• The appointment you still haven’t booked.
• The bag that’s been waiting to go to the charity shop.
• The subscription you keep meaning to cancel.
• The form you need to fill in.
• The birthday present you need to buy.
• The cupboard you’ve been meaning to sort.
• The thing you need to return.

None of these things is particularly significant on its own but put enough of them together and they start taking up quite a lot of space – both around you and in your head.

This is what I think of as needing a Life Laundry.

Life admin has an annoying habit of multiplying.

The trouble with all those little jobs is that they have to fit somewhere and if we don’t actually decide when we’re going to deal with them, they tend to get squeezed into odd bits of time.

I’ll do that later.

I’ll sort that at the weekend.

I’ll remember to ring them tomorrow.

I’ll deal with that when I’ve got five minutes.

And somehow another week passes, meanwhile, new things are being added because unfortunately, life admin doesn’t have the decency to stop arriving while you catch up with the existing pile.

Sometimes it needs it’s own space in your diary.

This is something I talk about a lot with clients.

We make time for work; we put appointments in the diary. We know when we’re meeting friends or going to the dentist but all the ordinary jobs involved in keeping life ticking along are often expected to magically happen somewhere in between.

Sometimes they do.

But sometimes they don’t.

One of the most useful things you can do is recognise that keeping on top of life takes time – and actually give it some.

For some people that might mean regularly setting aside a little bit of time. For others, a bigger catch-up every so often works better.

There isn’t one perfect system.

The important bit is that instead of constantly thinking, I really must get around to that, you’ve created some space in which you actually can and that can be a surprisingly big game changer.

This isn’t about becoming more productive.

That’s an important distinction.

A Life Laundry isn’t about squeezing more into your week or becoming brilliantly efficient at all times.

Quite the opposite.

It’s about stopping all those little unfinished things from following you around because there is something quite tiring about repeatedly remembering the same job and still not doing it.

Sometimes just knowing “I’ve got time set aside to deal with that” means you can stop thinking about it for now and that feels very different from carrying a constantly updating list around in your head.

You don’t need a complete life overhaul.

I think we’re often encouraged to believe that making life feel better requires something quite substantial.

A new routine, a big goal. A complete reset. Possibly getting up at 5am and drinking something green (whoever thought that was a good idea?)

But sometimes making life feel easier is much less dramatic. It’s dealing with a few things that have been hanging around. Creating a bit of space. Getting some jobs out of your head and actually deciding what you’re going to do about them.

That’s a Life Laundry.

It’s something I’ve used with clients for years because it’s simple, practical and works in real life.

Fancy doing your own life laundry?

I’ve created a free Life Laundry workbook which takes you through my approach and helps you work out what needs your attention and how to make it manageable.

You can download it for free here from the shop on my website.

So if you’ve currently got seventeen little things floating around your head that all begin with “I really must…”, it might be a good place to start.

You don’t need to sort your whole life out.

Sometimes you just need somewhere to put the washing.

The post Does your life need a bit of a tidy-up? appeared first on KATE TILSTON - PRACTICAL LIFE COACH.

These small changes don’t take much effort, but they’ll make the next couple of months feel calmer and a lot more manageable.

It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed in these last 3 months of the year, these practical tips will help ease the overwhelm.

Practical tips to make life easier.

1. Swap Spontaneous Snacks for Planned Pick-Me-Ups

Rather than grabbing snacks or drinks on the go (which add up quickly), keep a favourite ready-to-go option with you like a chocolate bar or sparkling water from a multi-pack. It costs less, saves you time queueing, and still gives you that “pick-me-up” moment without the overspend.

2. Swap endless social scrolling for a quick declutter.

It’s amazing how much time disappears when we’re scrolling. Instead of losing 20 minutes online, use that time to declutter just 10 items from your home – a drawer, a shelf or the “junk” corner that always builds up. Little by little, you’ll create breathing space now and avoid the frantic pre-Christmas tidy later.

3. Swap big unplanned weekly Shops for meal planning

Rather than doing a large, unfocused food shop each week, take a few minutes to plan your meals. It helps you buy only what you need, cut down on waste, and avoid the mid-week “what’s for dinner?” panic. The money saved can be redirected into your December budget, while the time saved eases everyday stress.

4. Swap “All at once” thinking for “Little and Often”

Instead of leaving everything for December – the cleaning, shopping, or prep tasks, start breaking things down into smaller chunks now. For example, wrap gifts as you buy them, or do 15 minutes of cleaning a few times a week rather than a big deep-clean in one go. The gradual approach means December won’t feel like one overwhelming marathon.

5. Swap “Last minute panic” for a simple notes list.

Instead of relying on memory (mines not great at the best of times) and then stressing in December when you forget something, start a running list now in your phone or notebook. Jot down gift ideas, food you’ll need or small tasks as they pop into your head. By the time December arrives, you’ll already have a plan – no more frantic dashes or overspending because you forgot what you needed.

Making little shifts.

Smart swaps aren’t about giving things up they’re about choosing differently so that you can feel more at ease. By making these little shifts now, you’re not just saving money or time; you’re creating space to enjoy December with more calm and control and much less overwhelm.

The post Smart swaps for October that make December feel lighter. appeared first on KATE TILSTON - PRACTICAL LIFE COACH.

In a world where so much emphasis is on doing it right, getting it right, perfection in some shape or form, it’s very easy to feel under the cosh and that at any given moment, the plates we are all spinning are going to come crashing down!

In these moments, it is really important to look at what ways we can make life easier for ourselves. How do we do this? What are some of the things that we can choose to do (or not do) when we’re up against it?

5 simple ways to make life easier.

1. Cooking a large amount of something that you can then reheat and eat again the next day. IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU EAT THE SAME MEAL TWICE.

• Prioritise tasks. What are the things that absolutely HAVE to be done right now and what can be put back a while until life is slightly calmer?

• Kids activities. Yes, it’s wonderful that they do all these extracurricular activities but if they miss it for one week because you can’t pick them up or arrange a lift, it is NOT the end of the world.

• A freezer dinner. Fish fingers and chips or a similar alternative is not going to result in malnutrition if you don’t have the time or energy to cook one evening. Children of the 70s are still here to tell the tale!

• Social commitments. You’re not being a miserable friend by turning down social invitations at times when you are up against it. Keeping the diary relatively free when life is feeling chaotic gives us breathing space to do the day-to-day things that lessen the chaos.

Obviously, the list could go on and on, but just by being aware of some of the things that can make our lives easier at times of stress or chaos, can help us feel more in control and less overwhelmed.

Keep a reminder somewhere.

It’s not daft to create your own list and keep it somewhere for reference in those times. Just a reminder of where you can take your foot off the gas or put down one of those spinning plates and feel less like a raving squirrel!

The post Ways to make life a little easier. appeared first on KATE TILSTON - PRACTICAL LIFE COACH.