How to Simplify When Life Is Busy

It's May. Already.

And to be honest, I'm feeling a little anxious about it...

Just turning the page and looking at the month ahead made my mind start to spin.

It's going to be a whirlwind! Lots of things happening - Mother's Day, our Anniversary, dance recital, end of school, the next launch of Beyond Balance, and more that I can't think of right now.

There's not a lot I can do about it.

Some months just end up that way even if you're being intentional about doing less and saying no.

So what can you do?

You can use it as an opportunity to further simplify your life.

I know it sounds crazy. You’re just trying to get to where you need to be, make sure everyone's taken care of, and get a little sleep if you’re lucky.

But even if you take inventory after the storm has passed, those crazy-busy times are the perfect time to look at your life from a new perspective.

Think of it as a post-mortem after a project's completed. What could you have done better?

And by "do better," I really mean do less.

Here are 3 questions/prompts for you to use in your next post-mortem so that you can learn to do less the next time (because there will be a next time!):

1. What takes too much time?

If you think about your day, where are you losing time? Where are you running late and what were you doing right before?

• Does getting ready in the morning take too much time because you hem and haw over what to wear? Or your make-up/hair routine is a bit too much for this phase of life?

• Does deciding what to eat take too much time when you're already rushed? Maybe you need to think about a meal routine or plan your meals in a different way to give you more time during the week.

• Or does picking up the house before bed take WAY too long? Why is that? Does everything not have a place? Are you not setting a timer and forcing yourself to move quickly?

Really challenge yourself to think through your day (I’m a big proponent of time-tracking) and pick one area where you might be able to do something different to speed things up.

2. What feels cluttered?

Clutter is the go-to for most when I talk about simplifying life. And yes, clutter is a big piece of doing less and having less. But I want you to remember that it doesn’t have to be just the “things” in your home that create clutter. It can also be your digital stuff AND the thoughts in your mind.

Start by jotting down a quick list of any area that feels cluttered in the sense that it prevents you from getting where you need to go on time, enjoying life, or being productive.

Then prioritize the list, set a timer for 15-minute increments, and do what you can in that time.

I once listened to a podcast where the home organizer recommended starting with your sock drawer and I LOVED that. It’s small, only takes 15-20 minutes, and helps you flex that muscle.

3. What is exasperating?

When you’ve just had a busy week or month, you could probably think of a hundred little moments where you felt exasperated.

Those moments that easily frustrate you, that make you sigh and throw up your hands, are important to note. They’re things that you could do better or not do at all and I would argue, outside of buying you more time, can have quite the impact on how you feel each day.

I’ll give you an example of a LITTLE thing I once did after I caught myself feeling exasperated again and again.

I got a glass tabletop for my dining room table where my family eats EVERY meal. My pre-kid dining set was getting completely ruined by spills and sticky fingers and I was tired of scrubbing it each night after a day’s worth of meals, not to mention the grooves between each of the boards that give it “character” but were a magnet for crumbs. I hated wiping the table each night. So I said enough and had a piece of glass made. Now I don’t care what gets spilled or stuck to the table because glass is so easy to clean up. It requires less maintenance than a tablecloth or placemats and it stays in place. While it only saves me a few minutes each night, I’m so much happier to clean that than I ever was before.

The Process

The process of simplifying your life is about the thousand small things that you do as you notice them and as a result of a particularly busy season.

It’s work, and it’s a process, but if you make 1 or 2 small changes every time you have a busy week or month, it will start to add up to something significant.

I challenge you to see your next busy season as an opportunity to set your future self up for a more simplified experience.

If you'd like to do this work alongside me, the doors to Beyond Balance, my 8-week group coaching program to help you transform your time so you can manage work and life in a more sustainable (and enjoyable) way, are opening at the end of the month. Add your name to the waitlist for early access.