About a year ago, I – the old millennial in a fully committed relationship with Instagram – begrudgingly joined TikTok. To say the algorithm is impressive would be an understatement. My feed quickly filled with videos of book recommendations, cooking demonstrations, cleaning tips, and skincare tutorials that clearly said, “Welcome, 40-something-year-old mom! We’re happy to have you here!” But the recent TikTok trend I’ve enjoyed the most is people posting lists of small, simple things that make their lives better. Most are pretty innocuous, and none are what I would call life-changing. But in a world that often feels complicated and heavy, I love the idea of identifying those simple things that bring joy and ease to your life.
So, in no particular order, here are 10 simple things that make my life better:
- Fresh flowers. I never used to be a flower person, and I’m definitely not into plants (mostly because I kill them). But for some reason as I’ve gotten older, having fresh flowers in the house gives me an immediate boost. Pair them with a sunny day and open windows? Heaven.
- Doing laundry more often. I know, I know … more laundry bringing joy? Ludacris. But I’ve realized when I do smaller loads more frequently, I don’t dread it as much. It means less to fold, less to put away, and fewer feelings of being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of it all.
- Mary Ruth’s Nighttime Multimineral. This stuff is liquid gold. I stumbled upon it while fixing an issue with my daughter’s vitamins order, and now I will never live without it. I take it about an hour before bed, lay down to read, and next thing I know, it’s morning. I’ve tried magnesium and other supplements before, but nothing has worked as immediately or as well as this.
- Audiobooks. While I still love podcasts, over the last year or so, I have fallen back in love with audiobooks. Losing myself in a rom-com or a celebrity autobiography (usually checked out of the library) lets me take a much-needed timeout from reality as I drive to work or do work around the house. [P.S. It’s a simple way to stay on top of my reading for the Indianapolis Moms Book Club, too!]
- Consistent skin care routine. I’ve always been more of a skincare than a makeup girl, and I found myself falling into the trap of buying every “it” product I saw on social media. Over the last year, I’ve finally settled into a simple routine made up of both drugstore and high-end products that work really well for me. In the last week alone, I’ve received three compliments on my skin. While I’m not scared of aging or the laugh lines that come with it, there’s nothing better than a woman confident in her own skin.
- Storing things where I use them. This sounds so ridiculous, but I’ve finally acknowledged that if I keep things where we use/need them, I’m less likely to forget. For example, instead of keeping deodorant in the bathroom where I would forget to put it on after getting dressed, I now keep it on the dresser by my closet so I can’t miss it. We keep an extra toddler toothbrush and toothpaste at the kitchen sink to reduce the morning distraction/meltdown risk that comes with going back upstairs after breakfast. Also, the minute my daughter’s nap mat comes out of the dryer, I put it in my car for Monday morning. There are so many examples that feel very obvious, but making simple changes like these has resulted in a less frantic and disorganized morning.
- Getting a treadmill desk. I was recently inspired by a friend to purchase a desk that slides onto the rails of my treadmill, and I cannot describe how happy it makes me. Coupling the task of responding to emails, reviewing documents or whatever work I’m doing on my computer (like maybe even editing this Indianapolis Moms post!) while moving my body always gives me a much-needed endorphins boost and makes me feel so much better overall.
- Not letting junk mail inside the house. When I get our mail, I walk directly from the mailbox to the recycle bin in our garage to sort. There is no reason for the junk mail – which frankly is most of it – to cross the threshold and risk becoming a pile in the house that we have to deal with later.
- Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo. I’ve tried almost every brand of dry shampoo, and this one is perfection. As someone with fine hair that quickly gets greasy around my forehead, this is the only brand that actually lets me go an extra day without washing. It’s totally worth the price and smells amazing too! [P.S. The key is putting it on before bed and then again in the morning.]
- A stocked toiletry bag. Despite being someone who loves to travel and spent the first ten years of her career at the Indy airport at least twice a month, I HATE packing. But the one thing I do right is keeping a toiletry bag filled with mini or duplicate versions of bathroom products ready to go at all times. I actually have two – a small one for a two to three-day trip and a larger one for a week or longer. I also have one for my daughter filled with extra toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion, hair products and children’s meds (when they inevitably get sick on vacation and all the pharmacies are closed!). It makes packing just a little bit easier on the front end, and you’re much less likely to stress about something you forgot on the back end.
Have any of these things transformed my life? Not really. But are they simple ways to make me a happier and less stressed version of myself? For sure.
