8 WAYS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE

Reduce daily choices; eat mindfully; prep the night before. Arielle Tchiprout rounds up the best ways to streamline your life and reduce stress

Life can be hard, but we do tend to make it harder. There are events we don’t have control over (pandemics, job losses, heartbreak), but we also pile on extra difficulties (busy schedules, non-stop goal-chasing, endless doom-scrolling) until we’re overwhelmed. ‘The modern world complicates things,’ says Dr Tara Swart, neuroscientist and author of The Source (Vermilion). ‘Over time, the amount of overload we’ve had to deal with has increased, and we’ve defaulted to meet it.’

We’re so accustomed to that ‘more, more, more’ setting that it can be hard to switch it off. ‘Whatever you have to do expands to fill the time available,’ says Dr Swart. ‘During the lockdowns, many of us gained hours in the day we would have spent commuting, but this ended up blurring into a longer work day. It’s partly our perception that life is busy and complicated, and we often feel overwhelmed whether we actually have more to do or not. Simplifying your life can result in more energy, less fatigue, increased resilience and improved immunity.’

So, how can we live in a way that feels effortless? By finding small ways to unclog that overload, every day…

1 Chop up your chores

We spend way too much time procrastinating over tasks that could be done pretty quickly. Enter the much raved-about Pomodoro Technique, which can be used for anything from work projects to clearing out the garage. Here’s how it works:

● Choose a task, minimise distractions and place a blank piece of paper or a notebook nearby.

● Set a timer for 25 minutes. It’s just 25 minutes, right? Focus solely on your task until the timer runs out – no interruptions or distractions allowed. If you suddenly realise you have something else you need to do, write it down.

● Make a check on the paper, and take a break. Give yourself five minutes to stretch, make a cuppa or check your phone. If the 25 minutes helped you get in the zone, you may be tempted to power through. Resist! Your brain needs to regroup.

● Repeat until you’ve made three or four checks, then take a longer break for 20 or 30 minutes. Repeat until you’ve finished the task.

TOP TIP: ‘Before you go to bed, write down the thing you’re dreading most about the next day, then do that as soon as you wake up,’ says Dr Swart. ‘Getting the thing that is draining you out of the way is a really good tactic for reducing stress.’

READER TIP: ‘If you can do it in a minute, do it now.’ @carrie_missg

2 Integrate mindfulness into your day

Mindfulness doesn’t need to mean sitting in the lotus position for an hour; Dr Swart says you can find little pieces of mindfulness throughout the day: ‘You can try mindful eating at mealtimes, which involves pausing before each mouthful and tuning in to the taste of food, without distractions such as phones or the TV. Or, when you’re talking to a relative, giving them your full attention and making eye contact. You can focus on your breath at any time of the day, even if walking around, speaking or working at your laptop.’ Why? ‘Mindfulness helps you regulate your emotions, and simplifies things for your brain, by narrowing your focus,’ says Dr Swart.

3 List like a pro

Charlotte Plain, author of Happy Planning (Ebury), shares her tips…

● Break up your to-do list into sections. Group together tasks that need to happen today, such as collecting a prescription from the chemist. Put the most urgent things at the top. If something urgent crops up halfway through the day, add it to the top of the list.

● Write another list next to that one, where you keep ongoing tasks that are important but less urgent, like switching to a cheaper energy supplier.

● You may also want to have a separate work list, too – make sure you keep work tasks specific (‘finish page five of report’) rather than general (‘organise conference’) as it will make ticking the tasks off more achievable.

● Add a self-care list. Write down all the things that make you feel good (painting your nails, reading a book, lighting a scented candle or listening to a podcast), and try to tick off at least one every day. READER TIP: ’I have a ta-da list instead of a to-do list. It makes me realise what I have achieved each day.’ @penpenelope

4 Reduce your choices

According to research from Cornell University in the US, we make 35,000 decisions every day, from where we move our bodies, to what to eat, to whether to say ‘yes’ to that barbecue at the weekend. ‘See if you can reduce the amount of decisions you have to make in a day,’ says Dr Swart. This could mean limiting your outfit or lunch choices, or having non-negotiable routines, such as always walking the dog at the same time.

5 Ease mealtime stress

Meal planning holds the key to easier evenings, says Plain.

‘I keep a list of all my favourite recipes in one place, so it’s easier to pick what to cook,’ she explains. ‘Every Sunday, my husband and I go through them and work out what we’re eating that week, jotting down ingredients for our shopping list as we go. Once you can see your list, you can decide which meals need more fruit and vegetables to make sure you’re getting a nutritious balance. When we know what we’re making, we stick the menu up on the fridge so the kids know what we’re having.’ Of course, you can swap as you go along, but it helps to have a guide to fall back on.

6 Create micro-habits

We know we need to get more sleep, exercise more and eat healthier food, but making these changes can feel like an impossible task. Dr Swart recommends making small changes in incremental stages. ‘Pick two or three small things, such as going to bed 15 minutes earlier or drinking an extra glass of water a day,’ she says. ‘They feel manageable. Then, every three months, add another two or three micro-habits and commit to those. By the end of the year, you’ll have eight to 10 positive habits that have become part of your routine.’ TOP TIP: Struggle to make habits stick? Attach them to something you like. ‘If you enjoy a hot shower, do 12 minutes of meditation before you jump in,’ says Dr Swart. ‘By creating a reward, the habit is more likely to stick.’

7 Make a weekly plan as a family Advanced planning is a great way to make your life easier, but often this burden falls on women, so make sure your family join in. ‘I draw up a rota for the week that goes on the wall so the whole family can see it, and every Sunday, we sit down and go through the rota to see what everyone has coming up,’ says Plain. ‘This can help you troubleshoot for any issues that might arise – for example, if I have an evening meeting, my husband will ensure he’s around to cook dinner that night. Working it out together means you’re not just barking orders, and everyone’s working together to make life run smoothly.’

READER TIP: ‘I found an awesome app called Familywall. We can put everything in it and all access it.’ @lucyparkins

8 Utilise your night before

Doing these four quick things in the evening will give you more time the following morning:

● 5 MINUTES Find all your family’s essentials for the day, such as backpacks, keys and wallets. Establish where they are now so you won’t be hunting for them as you’re rushing out the door.

● 5 MINUTES Set a timer and get the whole family to tidy up. There’ll be less grumbling if they know it’s just five minutes.

● 20 SECONDS Look in the fridge. Yes, that’s all you have to commit to – looking. But chances are you’ll end up considering tomorrow’s breakfast and planning lunches.

● 5 MINUTES Get into your pyjamas. Even if you’re planning to stay awake for longer, do your bedtime prep early. The call of routine is so strong, you may find yourself getting an earlier night, which will make you feel brighter the next day.

READER TIP: ‘Load the car the night before with sports equipment/errands for the next day.’ @sososilver