FEELING BURNOUT? Try this to shorten your to-do list and reduce burnout ASAP.
Honey, you do not have to do everything.
There, I said it. And no, that’s not just based on wise advice I may have gotten in the past – from The Burnout Study, we KNOW that you are trying to do IT ALL.
What we also found? While we usually think that we have to do everything, research is clear that the more decisions we have to make every day, and the more tasks (no matter how small), the more it exhausts us, and our brain and decision-making capacity. And if we can leverage that science to make our life one to-do lighter, let’s DO it.
YES – it’s possible. And you can do it without the house burning down, everyone starving, or having your children run naked through the streets.
In Triage Part 1 (go here if you missed it – the order of these is specifically designed to help you reduce Burnout), we took the first step to getting your to-do list under control.
TL;DR, HOW TO SHORTEN YOUR TO-DO LIST
Every decision we make, big or small, tires our brain. And the more decisions you make, the more tired it gets – and the more likely that it will take the easy/shortcut option (which is how you’re eating Cheetos at 10 p.m. while binge-watching Netflix, even though you have a super early morning tomorrow).
If that sounds like you, check out these options (we put many examples below, so something is bound to fit your life!). You’ll wonder why you EVER tried to do it the old way.
To make your to-do list manageable + still getting everything HANDLED, adopt 2 key tools:
- Delegate – This week, instead of mindlessly just doing your tasks, deliberately ask yourself – “Is this something I have to do?” Can you delegate it to someone else? Your partner, child, coworker – or can you outsource it?
- Automate – What decisions do you make the same way daily, weekly, or monthly? Maybe it’s meals, groceries, meetings…. Instead of making the decision EVERY SINGLE TIME, automate it. Doing this takes a little initial setup, but then going forward, it happens magically (well, not exactly magically), without you even having to think about it.
Read full details (and lots of ideas to make things easier!) below
Delegate
The Burnout Study showed that trying to do everything is a huge driver of burnout – and that even taking small steps to create a better division of labor can help.
Examples: (lots of examples here, to make it easy for you)
- A small (but necessary) chore that can be your child’s responsibility, like gathering books to return to the library every week
- A project that would benefit someone else to accomplish, whether that’s a coworker or fellow mom. If there’s someone who has more time/interest/capability to do the project AND it would benefit them, either delegate or ask them if they’d like the project (and the credit!). You really DON’T have to do everything.
- Consider shopping + delivery apps like Instacart, Shipt, Amazon Prime, or a curbside pickup/delivery service from your local grocery store.
- Create daily lists for your kids, so you’re not reminding them every single day to put away their shoes.
- Coordinate carpool with other parents
- Delegate childcare – trade an afternoon weekly with another mom or hire a responsible neighborhood teen to watch the kids while you do something you enjoy – date night, a shopping trip, or just getting away by yourself for a bit. (Bonus if they help with homework or other home tasks while you’re out!)
- Let technology do the heavy lifting: Instead of trying to remember to do something in the future, set a reminder (even things like “schedule dentist appointment” 3 months from now). I also like to just book the next one at the current appt– and can always reschedule.
- Create shared lists with your spouse, so you both understand what falls under your responsibilities, and what doesn’t. (so you don’t have to constantly remind them).
- If you find that much of your time is spent finding shared availability for meetings, then consider an app like Calendly or Doodle to save time.
Automate
What decisions do you make the same way daily, weekly, or even monthly? Automate them!
Every decision we make, whether big or small, fatigues our brain. And the more decisions you make, the more tired it gets – and the more likely that it will take the easy/shortcut option (which is how you’re eating Cheetos at 10 p.m. while binge-watching Netflix, even though you have a super early morning tomorrow).
Examples: (again, lots of examples – just try one!)
- Meal planning: so you’re not scrounging around for dinner ideas when everyone’s hangry at 6 p.m. on Tuesday (for my quick and easy meal guide, click here)
- Subscribe to EVERYTHING that you use regularly: household staples (TP, dog food, peanut butter…), medication refills, makeup… Most major vendors now allow a “Subscribe and save” option that can save you time, energy, AND money.
- Save grocery lists: You can do this for online grocery orders, or I have a Post-it that lists the staples we purchase every week, and I consult it before each shopping trip.
- Save travel packing lists into apps like Evernote (never arrive at your destination without your son’s underwear again!)
- Firm up school/activity pickups: If you split pickup duties with anyone else, don’t make the arrangements ad hoc. Create a schedule, so that on Sunday, you know exactly what days you’re driving (and can plan around them).
- Save frequent emails: If you find yourself sending some version of the same email every day, save a note to your computer with common responses you can copy and paste, instead of re-typing multiple versions of the same thing!
- Establish routines for everyone – Create set morning routines for everyone, so there’s no question what needs to be done by when. Bonus points if you routine-ize your “me time” 20 minutes before everyone gets up. While I’m not a morning exerciser, creating a routine of a walk before the kids are up became my only way I knew I could do it.
- Create “out the door” lists – what do your kids forget every day that has you screaming?
- Make monthly activities, like paying the bills, into a routine. Instead of responding to and paying a bill right when you get it (and interrupting your current tasks), put all “Bills to be Paid” into a folder, and once a month go through all of them in one sitting.
What did you choose to apply? We’d love to hear! Accomplish more AND save mental effort? That’s key to reducing Burnout – and we are HERE for it.
All my best,
- Dr. Darria
Thank you to our AMAZING Burnout Study in Women sponsors, Luna Bar Co, Good Housekeeping, and Computers4Kidz!
