Somewhere in our minds, we all live quiet, organised lives with very efficient schedules. Our shelves are neatly lined with books, our thoughts and rooms are not at all cluttered, and of course, there is never traffic when we have to go anywhere. In the real world, however, the opposite is a more occurring reality.

In the real world, schedules are constantly mixed, there is always something to do, and at best, it will seem like you need to have three heads or four arms to finish everything you are supposed to do. You may find yourself ‘suspiciously’ relaxed at any given point, only to jump up when you realise the reason you had a suspicious feeling in the first place was that you still had something to do which you had completely forgotten?

Yeah. It happens to the best of us; there’s always something to do. So the best way to make your life easier is not always by doing less. Sometimes it’s by being more structured and organised and managing your workload better.

Have a to-do list
I have a bad habit of trying to keep everything in my head instead of writing it out. There was a time my memory was impeccable but, now, the older and busier I get, I realise supposed Superwoman memory needs help. I would constantly go grocery shopping and refuse to write out my shopping list believing I would remember everything, only to get home and realise I had forgotten an item. I was forced to start writing things down. You can have to-do lists for the office, home, even on holiday. It just helps you structure your day and remember everything you have to do that may slip your mind in the busyness of the day.

Set reminders on your phone
Set reminders on your phone or laptop. It’s good to have your to-do lists but sometimes, you may get carried away with certain tasks. Or, you may spend longer than necessary on them. Reminders or alerts alongside your to-do lists will help bring you back to reality and force you to move onto the next item on your list. Or to re-organize your day. And if they are ‘annoying’ enough lol, they will also help you avoid procrastination, which brings me to my next point.

Avoid procrastination
To-do lists and reminders can only do so much if you keep ignoring them. Or that pushing tasks to a later date without a good reason. When you procrastinate, you end up more stressed and rushed because you’re doing the work last minute.

Outsource
If you can afford this, it’s a good option and can save you time and stress. For e.g. instead of spending a whole day cleaning, you can outsource. This will free up space for you to do other things. Sometimes you just have to be willing to pay someone to make your life easier. It’s nothing to be guilt-tripped about. After all, teamwork makes the dream work. �

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