You know we’re all about making life easier and less stressful at Capsule because honestly, when you stop to think about it, we are juggling a HELL of a lot at one go. This ongoing series, Work Smarter, Not Harder, powered by our pals at Ninja Kitchen, will help you with tips that are actually practical and helpful in getting through the week as unscathed as possible.
We always want to hear from you, too – any tips you have for any of the topics we cover, please share with us at hello@capsulenz.com so we can then, in turn, share them with our readers. Sometimes it’s the simplest thing that gets the wheels of organisation turning just that little bit better!
In this edition, we have a confession to make – we’re a little overwhelmed ourselves right now. So, we’re taking our advice and figuring out what the hell to do about it!
Capsule x Ninja
Sometimes ‘just doing more’ feels like the only option. I began writing this as I’m trying to meet multiple deadlines (some self-imposed!), packing up a house and preparing to move my whole life to the other side of the city. I’m stressed, I’m frazzled – I’m frantically hunting out the one bottle of gin I haven’t packed.
Push, push, hustle, hustle – burnout in 3… 2… No thanks.
So I can’t help but think, what if instead of trying harder, we just made life easier?
After a wee pause, a reset (a G&T) and a bit of research, I’ve decided to take my own advice and figure out a new way of doing things so I can move into this new place with a much better system – so to benefit myself as much as it is for you, here’s the ultimate anti-overwhelm overhaul that, according to the experts, is guaranteed to make your life that little bit easier!
1. Stop Trying to Fix Overwhelm by Hustling
What we do wrong: When life feels too big, we double down, we power‑through, we pull more late nights, we eat cereal standing up, we binge‑watch shows guiltily, etc.
What I learned: This was me last week – no time to eat at an actual table just rubbish food in between packing, filing, writing and meetings. I thought I could just push harder: more tasks, more obligations. The tipping point was when I slopped a whole lot of instant noodles down myself while trying to simultaneously trying to tape up a moving box.
Alternate way: The experts say that we need to recognise hustle as a symptom, not the cure. Overwhelm usually comes from too much friction, too many decisions, too much in your head. The fix isn’t ‘more hustle’, it’s ‘less friction’. Basically, slow the hell down and things will actually go faster!
2. Build Systems That Remove Decisions
God I love a good system, but somewhere in the frazzle, I’ve forgotten to actually use them. A system is a repeatable way to do something so you don’t have to think about it every.single.time. Less thinking? Ah, yes please. Here’s a few for the
But how should we, the busy gals, use them:
- Meal rotation & planning: I used to stare into the fridge every evening at 6 pm, feeling guilt, then ordering takeaways. Now? I have a rotating list of 10 meals I don’t hate – check out my previous story on the best way to meal prep for my tried and true hacks – including the absolute GAME CHANGING Ninja Combi 14-in-1 Multicooker which lets you cook a whole bloody meal in 15 minutes. Sundays are my “menu draft & grocery prep” hour – once it’s done, there’s no nightly panic. And I can actually cook five whole meals for the week, including prep and cooking, in 90 minutes.
- Shared calendars: My partner and I share a digital calendar. The rubbish nights, Zoom calls, dentist, family dinners – everything goes in. We both see it. No more “Why are you double‑booked?” or “I thought you were meeting me there!”
- Morning routine template: (Yes, even the weird stuff like “make bed”, “stretch 2 mins”, “drink water first thing”) – I have a checklist. My brain hates decisions first thing; this system dumps the small crap out early, so the rest of the day can run more smoothly.
3. Automate the Boring Stuff (Let the Machines Work)
Let machines / apps / gadgets do the grunt work. Real talk: your brain is precious, don’t let it waste cycles on autopay, reminders, or boring life admin when it doesn’t have to!
Stuff I’ve automated:
- Auto‑pay for almost all bills. I don’t need to be reminded how much money is being deducted from my account these days. I choose to be HAPPY.
- Subscription reminders: I use an app so I don’t forget when something renews; cancellation becomes easier, and I’m not surprised by bank statements.
- Grocery & home supplies: We use click‑and‑collect (game changer and also stops me from doing the cheeky little impulse purchases) so most weeks I just tweak what we need and pick it up (ok fine sometimes it’s a delivery but that $9 was worth it to not lose an hour out of the day!)
4. Boundaries Are Systems, Too
Boundaries don’t just ‘feel good’ in theory. They’re structural. Without them, your system is leaky, full of holes, and you burn through reserves – no wonder the mental health experts are so big on them! This is really an area I’ve let slide in the last month or so as life has got on top of me a little, so I’m going back to basics with a few tried and true boundaries I’ve used before:
- Email curfew: I stop checking work‑email after 6 pm. If something is urgent, someone can text. Otherwise – nope. The brain needs off‑mode!
- No meetings on certain days / time blocks: I block mornings for “deep work” – the creative, non‑reactive stuff. Meetings are forced into afternoons, because that’s when my creative side can chill out a little.
- “Protect the weekend” rule: Saturdays are for chores and social rest, Sundays are (mostly) banned from work. If I need to touch something for work, it’s under 30 min and I schedule it in advance. Otherwise: no.
5. Replace Pressure with Permission (Because You Don’t Need to Earn Ease)
Here’s the thing I need to remember – and all of you busy gals who have a TONNE on, you might need a reminder too : you don’t need to achieve more to rest more. You don’t need to prove anything to yourself or anyone else before you give yourself permission to ease up.
Yeah cool, but what does that look like? According to the mental health experts:
- Letting good enough be enough. Sometimes your floors are dusty, your plants droopy, your emails delayed – and that’s okay.
- Scheduling rest/ ‘nothing’ time. Not breaks between tasks, but actual time with no agenda. It feels weird at first – your brain protests – but it’s where recharge lives.
- Saying “no” out loud. Not apologetically, not with excuses, just “no thanks, not this time.” Because overcommitment isn’t a badge of honour.
Look, I’m not going to get this edit nailed overnight. There will still be inefficient days, tumble‑weed brain moments (or that little monkey toy banging the cymbal) with overwhelm creeping in. That’s human.
What we can do is start small. So if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, like me, pick one system this week:
- maybe it’s the shared calendar,
- maybe it’s automating a bill,
- maybe it’s using the Ninja Combi more and delegating dinner prep.
Then let it ripple.
Because when you build structure around you – the systems that work for you – the pressure eases. And ease? Ease is the superpower.