5 brilliant strategies to simplify your day

Do you ever feel so paralyzed by your to-do list that you get nothing done? Today you’ll learn how to simplify your day and be productive.

Let’s talk about what to do when you’re paralyzed by your to-do list and how you can get things done when you’re overwhelmed.

I know a lot of you are experiencing not being the mom you thought you’d be because you’re trying to live up to this unrealistic expectation of doing all the things all the time.

Feeling like you need to be on your A-game at all times. 

It’s time to simplify your to-do list. 

Why simplifying your day is so important 

Whenever I was working as a nurse, it was sad to see moms come into the emergency room because they were having panic attacks because they felt like they needed to do all of these things all of the time. 

I remember there was a new mom that was really depressed because she felt like what she was doing wasn’t good enough. 

It’s so sad to see a new mom come into the doctor’s office with depression because she feels like she’s not doing what she’s supposed to be doing, even though I’m sure she’s exceeding so many expectations except her own. 

We need to lower the expectations of moms because it’s sad that we feel the need to be doing all of these things and trying to keep up with whatever is making us feel like we’re not, whether it’s social media, movies, or someone in our lives criticizing us.

5 brilliant strategies to simplify your day

Let’s dive into how to deal with overwhelm whenever you feel paralyzed by your to-do list and how to still get things done. 

1. Slow down to speed up 

The first step is to slow down to speed up. What this means is that sometimes you need to take a break, reflect, and get your mind straight before you jump into everything that you feel needs to be done. 

A lot of the things we think needs to be done doesn’t necessarily need to be done right now. 

So the first step is to slow down, take a breather, and really think about if these tasks need to be done right now or if something can wait.

2. Brain dump 

Once you’ve taken a second to reflect and breathe, the next step is to do a brain dump. 

Whenever you do a brain dump, all you’re doing is getting all of those thoughts out of your head and onto paper or onto your phone.

Make a list on your phone of everything you feel like you need to get done. 

That’ll help you see everything that you think needs to be done so you’re able to prioritize your list. 

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3. Prioritize 

Step three is to prioritize. Whenever I prioritize something I have 4 categories. 

Urgent 

The first category is urgent. These are things that need to be done ASAP. 

Try not to have anything in this category because it puts you in a reactive phase where you don’t have time to plan and it fills out of your control.

Get things done before they move into the urgent phase. 

Important 

This is when you get a bulk of tasks done. If something is important that means it needs to get done pretty soon, but it doesn’t have to get done today. 

An important task would be grocery shopping. That’s something I need to do so we don’t run out of food, but if we have a few meals to eat then I don’t need to do it right now.

Just for your information, all of these steps are covered in detail inside of the Time Blocking Blueprint. 

I walk you through exactly how to prioritize your time, do a brain dump, and break your brain dump down into small action steps so it’s not so overwhelming. 

Delegate 

This category is what you don’t need to do. Hand off the responsibility to someone else.

This includes tasks like…

• Laundry 
• Dishes 
• Vacuuming 
• Sweeping 

Someone else in your family could possibly do these tasks. 

Think of what you can simplify or take off of your plate completely to help you not feel so overwhelmed with your to-do list.

Skip or limit

The last prioritization category is what can you skip or limit? 

Social media is big here. 

Do you really need to sit on your phone for an hour scrolling through Facebook or looking at TikTok videos? 

Can you skip that and get something else done in that time that you would’ve been basically doing nothing?

Think of your time wasters and what you can either skip or cut back on. 

Maybe instead of spending an hour on TikTok you spend 30 minutes. 

That way you’re not completely cutting it out, but you’re limiting it and you’re more in control of how much time you’re spending. 

You can get more strategies on how to limit your time on social media HERE. 

4. Decide your ONE thing 

I know there’s 20 things on your to-do list that you could be doing, but choose the most important task that you really need to get done.

Focus on that one task. 

And then if you finish that task, go ahead and move on to other things if you have the energy.

If you don’t then focus on that one thing, celebrate and call it a day. 

5. Make time 

Make time to get your one thing done. If you choose what thing you’re going to focus on for the day, you have to make time to get it done. 

That’s where the Time Blocking Blueprint comes into play because it’ll teach you how to block your time without creating a strict schedule. 

You’ll have maximum flexibility in your day, but you still know when you’re going to get tasks done. 

It’s not enough to decide your one important task for the day and still not get it done because you “don’t have time.” 

Yet you’ve spent an hour and 45 minutes on Facebook. 

You have to make it a priority to get that task done. 

Once you get done with the task, then you spend time on Facebook or TikTok, but until your most important task for the day is completed there’s no time for any time wasters.

That happens after you complete your most important task. 

Quick recap…

Let’s go back through those five steps for how to still get things done whenever you’re overwhelmed and paralyzed by your to-do list. 

1. Slow down to speed up. 
2. Brain dump.
3. Prioritize your brain dump. 
4. Decide your ONE most important task for the day. 
5. Make time to get that task done. 

What I want you to do now is to set a timer for five minutes and write down everything you think you need to get done.

Get all of those thoughts out of your head. 

Even just doing a brain dump will help you have a feeling of relief because you’re not keeping all of those things in your head and feeling like you have to remember to do this and that. 

It’ll help you ground yourself and realize that not everything on your list is as important as you think it is. 

So set your 5 minute timer and do a quick brain dump. 

And make sure you join the Smart Productive Mom Facebook group for more ways to simplify your time management.

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