very very soon!

But the truth is, we’re allowed to reset anytime.

End of the year.

Beginning of a month.

Middle of a month.

After a hard season.

After burnout.

When life just feels too full.

A reset isn’t about the date.

It’s about the decision to change.

Planning matters more when life is busy

Usually around this time of year, I’m running goal-setting classes, year-planning workshops, vision board parties, all the things I love.

This year, I’m not running them publicly.

(I’m still doing this for myself.)

In large part because of insights I had during the work-life balance panel, something became even clearer to me:

When life is busy, planning matters more. Not less.

Most women think,

“I’ll plan when things calm down.”

But things don’t calm down.

They rarely do.

STORY TIME:

I was reminded of this by a woman who reached out to me after reading Frum Minimalism.

She became a psychologist while raising two young children, and she was pregnant with her third.

So many people asked her,

“Why don’t you wait until your kids are older and you have more time?”

And she answered:

“Life never really calms down. We just get busier.”

She told me that one of the ideas that pushed her forward was something I wrote in my book.

This is exactly what I wrote in the book Frum Minimalism that inspired her:

I wasn't experiencing the joy and fulfillment in life that I had envisioned. It seemed like I was constantly running, being pulled in multiple directions, and my ever-increasing to-do list was always looming over me. I knew deep down that I needed to make a change. I didn't want to wait until my children were grown up to start living my best life. I wanted my best life to begin right now, and to fully embrace these precious years while my children were still young. And I realized that the solution didn't lie in becoming more organized because, truthfully, I was already quite organized.

That message resonated with her, and she decided to live that way too.

Because if you wait for life to slow down before you plan, you’ll be waiting forever.

And if you don’t intentionally decide what your year is about, your year will decide for you.

And then one day you wake up and think,

“How did I get so busy… and why does it feel like nothing that really matters is getting my time?”

That’s not because you’re doing something wrong.

It’s because you didn’t Frum Minimalism your year.

This is where people misunderstand goal-setting

Goal-setting is not about doing more.

If your goals are making you feel busier, or more pressured, they’re not helping you.

For us, Frum Minimalists, goal-setting is about getting rid of all the extra stuff, so we can have time to do more of what actually matters.

Just like in your home.

You get rid of it all. And only invite back what you need, use and love.

Your calendar and your year work the same way.

The Frum Minimalism Three Step Process

(for your calendar, your stuff, and your year)

This is the exact method I’ve been teaching for years. It’s the same process I use in my own home, in my clients’ homes, and with my students.

I’m breaking it down very simply here, and although it is super easy and fun too, it is alot more nuanced than what fits into one email.

If you want to go deeper, I teach it in detail in my book Frum Minimalism and inside my Home Reset Boot Camp.

Step 1: Completely empty the space

We always start by removing everything.

In your home, that means emptying drawers, cabinets, closets. Every single thing comes out. Get rid of it all.

With your calendar, it’s the same thing.

Take everything off your calendar.

Every commitment.

Every obligation.

Every “this is just part of my life now” item.

Get rid of it all.

Step 2: Start with a clean slate

Once the space is totally empty, we clean it.

With your calendar, this means starting with a brand-new calendar.

Most women try to plan and organize and tidy, on top of chaos.

And planning on top of chaos never works.

We don’t do that here.

Step 3: Decide what you’re willing to invite back into your life

This is the heart of Frum Minimalism.

You now look at everything you removed and ask yourself:

What am I truly willing to invite back into my life?

Not what sounds nice.

Not what I feel guilty about.

Not what I think I should want.

But what actually:

• makes my life better

• helps me function better

• aligns with where I’m heading

• helps me show up as the person I want to be

In your home, this is where we ask:

Do I need this?

Do I use this?

Do I love this?

Your calendar works the same way.

Before anything goes back in, ask:

Does this make my life better?

Does this align with the season I’m in right now?

Does this support the life I’m trying to build?

If the answer is no, do NOT INVITE IT BACK. Simple.

Because space is valuable.

One last thing:

You must write this down.

I say this all the time:

Get it out of your heart.

Get it out of your head.

Put it on paper.

Have a beautiful Shabbos 🤍

And I'm looking forward to meeting you all very soon in Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh, with Mashiach Tzidkeinu, bimheira v’yameinu.

$3 A WEEK CHALLENGE!→

P.S. New Year’s gift for my subscribers only 💛

I’m offering my $97 challenge to you for $27 if you join by January 1.

That’s:

$70 off
$3 a week
And honestly… I don’t know what costs $3 anymore!

Here’s what it is:

An 8-Week Challenge.

Each week for 8 weeks, you’ll get:

One clear, practical PDF
Sent straight to your email
With real things to work on, like:
- planning your week
- time batching
- decision fatigue
- deep cleaning
- mental clutter
- making time for dreams
- and more

Community (optional but fun):

There’s an optional WhatsApp group for:

Check-ins
quick polls
encouragement
cheering each other on

You do not need WhatsApp to join.

Email-only works perfectly, and you’re always welcome to email me your homework if you want accountability.

Because I love having you here, I decided to make this a total no-brainerfor subscribers.

$27 instead of $97!!!!

If $3 a week helps you create more calm and space for what actually matters, this is an easy yes, yes, yes!

👉 Coupon code: subscribersonly

I’d love to have you join 💛