The 10 daily habits that I NEVER skip, to reduce the mental load

Bonjour!

How was your week?

I have just had one of the busiest weeks since the beginning of the year.
Non-stop at work. The kind of week where 24 hrs a day don’t feel like enough to fit everything in.

When that happens, I know I have to do something counter-intuitive:
let go.

And when you add the current context in the world, the mental load can quickly become absolutely crazy

So le me tell you, this article will be a little different from the usual 😄

→ A small pause from the typical career or leadership topics.
It’s a one-off reflection.

I wanted to share what I have put in place over the past months or even years, and that I rely on to keep my mental load as low as possible, every day. I am bringing this topic today because we often talk about it in coaching sessions on different ways to calm things down when life gets noisy.

1. My phone is constantly in black & white mode
The result has been PHENOMENAL: removing colours removes a lot of my addictive to apps. Everything looks more boring for sure, but it gives me space for other things less addictive.

On iphone: Go to Settings → Accessibility → Accessibility Shortcut → color filter greyscale

On android: Open Setting → Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls →Bedtime Mode → Grayscale

2. I limit Instagram and Facebook to 20 minutes per day.
Enough to stay connected. Not enough to disappear into the scroll either. I usually use IG for the news. It was set to 1hour per day until February, but I have limited it even further since the beginning of the situation in the emirates.

3. I removed LinkedIn from my phone.
Radical. but necessary. I now only use it intentionally from my computer.

4. I read Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport.
It fundamentally changed the way I think about attention. Highly recommended if you want to stay away from the noisy world.

5. The 1-in / 1-out rule.
If I take on a new “problem” or responsibility, something else has to go.

6. I journal every morning.
I have been doing it for 5 years and haven’t missed a single day.
It clears the mental clutter before the day even begins.

7. I run or swim.
I haven’t found anything comparable to help me reset my thinking.

8. I go for walks with no earphones.
Just silence and my thoughts. It was hard for me as I am a podcast addict.

9. I read for at least 10 minutes.
Even on the busiest days. Even when time looks tight. Eventually I have read hundreds of books since I have started, compared to none in my 30s..

And finally, a principle I try to remind myself of often:

None of these habits are revolutionary on their own.
But together, they help me create space.

I can focus better, think better,, and eventually live better. MOre in peace with myself!

You liked this topic? Anything you have already implemented in your life? Let me know here! I love receiving private messages about how you’re finding the newsletter

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See you next week!

Steph