Is it just me, or does it feel like despite all the technology in the world, life still feels incredibly complicated. It’s as if technology’s efficiencies have tricked our brains into thinking that we can cram more into our lives. In many ways we can and we have. I know I certainly have. But between all the professional and personal tasks, appointments and obligations, the to-do lists are plentiful and seemingly endless. Personally, I’ve grown tired of the overwhelm and decided there must be a better way.
This post will go over how to reduce your mental load by creating systems that streamline tasks and eliminate unnecessary decision-making.
1. Identify Repetitive Tasks
Start by identifying tasks that you perform on a regular basis. This could be anything from household management responsibilities to those for personal care. The key is to spot the repetitive patterns in your daily life. By identifying these tasks, you can start to develop systems to manage them more efficiently.
I’ll start with personal tasks, because if you’re anything like me, you prioritize your professional life and leave your personal life a little less organized. My list looked a little something like this:
| Regular Task | Frequency | System to Implement |
|---|---|---|
| Grocery Shopping | Weekly | Create a standard shopping list and use a delivery service |
| Email / Mail Management | Daily / Weekly | Set specific times for checking and responding to emails / mail |
| House Cleaning | Bi-weekly | Schedule a cleaning service or allocate specific days for different tasks |
| Finances Check-in | Monthly | Schedule time in your calendar to review bank accounts, credit card statements and perform an audit |
| Bill Payments | Monthly | Set up automatic payments for regular bills |
| Exercise Routine | Daily | Follow a structured workout program with set times |
| Meal Planning | Weekly | Pick a day to plan meals for the week, add ingredients to the shopping list and prep in advance |
| Kid Activities | Weekly | Schedule activities in a family calendar and involve kids in the planning |
| House Organization | Monthly | De-clutter and organize a different area of the house each month |
2. Break Down Complex Tasks
Complex tasks often contribute significantly to mental load. Break these tasks into smaller, manageable steps. This approach not only makes the task seem less daunting but also allows you to create a systematic approach to tackle it. For example, the monthly finance check-in may feel a daunting because there are several mini-steps that go along with it. But breaking it down by task, frequency and duration will make it more approachable. Also, there are ways to make any task more enjoyable by playing your favorite songs and rewarding yourself with a small indulgence after completing each step.
| Step | Description | Frequency | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review Bank Statements | Go through all bank statements to check for any unusual transactions. | Monthly | 30 min. |
| Check Credit Card Statements | Ensure all credit card transactions are accurate and accounted for. | Monthly | 30 min. |
| Assess Monthly Spending | Categorize and analyze spending habits to identify areas of overspending. | Monthly or Quarterly | 1 hour |
| Review Investment Portfolios | Evaluate investment accounts for performance and re-balance if necessary. | Monthly or Quarterly | 30 min. |
| Plan Budget for Next Month | Based on spending assessment, allocate funds for different categories for the upcoming month. | Monthly | 1 hour |
| Set Financial Goals | Set or review short-term and long-term financial goals for saving, investing, or debt repayment. | Monthly | 30 min. |
| Check Credit Score | Regularly monitor credit score for any significant changes or errors. | Monthly | 15 min. |
| Review Subscriptions and Recurring Payments | Review all subscriptions and recurring payments to eliminate unnecessary expenses. | Quarterly | 30 min. |
Heck, even house cleaning may feel overwhelming. In fact, this is one I encourage breaking down to accomplish over the course of several days. There isn’t a single day, ever, that I want to spend 3+ hours cleaning. But I can certainly commit to 15 minutes a day. Instead of cleaning every bedroom on a single day, committing to just one is sufficient. You can clean the second bedroom a different day, or task your child / family member to do so, which is what I fully intend to do.
| Room/Area | Tasks | Frequency (Day) | Estimated Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedrooms | Dust surfaces, vacuum/mop floors, change linens (bi-weekly) | Weekly (Saturday) | 30 min per bedroom (90min) |
| Bathrooms | Clean toilets, sinks, mirrors, shower/tub, mop floors | Weekly (Sunday) | 15 min per bathroom (45 min) |
| Living Room | Dust surfaces, vacuum/mop floors, clean windows | Weekly (Sunday) | 15 min |
| Kitchen | Clean countertops, appliances, sink, mop floor | Daily/Weekly (Mondays) | 15 min daily, 1 hour weekly |
| Dining Room | Dust surfaces, clean table, vacuum/mop floors | Daily/Weekly | 10 min daily, 15 min weekly |
3. Prioritize, Delegate/ Outsource and Automate Where possible.
Prioritize
Not every task requires your immediate attention, nor does every task require your personal touch. Decide for yourself what only you should be doing, and when. This may change over time, depending on your priorities. For example, exercising is incredibly important to me. I cannot be my best self if I’m not regularly incorporating movement into my life. However, there are times that I want to prioritize other things in my free time, like writing this blog post, planning my son’s summer camps or creating an itinerary for my 10-year wedding anniversary trip. So in these moments, instead of working out for 30 minutes or more, I reduce that to 5 or 10 minutes to carve out more time for the priority at hand. You don’t need to do all the things all the time. I’m telling myself this more than I’m telling you.
