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In a world that can feel so frantic and rushed, especially as a mum of two, trying to juggle schedules and a content creation business, I’ve learned that sometimes I simply need to say no. 

There are some small things I quit over the past few years that have freed up so much time and energy for me and have simplified my life a lot. I’m sharing them in this article. See if any of these might be helpful to you, too. 

Keep reading below or watch the video:

1. Leaving decisions for later 

I’ve learned that clutter is actually the result of postponed decisions. The reason we tend to accumulate so many things and it can feel so hard to get on top of it, is that we tend to keep putting things off.

I’ve found that, especially when I’m busy, I tend to set some things aside instead of making decisions, putting them off for later. But the problem with that mindset is that things just keep piling up, and it becomes harder and harder to get on top of them. So the best thing we can do right away is simply try to make those decisions.

For me, it was really important to realise that most of these decisions—especially when it came to clutter—weren’t that major. I tended to overthink many of them, even though in reality they didn’t matter much. Over the years, I realised I was leaving a lot of decisions unmade or delayed in many areas of my life.

For example, I would leave emails unanswered because I felt I had to craft the perfect response in my head. I kept overthinking everything I wrote until I found exactly the right way to phrase it. At home, I would leave things on surfaces until I could figure out the perfect spot for them. I’d put off decluttering until I had decided exactly where each item should go or made a decision about each category or area.

But it turns out it’s much more productive to make those decisions a little faster and not let them linger, because that’s when things get overwhelming, and it’s not helpful at all.

2. Buying or keeping fabrics that I hate

It actually took me a long time to realise what I truly love to wear, what I like having in my wardrobe, and the kinds of fabrics I enjoy. Decluttering my wardrobe and being more intentional about what I brought in really helped me figure this out. I also created a digital wardrobe, which helped me understand the fabrics I love.

This applies not just to how they feel when I wear them, but also to their care—how easy they are to look after, whether I have the time and energy for them, if they require special attention or care, and also how easy they are to iron, if they need ironing.

I discovered that I tend to gravitate towards items that don’t tend to wrinkle very easily, for example. So, I really like cotton and viscose. And when it comes to linen, I prefer blends of linen and viscose or linen and cotton, as they are less prone to having wrinkles than pure linen. 

And I also just like comfortable fabrics, and a better quality cotton that’s a little bit more sturdy and not very see-through. 

Nowadays, when I go shopping or need to buy something, I think carefully about the fabric it’s made of and try to be more intentional. In the past, I didn’t pay attention to this at all—I would buy things just because they were on sale or cheap. Now, if I see an item in a shop or on a website, I ask myself: Will this last? Will it actually look good on me? Is it easy to care for? Will I enjoy wearing it? Asking these questions really helps me not spend money on items I might not actually enjoy wearing down the line.

3. Ironing 

Speaking of fabrics, I also quit pretty much all ironing. There are a few things I will iron, like my son’s school uniform or a special shirt that I really want to look nice. Anything like that, yes, I might iron, but it’s not part of my daily routine. It’s not something I do constantly but only when needed.

I don’t know if this is a millennial thing, but I just don’t really enjoy ironing, and I don’t find the need to iron every piece of clothing that I own. For example, the T-shirt I was wearing while filming the video for this article had not been ironed. I had washed it and put it on a hanger while wet. I had also slightly stretched the material just to get any creases out. And then it dried pretty much straight. 

When I dry my clothes like this, I don’t really feel the need to iron them. This is my personal preference, but it saves me so much time. 

4. Fabric softeners

For the longest time, I used fabric conditioner for my clothes. But then I read more about it, and it turns out that, actually, conditioner is not supposed to be used on a lot of materials and clothes, like towels, jeans, or leggings. Yet I was using it on all of them. 

I decided to stop using it for those items. But it felt like such a headache to constantly keep track of what items are in the wash to figure out if I should use fabric conditioner for that load or not! So I ended up stopping to use it at all.

This was a couple of years ago, and I don’t miss my fabric softener. I find that it doesn’t really make much of a difference. I will use some scented products if I feel like my clothes need that, but I’ve stopped using conditioners, and this simplified my laundry routine a little bit more. 

5. Perfume

I quit wearing perfume around the time I had my son because I just didn’t want my newborn to be in my arms with all those perfumes around him. That was a long time ago. I had my daughter in the meantime, she’s actually a toddler now, but I just haven’t gotten back to wearing perfumes. 

