Sometimes the simplest things in life can be the most impacting. I’ve been following along with The Simple Show’s podcast series ‘What’s Saving My Life‘ and I thought I would add a list of my own to the mix.

1. A House Uniform

Comfort is a huge consideration for me. If I’m not feeling warm and comfortable it is super hard to concentrate or feel as if I can do anything other than focus on my own state. Enter the house uniform. When I get home I head straight for the bedroom, peel off my hat, shoes and coat and put on my slippers and dressing gown. It certainly isn’t glamorous, but instantly I feel relaxed and warm, ready to tackle any chaos that might come my way.

2. Three-Weekly Grocery Shopping

I used to shop every fortnight, loading up my trolley with the menu planned ingredients for those two weeks. It worked well, but it sure felt like the whole experience came around again quickly. It turns out that menu planning for one extra week and just leaving out the bare essentials (bread and milk which I make little trips for when needed) means that I get a whole extra week before having to brave the shops again. Sure my trolley towers precariously and the experience isn’t that enjoyable, but to be honest, it actually isn’t that different from the fortnightly version. So, totally winning!

3. The Library

Is anyone else as enamoured with the library as I am? I mean, you get to waltz in, choose as many books as you like, swipe a card and take hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise home with you!? Then, as if that wasn’t great enough, you get to enter the portals of as many different worlds as you choose, and carry those stories with you forever. Insane. I have been reading like crazy this year, partially because of the oft-repeated tip from esteemed authors on the So You Want To Be A Writer podcast that you must read and read widely if you want to be successful as a writer, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Follow me on Goodreads if you like, and let me know if you are on there so I can follow along with your literary journey!

4. Routine

It isn’t sexy but somehow this boring underpinning of our lives makes such a difference when done well. From our ‘kitchen closes at 8:05am’ and ‘you must be totally dressed with your bag packed before eating’ routine to the hour of one on one time I spend with each kid after school – life is just so much easier when everyone knows what is coming next.  Routine means that we can focus on actually enjoying the time we spend together rather than me barking out monotonous orders about what to do. Let’s face it, no one enjoys being a drill sergeant. Routine for the win.

5. Yoga

I’ve spoken about this one a few times before, but man I love yoga. Twenty minutes on the mat each day is an incredible investment – with pay offs for my mood, physical fitness, mental state and my ongoing ability to tackle life. Even better, I can do it at home (for free!!) and the kids can either join in or play quietly next to me. I have never regretted one moment spent on that mat. It really is time well spent.

So, over to you, it doesn’t have to be profound or something no one else has ever thought of before. What are the mundane things saving your life at the moment? The little things can often be more powerful than we realise…