A few days ago, a friend of mine was telling me that her way of reducing the time she spent on social media (specifically Instagram) consisted of installing the application only once per day—only for the time reserved for browsing—and uninstalling it right after.

At first, this seemed like an impractical solution, but when she explained it to me I understood everything. “Social media generates a certain addiction in me, and the way to control it is to only browse them at that moment. I waste less time by installing and uninstalling applications rather than leaving the application visible on my mobile, because in the latter case I’ll waste hours by scrolling” he said.

He convinced me, after all, that this was his particular strategy to eliminate obstacles that were taking up time and adding stress. Added stress is the stress that results from the feeling that you have spent your free time watching a sequence of unreal lives. It all reminded me of an atomic habit that the originator of this concept, James Clear, explains in his well-known book about those small habits that generate big changes in our lives.

Clear always insists that the key to fulfilling resolutions without stress is to make it easy and beautiful (among other things). And that’s precisely why he refers to a methodology that originated in Japan in the late 1940s, as explained in an article published in the New Yorker titled Better All the Time. It is known as “lean” or streamlined production and began when Japanese companies completely overhauled their assembly lines to detect errors before they happened (and not after), carrying out lean production in which waste of all kinds that could worsen both the process and result were eliminated. And by waste they also meant redesigning the workspace so as not to waste time or generate “movement waste” going from one place to another in search of tools, for example. With this strategy of eliminating barriers of any kind (not only physical, but also what Clear calls “stress or resistance points”) they managed to be much more productive, generate higher quality products and save time and money. And this can also involve eliminating distractions, as was the case with the friend I spoke about at the beginning of this article.

The essence of lean

This process optimisation methodology is not only applied in business, but also domestically in a much more mundane way to make our lives easier. Just google “lean productivity techniques” to find several experts who explain how to put these strategies into practice to reduce daily stress caused by certain everyday situations that can be simplified if the process is optimised. For example, Brion Hurley, an expert in the field, confirms that in this way you can reduce frustration, prevent procrastination and save time. And he gives very simple examples that can summarise the essence of the benefits of eliminating barriers or stress points: something as obvious as removing objects from the floor that are obstacles when vacuuming or classifying work tools when cleaning the house, by categories, eliminating the unnecessary and designating a place for each thing—so that every task is not tedious but rather quick and practical.

Reduce the stress points of daily activities to live better

Clear stresses the importance of not forcing motivation when it comes to maintaining habits, but making things easier and simplifying. And instead of trying to overcome the resistance to stick to that habit, reduce it. “For example, when deciding where to practice a new habit, it’s best to choose a place that is on the way when performing your daily routine. It’s easier to build habits when they fit into the flow of your daily life. It’s easier for you to go to the gym if it’s on your way to work, because stopping there isn’t going to add much stress to your lifestyle. Conversely, if the gym is off the road you normally follow – even if it’s just a few blocks – you’ll have to make a detour to get there,” he explains. All of this is also about order and cleanliness, which facilitate the process—and even designing environments that facilitate those tasks and eliminate the resistance Clear talks about. In addition, by eliminating those points of tension that take time and energy away from us, “we can achieve more with less effort” and, as the expert points out, we also lighten the cognitive load involved. In short, it is a matter of making the road easier to meet the objectives and thus reduce daily stress.

Some ways of eliminating stress points in everyday life

  1. Only turn to a fridge with healthy food when hungry. In fact, the Harvard School of Health states that according to a study conducted by Cornell University, people who stored sweets and fizzy drinks on their kitchen counter put on 9 to 11 kilos compared to those who kept them out of sight.
  2. Turn off your phone or put it on airplane mode when you need to concentrate at work. Neuroscience expert Ana Ibáñez calls it creating “concentration bubbles’ and consists of working without interruptions by creating the environment for it, without a cell phone and even with music and lighting a candle. It all adds up.
  3. Practicing sports when getting up (to eliminate any obstacle or resistance during the day) and leaving your clothes ready the night before.
  4. Leave your phone in another room during lunch and dinner so that you can eat consciously, without having the impulse to look at your phone.
  5. If you want to drink more water during the workday, fill up a bottle and put it on your desk. This avoids the wasted motion of having to fetch it, which generates some resistance.
  6. When you start your facial care routine each morning, you can place your outfit of the day on your bathroom counter, so you don’t have to rummage through the closet and avoid the stress of not finding something. It’s all about making it easy to enjoy it.

Article originally published on Vogue Spain