Remember to put your glass down
Imagine you're holding a glass of water out in front of you. At first, it feels light and easy to hold. But as you keep your arm extended, the glass starts to feel heavier, and your arm begins to ache. If you keep holding it for hours, your arm will eventually go numb, and you’ll be unable to carry the glass any longer.
The weight of the glass hasn’t changed, but the longer you hold it, the harder it becomes to manage. Stress works the same way. A little stress here and there is manageable, but if you hold onto it for too long, it becomes overwhelming. The key is to put the glass down—take breaks, seek support, and manage stress before it wears you out.
As a busy parent juggling two jobs and a family, I know firsthand how quickly the mental load of daily tasks—like meal planning, managing appointments, and handling emails—can become overwhelming. This same mental load often follows us into work, affecting our productivity and increasing stress levels. It’s easy to feel stuck in a cycle of decision fatigue, but making small changes can help ease that burden.
Carrying this mental load can lead to burnout and overwhelm, so it’s important to assess whether we really need to carry the weight of repetitive tasks and decisions. Taking a proactive planning approach can help lighten the load and create more mental space for what actually matters.
At home, I’ve found a few strategies that help ease the burden (meal planning is one of THE biggest stressors for me – it’s like planning a whole project every week!)
Use AI to: Build out a meal plan and shopping list based on:
Shop online whenever possible
Using my AI generated shopping lists, I can easily create my online grocery orders for pickup and reduce the amount of time I’m spending wandering the grocery aisles – and it cuts down on impulse buying and blowing the budget!
Ten-minute tidy-up
Staying on top of repetitive chores can be tedious, and we often become house-blind to small messes. Throw on some fun music and a ten-minute timer for each room and boogie your way through some quick clean up!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just do what you can when you can — it's okay to run the dishwasher twice! Give yourself grace and let go of perfection. Small wins matter.
The same principle applies when managing work responsibilities. With endless decisions, meetings, and emails piling up, it’s easy to feel swamped. The mental load of keeping track of everything can lead to stress and burnout, making it harder to stay focused and productive. By implementing small, intentional strategies, we can lighten the load and create a more balanced workflow. Here are a few ways to reduce stress and decision fatigue at work:
Set boundaries
Block time for deep work, turn off notifications after work hours, and schedule breaks to avoid burnout. Set your Teams status message to reflect your availability!
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Practice the “two-minute rule”
If something takes less than two minutes to complete, do it right away to prevent small tasks from piling up.
Use automation tools
Set up email filters, schedule recurring reminders, and use project management apps to streamline tasks.
Batch similar tasks
Group emails, meetings, and deep work sessions to minimize mental switching costs.
Make self-care a priority
Even small moments of rest and relaxation can make a big difference in managing stress.
The more we can put the glass down – even for short periods – the lighter our mental load becomes.
What are some strategies you're using at home and at work that are having the most impact for you?
Looking to improve your work-life balance? Our WorkingSm@rt courses teach you how small, incremental changes can lead to big improvements—helping you reduce stress, manage time better, boost efficiency, and feel accomplished at the end of each day.
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Priority Management South Africa l Productivity Activist l Facilitator l Coaching
1 个月A very important topic with great advice-thank you Diane