6 Hacks For Simplifying Your Life
As emerging entrepreneurs, we have a lot on our plate. To give our work the focus and attention that it deserves, it is important to simplify our lives outside of work. Here are six simplifying hacks that you can try tomorrow to ease the burden of a long work day.
1. Stick to a uniform.
Instead of recreating the wheel and choosing a new outfit to wear every morning (which quickly leads to decision fatigue, as we discussed in a previous post), stick to a work uniform to wear during the week. This doesn’t have to mean the same shirt in five different colors – just five pre-styled outfits that you wear to work each day.
2. Use an alarm clock.
Yes, your phone doubles as an alarm clock – but it also doubles as temptation that lures you into checking your email or even worse, scrolling through social media first thing in the morning. Use an old school alarm clock so you can protect these important waking hours from stressors and distractions.
3. Clean a little everyday.
Zen practitioners believe that purifying your space purifies your mind. Instead of leaving all of your cleaning until the end of the week (or month), dedicate five minutes everyday to clean a specific area of your home. By cleaning as a daily practice, you get to glean its mental health benefits and free up your Sunday’s.
4. Set time slots to check email.
As we discussed in a previous post, email anxiety can significantly impact your work performance and mental health. You can leverage this by setting time slots throughout the day to check your email instead of responding to every email notification. This way, you feel more in control over your work day and commit to deep focus work during your off-email hours.
5. Practice the 2-minute test.
If it can be done in two minutes, just do it. Waiting to complete micro-tasks like making a short phone call or checking in with a client takes up unnecessary brain bandwidth and leads to overwhelm throughout the day.
6. Do a brain dump.
Dumping the contents of your brain at the end of each day is an underrated self-care ritual that can do wonders for your mental health. Whether it’s microjournaling for five minutes or free-writing for ten, dedicate a time slot at the end of each day to clear your head and start tomorrow off with a clean slate.