I think one of the biggest mindset shifts I’ve ever made in my work life and in running my business was asking myself: What is actually my bare minimum here?

Because let’s be honest: most of the time we’re not running our businesses or building our careers from a place of “what’s enough for me.” We’re running it from a place of comparison. We look at what others are doing, how much they’re producing, how “perfect” their work looks, and we think: That’s what I need to do too. Right?

But here’s the beautiful thing about the bare minimum: it’s unique to you. Your bare minimum is based on your values, the way you see the world, and the life you want to live. And no one else has the exact same combination. That’s why your bare minimum will never look the same as someone else’s.

Storytime: Doing More Doesn’t Mean Doing Better

Before I built my own business, I worked in an advertising agency. Like most office jobs, I had a fixed number of hours to fill, eight hours a day, no matter what. The funny (or sad) thing was, not every day actually required eight hours of real, productive work. Some days I’d finish my to-dos in half the time, but I still had to “look busy.” So I’d clean up my desktop for the hundredth time, create tasks out of nothing, and basically just over-deliver because there was no other option.

Then COVID hit. Suddenly, we were working from home and the company introduced something called Kurzarbeit (which basically meant reduced working hours). The goal was clear: get everything done, but in fewer hours. And you know what? I did. I finished in four or five hours what used to take me eight. And it wasn’t sloppy, rushed, or lazy — it was simply focused.

That experience completely changed how I see work. It proved that sometimes, we fill time just to fill it. And sometimes, doing less is not only enough, it’s actually more efficient. That was one of my first “bare minimum” awakenings.

Building a Business on Sustainable Bare Minimums

Now, when it comes to building your own business, this lesson becomes even more important. Because here’s the thing: you don’t want to build a business you can only sustain for two years. You want to build something that will support you five, ten, fifteen years from now. And life changes.

When you start your business, You might be single. And with that you probably have a lot of time, so you can (and probably will) pour hours into creating content, working on new offers, building your systems. But what if your business only works because of those hours? What happens when you fall in love, start a family, or simply decide you don’t want to work late nights anymore? Suddenly, your business crumbles because it was built on overwork, not on sustainability.

That’s why your bare minimum in business has to be something you can hold no matter what life throws at you. Whether you’re single with lots of free time or juggling work with family, your non-negotiables should stay the same. That way, your business grows with you instead of collapsing when your circumstances change. What I’m not trying to say is to start off building your business pretending you have 3 kids to run after, because sure, it does take more time in the beginning to even build it up & who knows what the future holds for you. I just want you to be aware of the fact that, especially when you are putting in 10+ hours each and every day to build your business, you need to be aware of the fact that this might not be a standard you could hold long term.

It’s not about doing less because you’re lazy. It’s about doing what matters most so your business can last through every season of your life.

My Photography Lesson: Stop Over-Editing, Start Trusting Yourself

Another example of this shows up in my photography work. Here’s the thing: when my clients book a shoot, they only see me work for them on set. What they don’t see is the hours I spend behind the scenes editing their pictures.

And in the beginning, I completely overdid it. I would spend 10, 15 hours on a gallery that could have been done in three. I would try 15 different presets, change the edits endlessly, second-guess myself constantly. And why? Because I thought my first edit wasn’t “good enough.”

But then I realized something: the pictures I spent hours over-correcting weren’t actually better. My clients were just as happy (sometimes even happier) with my first draft. Because it was natural, authentic, and captured the moment. Once I started trusting my first instinct and letting go of perfectionism, I saved so much time and energy.

This is another version of the bare minimum: trusting that what you create is already enough.

Add On: Of course, as a newbie photographer you will spend more hours editing the photos because you firstly need to find your style, learn the skills & get familiar with your workflow. That is natural & necessary. Practise makes perfect. But just be honest with yourself, especially after years of practise: was that 5th draft of that one shot really necessary?

Why This Matters

Whether you’re working in an office, building your own business, or creating art, the principle is the same: doing more doesn’t always mean doing better. Sometimes, your bare minimum is more than enough.

And when you build your business (or your career) around your bare minimum, you build something sustainable, aligned, and unique to you.

That’s the beauty of it: your bare minimum allows you to stop comparing yourself to others and to create a rhythm that actually works for you. Because someone else might love obsessing over a specific detail and that’s perfect for them. But you get to decide if that’s how you want to spend your energy.

The bare minimum in your work and your business is not about doing less just for the sake of it. It’s about creating a foundation that lasts. One that feels good. One that you can actually hold — today, tomorrow, and ten years from now.