Easier through life
Simple changes that can save you a lot of time in everyday life
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Your apartment stays messy for too long, but you don’t quite manage to do something about it? Do you spend too much time in morning grouch mode? Or does the word procrastination make you think you are its personification? For problems like these and other everyday pitfalls, we have small changes for you that make the daily routine more relaxed.
Chaos in the apartment quickly gets on our nerves and degenerates into stress. We don’t get going in the morning, although we wanted to get so much done. Sometimes external circumstances are to blame, and sometimes it’s our weaker self. We have put together some tips for you that could make it easier for you to set your daily goals and reduce stress in the future.
These small changes save time in everyday life
Say goodbye to overloaded to-do lists
To-do lists can be a wonderful way to structure your tasks. But many people write down so many things to do that the list only gets longer instead of shorter every day. Start by writing down only small things and, for example, only do one thing per day in the household. For example: “clean the toilet” instead of “clean the bathroom”. In this way you concentrate on a partial aspect instead of on the entire room. That alone is caustic enough – and there doesn’t have to be vacuuming, washing up, cleaning windows or anything else on the list, as often happens. Take smaller steps instead of several big ones.
Not a fan of to-do lists? Then make “Already Done Lists” instead! In the evening, write down what you have done, no matter how small it may seem. “Buying bread” is progress that will help you for your next breakfast. Remind yourself of the little things you’ve already accomplished and motivate yourself to keep doing it – instead of staring at a list full of tasks you didn’t complete.
Fixed places work wonders
Do you keep getting cluttered in certain places in your home? Get to the bottom of the cause. You may not have enough storage space in the room, which is why something is always left visible in the room. Does it need a new shelf or are your drawers full of things that you never use anyway and that could also be in the basement, the attic or just somewhere else? This can ensure that you can store more in an easily accessible place. Or is everything always lying on that one chair in the room? remove the chair! Here we explain how you can easily change habits:
The morning is not for you? Try it with music!
It really helps me when I just throw on my favorite music in the morning and get ready for it. The right music can also help me at work, to work more concentrated and to stay that way. It can be pop or rock music, sometimes metal, sometimes classic, sometimes soundtracks, sometimes dubstep – there are no limits for me. Find the Music that gives you energy in the morning. Maybe a song is enough to dance into the day and then start your everyday life in a good mood. Anyone who wakes up faster saves those morning grouchy moments in which we are usually unproductive and unmotivated for a long time. researchers also confirmed that music can make us work faster, more productively and lift our spirits.
Put the cell phone away for fixed times
You wanted to be productive, but you ended up on the couch with your phone… That’s totally fine because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t know it? It is all the more effective to put this little time vampire away from time to time (and stick to it, of course). This can be more difficult at first than it sounds. Start with half an hour and don’t be too shocked if productivity doesn’t kick in right away. It is possible that at the beginning you automatically want to reach for your cell phone and realize: Oh yes, you put that away. Over time, the problem will become less frequent, and your body will relearn how to be without the phone for short periods of time. This is not only convenient for getting things done, but also as a break for our brains that are constantly flooded with impressions. Set a timer on your phone to put it out of reach – so you don’t even have to look at the clock and can get on with your work before picking it up again.
Pack in the evening for the morning
Something that helps me when I leave the apartment the next morning is to pack my things in the evening. Almost everything can go into your pocket and for things that can only be packed on the day of departure, I write a list on my cell phone, which I go through again in the morning. In the evening we have a much clearer head for these considerations and also more time if, for example, we have to catch a train the next day. So use the evening instead of starting the morning with stress.
Sources used: WIRED, Inc., SAGE journals, Timeular, Entrepreneur, Forbes