I do obviously wear deodorant, but not perfume daily. Maybe in the future I will get back to using perfume, but that’s just something I quit using. And it’s actually simplified my life and improved my budget as well. 

6. New books

I’ve also stopped buying new books all the time. Occasionally, I might pick up a new release from one of my favourite authors, but I try my best to first look for it on Vinted or in charity shops, because I can find so many great books that way. Second-hand books are so much cheaper, and I also feel like it’s better to buy pre-loved whenever we can. 

The one thing I struggle with is not buying more books before I’ve read the ones I already have. That’s something I’m working on. I think I mentioned at the beginning of the year that I’m trying to build this habit into my life, but it’s hard. I constantly want to buy new books, and there are so many I want to read! So I’m still working on that habit.

7. Unnecessary meetings

As my business as a content creator has grown, there are a lot more Zoom meetings and calls I can attend. Sometimes I do join online events because I find some of them really helpful. But there are others that feel more like filler meetings, if you know what I mean. If you’ve been on one of those, you know—where it’s not really necessary and not that helpful to be present.

As a former people-pleaser, it was very hard for me to say no to all of those. But I’ve learned that I really need to protect my time because it’s limited. I’ve realised that I can say no. I can ask myself, “Is it necessary for me to be in this meeting?” and decline politely. I don’t need to be rude, but I’ve found that many meetings I thought I needed to attend could have just been an email. This has simplified my life and saved me a lot of time.

8. Keeping up with trends

I used to do keep up with trends. A lot. Every time the season changed, I felt like I needed to stay on top of it—whether it was a new colour coming in for fall or the latest trend I wanted to jump on quickly.

But I’ve learned that actually, when it comes to my wardrobe, I much prefer those classic, timeless pieces. Just simple pieces that I can wear a lot and that go with everything. That’s why my current wardrobe is filled with basic pieces and neutral colours, because that’s what I love. 

Realising this really helped me stop feeling like I constantly need to compare myself to everything I see on social media or keep up with it all.

9. Keeping up with the news

This doesn’t mean I’m ignorant or unaware of what’s going on in the world. I’ve found that even if I don’t actively seek out the news by going on websites or watching it on TV, the big stories tend to reach me anyway. I see them in my feed or all over the internet.

I try not to consume too much of it, because I’ve noticed it fuels a lot of anxiety for me. Many news stories trigger that response, and often they’re about things we can’t really control. Sure, I can donate or take action in small ways, but there are many things I simply can’t change or do anything about. Seeing that every day can really affect our mental health negatively, often without us even realising it.

So no, I’m not oblivious. I do my part where I can, but I also try to protect my mental health and energy so I can be present with my kids. It’s definitely a tricky balance to find, but for me, watching and reading the news daily just isn’t helpful.

10. Gifts for big events

My husband and I have quit buying gifts for each other for big events. This doesn’t mean we never buy gifts for each other, because we certainly do. We just do that throughout the year or when we have an idea for one another. We will surprise each other. But when Christmas, a birthday, or any similar event comes around, we no longer feel pressured to buy each other something or expect to receive something. After all, people can’t read our minds or know exactly what we need in that moment. 

I’ve also found that when there’s pressure to buy a gift quickly, we’re more likely to choose things that aren’t really needed—items we might regret buying, not use, and eventually end up decluttering or selling later on.

We still buy gifts for the kids, but as grown-ups, I find that when I want something—if it’s on my wish list—I’m much more likely to just go out and buy it myself. As adults, that’s often what we do, isn’t it? 

So, we decided to take the pressure off ourselves. When we do have a thoughtful idea, we’ll buy each other gifts and surprise one another in a nice way, but without the pressure of finding the perfect gift at a particular time. This has really simplified things for us.

11. Shopping sales

I used to love going bargain hunting when the seasons changed and the shops had big sales going on. I used to think that was the perfect time to purchase all of these items of clothing. 

Then I realised that, actually, I don’t need so many items of clothing on a regular basis every time the season changes. Plus, shopping sales are much more likely to lead to me impulsively buying some items that I’ll later regret, or that I might actually end up not wearing much. 

