00:00Hi, I'm Maddie James, a mom of three and entrepreneur,
00:04and I'm so excited to partner up with Essence and Simply
00:07to talk about how to work smarter and not harder.
00:11Now, as Black women, working wives, mothers,
00:14and simply as humans, we have so much to do.
00:18And so we really need to get serious
00:20about simplifying our day.
00:22So let's get into a couple of tips and life hacks
00:25that I've used in my daily life,
00:27and hopefully it's helpful for you.
00:29First up, let's talk about simplifying your list.
00:32I think one of the things that always makes me feel
00:35a little deflated is whenever I make a things to-do list,
00:38but then I get none of it done.
00:40And it would just happen day after day,
00:42especially when I started having kids.
00:44I would make a laundry list, like have 12, 13 items on the list,
00:48and I might get one or two of those things done.
00:51And it always left me feeling kind of like,
00:54what is the point of it all?
00:55And then one day I just kind of got fed up
00:57and I ended up listening to a podcast,
00:59and it suggested that I just make a things to-do list
01:02where I have three things on the list.
01:04Truth be told, we're putting a lot of things on our list
01:06that don't actually matter.
01:08Honestly, it's about keeping your list short and sweet.
01:12Remember, it's much better for you to get three things done
01:16at 100% than 12 things done at 10%.
01:19So next up, let's talk about simplifying your tasks.
01:23So many times we can overwork ourselves in instances
01:26where we really don't have to.
01:28Now, when it comes to getting things done,
01:31sometimes we can feel a little bit kind of deflated
01:34or defeated if we have to do it by ourselves
01:36or we feel like we don't have any help.
01:38One day I was putting away the groceries,
01:41and it was just one of those days.
01:42It had been a really hectic work day.
01:45The kids were on 100, and I literally started crying
01:48in the middle of putting the groceries away.
01:50And it felt like it was taking me forever.
01:53And so I actually was reading a book one day,
01:56and somebody mentioned batching, putting away your groceries.
02:00For instance, you want to take all of your groceries
02:02out of the bags, put them on the counters,
02:05and organize them by where they're going to go.
02:07That way, you're only making a couple of trips to the pantry
02:10and a couple of trips to the fridge
02:12without kind of getting scatterbrained
02:13and going back and forth to each of those places
02:16more than you really have to.
02:17Now, if batching doesn't work for you
02:19because you actually do have help,
02:21don't be afraid to ask the kids to get involved.
02:23You know, make this a family group project.
02:26And also, don't be afraid to hire help if you need it.
02:29There's no shame in that.
02:31In fact, there's honor in that.
02:32Last but not least, let's talk about simplifying your day.
02:36As somebody who has three small children,
02:39you never just want to make it up on the spot.
02:41You always want to have some kind of routine,
02:43some kind of schedule.
02:45The worst is when you are having a really stressful day,
02:48you don't know what you're doing,
02:49you're making it up on the spot,
02:50and you're passing that stress on to the people who live
02:53in the same house as you.
02:54I cannot tell you how powerful an incredible morning routine
02:58and even a nighttime routine can really make
03:00all the difference in your day.
03:02Whenever you create and establish a routine,
03:04what it does is it productively allows you to go into autopilot.
03:08That's huge, and also, it's another way to simplify your day.
03:11I'll be honest with you.
03:13We love Simply Lemonade at our house.
03:15We always have it.
03:16The kids love it.
03:17Chris loves it.
03:18I love it, too.
03:19However, whenever I was drinking it,
03:21I was adding a little bit of water to it,
03:23just to water down the sweetness.
03:24And guess what?
03:25I went to the grocery store one day,
03:27and I came across Simply Light Lemonade.
03:29It has 75% less sugar, and you're not missing a thing.
03:33It still tastes so good.
03:35It's one of my favorite things to drink on a hot day.
03:38Honestly, it's my favorite Simply product.
03:40So to live simply, you definitely
03:42want to remember to simplify your list
03:44by keeping it short and sweet, simplifying your tasks
03:47by batching, asking for help, or hiring help,
03:50and of course, simplifying your day
03:53by establishing those routines.
03:55I'm Maddie James, and a huge thanks to my friends at Essence
03:58and Simply for letting me share tips on how I simplify my life.
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