Simple Habits for People Who Don’t Have Time for Habits
The quiet structure underneath a busy life.
You, me, and a few honest thoughts every week. Let’s make it official, shall we?
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Some weeks feels like I’m thriving. Others, I’m just lucky my laundry basket isn’t spewing over with last week’s clothes. It’s never the big things that seem to throw my week off. It’s realizing I forgot to thaw out the chicken (and now I know why our moms would get so mad). The difference usually comes down to small, low-maintenance habits that quietly keep my weird system working on all cylinders.
I’ve realized the weeks that run the smoothest aren’t the ones where I’m doing the most, rather, the ones I quietly prepare without overthinking. These tiny systems dont make me feel like I have my life together; they make the chaos and unknowns a little easier to manage.
These aren’t necessarily “hacks” or 5:00 a.m. routines or groundbreaking information - just the things that quietly keep me sane and a functioning like a high-achiever during the week.
Turns out, ease is something you can plan for.
Planning for ease doesn’t mean doing the most, it just means doing what matters quietly, on repeat.
Food System
If food takes too much brainpower, I won’t eat well. So I keep it simple.
Default breakfasts - eggs + fruit or Greek yogurt bowl
Lunches - rotisserie chicken salads (+ chopped celery, onion, cilantro, and dressing of choice) or dinner leftovers
Dinners - lean protein + roasted/baked veggie + rice/sweet potato
Secret Hack: Walmart+ is $50/year with free delivery for orders $35+. This is a GAME CHANGER for time and budget. Walmart has great options even for organic produce.
Taking the thinking out of food gives me energy for everything else.
Weekend Systems
Saturday mornings are my new “Sunday Reset.” Why wait an entire day to do all your laundry or deep clean or grocery shop? Taking an hour or two to do all my deep cleaning projects, a load of laundry or two, etc. gets it out of the way and let’s my Sunday be saved for true rest.
Bedroom is vacuumed and tidied up
Bathroom gets a wipe down, trash disposed of, and light a candle
Kitchen gets the same when breakfast is over
Place Walmart+ order to be delivered for Sunday morning
DONE
It’s easier to show up for your week when you aren’t spending half of it recovering from the last one.
Movement & Energy
Ease and joy is how I move and reset each day. Every day also looks a little different. Over the years I’ve found that there are seasons where I find joy in the rigid, follow-this-split, do-this-weight layered workout routine. Other seasons, I’m happy with just a walk. Exercise doesn’t have to be the worst thing ever or full of guilt if not accomplished. The sweet spot is giving myself a Movement Menu to choose from based on how my body and mind are feeling that day.
Waking up = phone-free and morning sunlight. PERIOD.
Pilates class 1-3x/week
Strength training, roughly 30-60 minutes 2x/week
Hack - plan something mid-week to look forward to. A favorite class, a sunrise walk, meeting a friend at the gym
Movement based on energy, not guilt, keeps me consistent. Don’t overcomplicate it!!!!
Environment That Supports You
I’ve learned the environment you create becomes the energy you keep. Visual calm equals mental calm.
Reset Rule - clear the counter of dirty anything, nightstands, dressers, etc. Take the three minutes and put everything back where it belongs
Seasonal swaps - a scent can really determine the whole vibe. Rotate candles, playlist, etc. to switch up the energy every now and then
Background playlist - I associate eras of life with music. Changing up my playlist gives life a mini refresh
You are the energy you curate - might as well make it a cam one.
Decision & Time Hacks
Keeping decision making to a minimum is the key to freeing up mental space. By hacking decisions, I free up energy for things that actually need it.
Outfits prepped the night before, sometimes with backup options
Coffee or lunch prepped (I love cold brew, so I make it the night before)
Errand stacking - if I have to get out to go to the store, I’m also doing returns, getting the mail, etc. Plan for multiple things in one outing to save the time for other important things
Default “chaos meal” for off days - have something in the fridge or freezer ready to go for those unexpected busy days when you don’t want to cook
Less time deciding means more time doing.
Financial Flow
I used to love treating myself, and I still do. I used to be a little crazy with it though. That’s until I started to hack myself. When I want to treat myself on something I WANT instead of NEED, here’s what I do:
Open a “Vault” in my SoFi savings account (label it something creative)
Check my budget - see if I can actually afford to splurge on said item/activity
If not, transfer - I will transfer the amount the item/activity/treat would’ve cost me into the separate savings account
It’s giving side hustle, but for future me. Now, I’m basically getting paid for not spending money + 4% APY.
Most of these things aren’t impressive, but that’s kind of the point. It’s not flashy to transfer money you want to be spending or eating ground turkey with rice and a veggie, but doing these things periodically through the week can have a huge impact on the flow of your life. Small changes compounded create big effects in the grand scheme of life.
The best routines aren’t the ones that change who you are - they’re the ones that make it easier to keep showing up as yourself.
What’s one low maintenance habit that makes your week feel smoother?
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