The only reason I buy something on sale now is if that item was already on my wish list and I’ve been wanting to get it, and now it’s finally on sale. Then yes, I might purchase it. But if it’s something I just happen to see at 30% off and feel like I need to buy it right away or risk missing out, I’ve found that kind of pressure doesn’t usually lead to a good decision for me.

12. Complicating meal planning

I used to feel like every week I needed to sit down with my phone and find some really good recipes to try that week, and constantly find new things to try and keep meals interesting. But I found that my family really prefer eating not necessarily the same meal every day, but having a rotation of the same meals that we love to eat. And that took a lot of pressure off me to constantly find new recipes. 

Now I have a spreadsheet, even though it might be a bit nerdy, but I love spreadsheets. And I keep it in Notion, and it’s actually a list of the recipes that I love to make on a regular basis. Every week, I sit down and pick five of those dinner recipes. And that’s pretty much how I do meal planning nowadays, and it’s so easy. 

I recently got a comment from someone saying, “Why don’t you just make a few weekly plans and then reuse those plans over and over again?” And I thought that was brilliant. I realised that’s exactly what they do at my daughter’s nursery. They have a seasonal menu with a few weeks’ worth of meals that they just rotate through. I think I’m going to try setting that up for myself, too, because it would probably save me even more time. So, thank you for that.

13. Email newsletters

I’ve unsubscribed from a lot of newsletters. I still get the ones from my favourite creators and people I want to keep up with because I love reading their work. Other than that, I have completely unsubscribed from anything that’s just promotional or from shops.

I find that having those sales emails coming into my Inbox all the time can lead to a lot of unnecessary purchases. Plus, they can clog up my Inbox, which can feel really stressful, like I’m constantly needing to answer emails when in fact I don’t, they’re just promos. And since I’m someone who likes Inbox zero, that can be frustrating. Let me know what your Inbox currently looks like—is it a zero, or more on the full side?

14. Browse shopping

I used to go to the shops with nothing in particular in mind, just browsing and letting the store inspire me on what to buy. But I found that this wasn’t a very useful way to shop, because I often ended up with impulse buys—things that didn’t really go with what I already had in my wardrobe, for example. Then I’d feel like I needed to buy something else to match the new item I’d just bought, which is known as the Diderot effect.

Nowadays, when I go shopping, it’s usually with a list or a particular item in mind rather than just browsing the aisles to see what inspires me. 

15. Negative self-talk

This one wasn’t easy to stop doing. In my early 20s, I was often very harsh on myself, and it took a while for positive self-talk to become a habit—something I actually do on a consistent basis. 

Now I try to keep that positive voice in my mind. I always try to think, “If my best friend came to me and she would tell me these things she’s going through, how would I respond to her?” The answer is probably much kinder than the way I used to speak to myself, so that’s what I try to do now.

If I feel like I’ve had a rubbish day, I didn’t get much done, instead of putting myself down and calling myself lazy for not achieving all of these things or being productive, I will try to give myself grace and remember that rest is also productive. Sometimes, our bodies and minds just need rest. 

It’s not easy at first, especially as I’m working on changing this habit, but I’ve found it has made my life so much better. My goal now is for my mind to be a kind and safe place to be in.

16. Eyelash extensions

I used eyelash extensions a few times a while back, and at first I thought they were really cool. However, I then realised that actually the upkeep of them, with frequent visits to the salon, is quite expensive and it really adds up over time. Plus, it’s pretty time-consuming. I remember spending about one or two hours every few weeks getting my eyelashes filled, and it just felt like too much time. 

And I noticed, after giving my eyelashes a break, they now actually look much better naturally than they used to. So I don’t feel the need for those anymore.

17. Getting nails done

I never really used to get my nails done consistently. But I’ve found that having a little routine—usually on Sundays, I do my nails—doesn’t take very long at all. I have two nail polishes that I use on rotation. 

I’ve been asked what they are: both are Essie. One is a pure white called Blanc, and the other is a very pale pink called Ballet Slippers.

I used to have many more nail polishes, but I realised these are the two colours I naturally gravitate toward. So I’m no longer keeping or buying others when I just use these on rotation. This has simplified things a lot and made the decision of what colour to pick much easier.

I quit getting my nails done, but I still get my hair done. That’s the one thing I really enjoy, and I’ve kept it in my routine.

What’s something you’ve let go of to make your life simpler? I’d love to hear!