There were days when I didn’t feel like doing anything. Not in a dramatic way. Just…everything felt like too much.
I was chronically sleep deprived, and some days it was all I could do to keep the bare minimum going. You know, keeping the humans fed and alive.
I saw the mess. The clutter sitting there, as if mocking me. I used to think I needed to push harder, be more disciplined, and get a better system in place. But I just didn’t have the capacity for it.
So I made one small shift. I call this my “No Trip Wasted” routine.
Before I stood up, my eye would find something to take with me. Trash? Gone. The new toothpaste left on the dining room table after shopping – I’d carry it to the bathroom.
When I went to the kitchen to make the kids their second breakfast, I took whatever I could quickly fit in my two hands that belonged there. If was passing by a bedroom, I’d grab something that needed to go back.
Nothing big. Nothing complicated. Not a full reorganization project. Just…taking something with me.
It didn’t feel like cleaning. It didn’t feel like a task I had to gear up for. But over time, things started to move. The pile on the dining room table got smaller. The random items made their way back home. The space began to feel a little lighter…and so did I.
I didn’t overhaul my home. I didn’t create a new system. I just reduced the friction, one small step at a time.
I’m learning this shows up in more places than just my home. And what I’ve found is when everything feels overwhelming, the answer usually isn’t to do more. It’s to make the next step lighter.
So on the days when you don’t feel like doing anything…don’t try to do everything.
Just don’t waste the trip.