Delegate / Outsource
Don’t be afraid to outsource tasks to others, especially if resources allow. House cleaning, for example, is an easy one to outsource and delegate. It’s helpful to keep in mind, though, that there also doesn’t need to be a one-size fits all approach. For example, you can decide to clean one week and hire a cleaner for another.
Automate
Now this one may be obvious to you now, but in case it’s not, remember that the supercomputers all around us make automating certain things incredibly easy. Bill payments are the obvious one. I automate nearly all of my bills – except of ones I want to carefully review before paying. An automation I recently discovered and am loving is the smart plug. Coffee is one of my top 5 loves; I love it so much that I treated myself to a beautiful espresso machine that takes about 15 minutes to heat up. Before, I used wake up in the morning, head to the kitchen to fire it up before getting ready. But with this smart plug, I schedule when I want the machine turned on and off through an app. It’s small but life changing! I plan to do the same with car charging so I can optimize when to charge the car (i.e. in the middle of the night when electric rates are lower). Whenever possible, I think it’s best to set it and forget it – with the caveat that you should establish subsequent check-ins to confirm that everything is operating to plan because mistakes can and most likely will happen.
5. Establish Routines
Establishing a morning routine, a workout routine, and weekly meal planning and cleaning routines can help in automating your day-to-day life. I write about this in my posts about staying fit and getting fit but incorporating tasks into routines help with habit formation, increases predictability and takes the guess work out of when and whether or not you should do something, which in turn reduces your mental load. Once you’ve established a routine, you’ve essentially “set it” so you can “forget it”. This doesn’t mean you need to be unwavering. Breaking from routine is okay and will happen. Just pick yourself up after falling off.
6. Use Checklists and Reminders
Our brains are not designed to hold large amounts of information at once. Using checklists and reminders can offload the need to remember everything. While a plethora of apps are available to project and time manage, I’ve found that the basic tools that come with technology you already own work perfectly. You just need to use them and use them consistently. Through the years, I’ve tested out Apple Reminders, iPhone alarms, Google calendars, Google Sheets and OneNote – and have found them all to be helpful in different ways. The key is to find what works for you, and to use that tool consistently – until it doesn’t work for you anymore. Upgrading and switching things up is perfectly okay. For example, I use OneNote professionally to take notes and embed action items following a meeting. Google Sheets is fantastic for collaborating and sharing, especially with people that work outside of your organization or household. The non-profit board I chair, for example uses Google sheets constantly because we’re all professionals who have day jobs aside from board service. A friend I adore religiously uses her iPhone alarm to set daily reminders and affirmations to inject doses of positivity and encourage reflection throughout the day. I love this and will share more about this in another post. There’s nothing new about checklists and reminders, but employing them strategically, intentionally and consistently is what will make the difference.
(Stay tuned for tried and true checklists and tables I’ve designed that you can customize to automate and optimize your life’s tasks!)
8. Set Boundaries, Review Regularly and Adjust
Boundaries are sexy.
-Robin Arzon, VP/Head Instructor, Peloton
It is okay to say no
Saying no isn’t something that comes naturally to me. My nature is to people please, and saying yes typically comes with the territory. However, I’ve learned that part of reducing mental load is knowing when to say no. Setting boundaries around your time and what you commit to is crucial. Remember, every time you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else – potentially a bigger priority, your mental peace or that goal you were striving for. As one of my favorite Peloton instructors Robin Arzon says, “boundaries are sexy.” I find this to be true because saying no shows that you have self worth and confidence, and what’s sexier than confidence?
The beauty of saying no to all the things that no longer serve you, or at least don’t serve you in this moment, is that it allows you to say yes to what does. And when you focus on what serves you and complete milestones that lead to your goals, you get dopamine hits causing you to experience positive feelings of happiness, pleasure and motivation to keep you going.
All that being said, it’s important to remember that systems are not set in stone. Regularly review and adjust your systems to ensure they’re appropriately serving you. Life changes, and so should your systems.
What’s one area you can systematize now? Or maybe you’re a already a pro. If so, what are ways you’ve systematized your life? Do you have favorite tools, apps or strategies you’ve employed? I’d love to hear from you. Comment below.
