Family life

8 Tips to simplify your life

We often wake up in the morning feeling tired from the previous day and stressed out at the idea of having to face another one. Although we always seem to get through it, we still wish for things to change!

Stop making things complicated

It may seem obvious, but it’s what we need! We have to admit that we are champions in the complicated department: choosing a soccer team across town, choosing a gym far from home, accepting to prepare a meal for a birthday party after a crazy week. Learn to say no! Look for compromises and don’t make your life more complicated than it has to be.

Sorting things out!

We need to organize our files, closets, ideas, TV-watching time (women spend an average of 31 hours watching television every week), activities and even friendships. We need to do a good clean-up to see things clearer.

Taking over!

We shouldn’t be overwhelmed by all the laundry to fold, clothes to iron, mail to read, bills to pay, debts to manage, messages to answer, etc. We need to deal with everything as soon as possible to avoid wasting time (and sometimes money).

Taking breaks!

We’re not in school anymore, but taking little breaks during the day helps reduce stress! Taking the time to drink water, go outside, flip through a magazine, stretch, think about something that makes us happy or simply close our eyes can make our days feel a lot lighter.

Stocking up!

Why not prepare frozen meals with a friend? We could also start the Christmas shopping earlier to avoid the December 24th panic attack! Choosing our hiding places wisely will help us remember where we hid the presents! Stocking up on essential things such as toilet paper, tissues, pasta, different sauces, canned vegetables and a complete pencil case with all the things that seem to disappear as the months goes by is also a great idea, especially if we want to avoid rushing to the drugstore at 11pm because our child lost their dictionary the day before an exam!

Learning to do nothing

When living a crazy life, we start to feel uncomfortable when the room becomes too quiet or when we have too much free time. We feel inefficient and unproductive. We need to learn to do nothing! And then, we’ll find out what we enjoy doing and... actually do it! It’s important to give ourselves free time, writing it down and scheduling it in our agenda if we have to!

Finding allies!

Whether it’s our spouse, children, mother, step-father or house cleaner, it doesn’t matter. We need to trust them and delegate! Once the kids are 4 or 5 years old, they can help us out! Finding a caterer we like and getting delicious prepared meals once a week is a great way to release some of the pressure.

Everyone gets a turn

If we take care of the kids in the morning, daddy could pick them up from daycare at the end of the day. Everyone needs to pitch in so no one gets exhausted! Ask for help whenever you can!

Easy rules we always end up breaking:

  • Putting plates and utensils in the dishwasher when we’re done using them.
  • After taking something out of the refrigerator, cupboard or drawer, we need to put it back in its place.
  • If we have something to say to someone, we should go see them, not yell across the house.
  • Turning off the lights, television, stereo and computer if we’re not using them.
  • Hanging up our coats when entering the house.
Image de Nadine Descheneaux

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