The dawn of a new year brings visions of an idealised version of yourself. Fresh-faced, we eagerly pile our to-do lists with things we’ve been putting off and ambitions to aim for. But the energy that comes after a few days off quickly disappears as we settle back into the daily grind of school runs and inbox maintenance.
So instead of adding to your to-do list, why not resolve to take something off it?
Daily tasks
1. Professional organiser Susan C Pinsky says you don’t need to fold every piece of clothing. A drawer of jumbled underwear, but only underwear, is organised enough. For extra credit, if you reduce your socks to two styles and have multiple pairs of each, you will never need to sort, match or roll your socks again.
2. Stop sending so many emails, says Moyra Scott, a productivity and wellbeing expert. The more you send, the more you get back, so only reply if you need to.
3. Another reason to stay out of your inbox? Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber says this kind of “shallow work”, which also includes messaging over Slack or Teams, wastes energy that could be put towards bigger tasks.
4. Skip that multivitamin. People should stop wasting their money on health supplements, says Dr Jason Yu, a Sydney-based GP. They often have very minimal scientific evidence to support their claims, and a pill can’t correct unhealthy lifestyle choices.
