While modern life has its conveniences, the constant busyness—appointments, running the kids to school and back, grocery shopping, etc.—can have many of us wishing we lived in simpler times.
It can often feel as if your to-do list is taking over your life. Tasks and errands pile up if you’re not too careful, and before you know it, you’re running around all day without a break. But don’t worry—there are solutions!
Below, we’ll discuss 6 tips for simplifying your tasks and running fewer errands so you can have time for the relaxation you deserve.
1. Get Your Priorities in Order
Writing down every task and chore as they come to you can result in a stressful mess of responsibilities cluttering your schedule. The best way to reorganize your list is to figure out which tasks are time sensitive and/or more important than the others.
These are the ones you’ll want to focus your energy on first. Then, you’ll want to identify which ones you can put off for another day or two. After the big ones are done, these will feel like a breeze.
We know this sounds suspiciously like procrastination, but sometimes putting things off is a necessary strategy. It allows you to manage your time more effectively and avoid missing more important tasks.
2. Group Your Tasks
Another great organizational strategy is to group your tasks so they are easier to get done.
For example, you can group them by similar broad categories such as cleaning, shopping, and cooking. This way, you can get each group of tasks done together while you’re in the right headspace instead of switching back and forth between unrelated tasks, which can cause disorganization and stress.
You could also organize your list by locations of where these tasks need to get done, like the grocery store, the kitchen, the office, etc., so that you can focus on finishing all tasks in that area before moving on to the next.
Another helpful tip is to plan your route through these locations so you can take advantage of the map or space to stop somewhere on the way, or make sure you stay in the right frame of mind for certain types of tasks.
Another common way to group tasks relates back to prioritization. Create a list of smaller or easier tasks and a list of bigger/more difficult ones. For some, it helps to get the smaller ones done first before the big things, or vice versa. You may need to experiment a little to find out what works best for you.
3. Meal Prep
Some people absolutely love cooking and find relaxation in it at the end of a long day. But others find it stressful to shop for all the ingredients and prepare/cook them every day. That’s why meal prepping is such a lifesaver.
If you spend a little more effort on the first day of the week, you can make sure you already have all the ingredients peeled, sliced, diced, or marinated. You can have everything on hand for dinner without putting in so much effort every night.
If you have a big family (or even if you don’t but would rather not cook every night), it’s also a good idea to double the recipe so you can plan to have leftovers for the next day or two.
For the easiest transition to meal prepping, find recipes which include similar ingredients so that you can prepare them at the same time. Sites like RecipeRadar.com might be helpful for searching for meals with similar ingredients and planning around what you already have available at home.
4. Be Realistic About Your Time
Have you ever packed your to-do list with far too many items, not realizing you didn’t actually have time to get everything done and then had to scramble to catch up?
To avoid unnecessary stress and unforeseen time crunches, it’s important to prioritize your tasks and then evaluate how long those tasks will take to complete.
If you’re having a hard time gauging how long chores usually take you, set up a timer next time and note it down in your planner. This will be helpful for structuring your time better in the future.
And take it from us—always leave time to give yourself a break. This way, you’ll avoid burnout and can take a little time to decompress.
5. Set Reasonable Goals
If you’re a perfectionist, we’re willing to bet you push yourself a little too hard sometimes. And even if you’re not, the New Year can have you making promises you’re not equipped to keep.
Don’t blame yourself for not being able to keep up—blame yourself for setting lofty expectations.
You’re not a machine, and you’re going to need a break. When you set your goals, make sure they are truly reasonable for the time you have, the effort you’re willing (and able) to give, and the skills you possess.
If you’re setting a goal for yourself that you’ve never pursued in the past, we recommend doing some research. You’ll want to be fully knowledgeable about what that goal demands in order to be met. If you find you can’t accomplish that task on your own, then . . .
6. Ask for Help
Lastly, don’t ever be afraid to admit that you need help. Too many of us try to take everything on our own shoulders because we think everyone is depending on us.
While that may be true in some ways, that doesn’t mean you can’t delegate tasks to your kids, your spouse, or another helping hand.
If your tasks require you to have skills you’re not proficient in, like being handy around the house, you may want to consider hiring a professional instead.
We can easily fool ourselves into thinking we can do anything, but we can just as easily end up with something worse off than when we started. Paying a professional is well worth avoiding that risk and saving you the effort.
We hope this list has made your life a little easier! Let us know what worked for you.
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