For years, I felt like my kitchen was too cluttered. I kept telling myself I’d deal with it once I could afford a full remodel, but of course so far I haven’t gotten around to it. The cabinets were fine. The layout worked. But the space never felt right, and I assumed the solution had to be something big and expensive.
Until I read a tip that changed my world: Take your toaster off the counter.
It sounded almost ridiculous. The toaster was something I used almost every day. But the truth is, I only used it for a couple of minutes each morning. The rest of the time, it just sat there, taking up visual and physical space and adding to the feeling of clutter. So I moved it into a drawer.
Just that one small change made the whole kitchen feel calmer, cleaner, and more functional. With the toaster gone, I could more easily see other areas where I could make small changes to drastically improve the kitchen. I found new spots to store small appliances and my kitchen immediately became more functional.
And honestly? The same approach can work in business. You don’t always need to burn it to the ground to make important changes.
So many freelance business owners feel like something’s off in their business. Projects feel scattered. Offers aren’t landing. Confidence is low. And the instinct is to tear it all down and start fresh—new website, new niche, new business name. But more often than not, you don’t need a full remodel.
You just need to move your toaster. (Okay, not literally, but metaphorically. Unless your toaster is in your office. Then you might need to move it.)
That might mean:
- Saying no to a type of project that drains you—even if it pays well.
- Putting a boundary around your communication instead of replying to emails at 10pm.
- Reworking your About page to better reflect the clients you actually want.
- Choosing to focus on one marketing strategy instead of trying to do everything at once.
- Or even taking a real break instead of half-working through your weekend again.
Small, intentional shifts can free up more space—mentally and emotionally—than any dramatic rebrand ever could. And they require far less effort and stress than massive overhauls.
Freelancing clarity without overwhelm
Think about it: revamping your entire freelance business (or website or social media) takes a lot of effort and decision-making. How many times have you thought about an overhaul just to decide it’s too overwhelming and ultimately give up?
It’s also important to remember that if you change everything all at once, it’s a lot more difficult to determine what does and doesn’t work because you have too many variables all at once. A small change is easier to adjust to, review, analyze, and revise if necessary. That’s how you get freelancing clarity. Otherwise, you’re just adding chaos to your business.
If something in your business feels off, you don’t have to blow it up. You probably already have most of what you need. The challenge is figuring out what’s taking up more space than it deserves and having the clarity to make changes that support the way you want to work.
Because you don’t need to change everything.
Even a small step is progress toward freelancing clarity.
And maybe find a drawer for your toaster.
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Looking for some small changes to make? Try these posts:
Freelancing with intention doesn’t mean always saying yes
How I set myself up for a better freelance day
To be a successful freelancer you have to stop thinking like an employee