Don't stress, do less: 52 ways to make your life easier in 2026

"1. Professional organiser Susan C Pinsky says you don't need to fold every piece of clothing. A drawer of jumbled underwear, but only underwear, is organised enough. For extra credit, if you reduce your socks to two styles and have multiple pairs of each, you will never need to sort, match or roll your socks again. 2. Stop sending so many emails, says Moyra Scott, a productivity and wellbeing expert. The more you send, the more you get back, so only reply if you need to."

"3. Another reason to stay out of your inbox? Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber says this kind of shallow work, which also includes messaging over Slack or Teams, wastes energy that could be put towards bigger tasks. 4. Skip that multivitamin. People should stop wasting their money on health supplements, says Dr Jason Yu, a Sydney-based GP. They often have very minimal scientific evidence to support their claims, and a pill can't correct unhealthy lifestyle choices."

"5. You don't need a complicated outfit to look stylish, says Zara Wong, a fashion editor and consultant. The easiest way to look put together is to wear the same colour head to toe. It's not only striking, but a paint-by-numbers way of getting dressed. 6. Forgo moisturiser and just wear sunscreen, says Prof Deshan Sebaratnam, a dermatologist at the Skin Hospital. Sebaratnam says most people don't need to routinely wear moisturiser unless they have skin conditions like eczema. Plus, most sunscreens have moisturising properties."

Subtract items from to-do lists to conserve energy, time and money. Practical simplifications include accepting a messy drawer of only underwear and reducing sock styles to avoid sorting. Send far fewer emails and reply only when necessary to reduce reciprocal inbox load. Avoid shallow digital work such as frequent messaging to preserve focus for larger tasks. Skip routine multivitamins due to limited evidence and address underlying lifestyle habits instead. Simplify grooming and dressing: wear monochrome outfits for instant polish, rely on sunscreen rather than daily moisturiser unless needed, and use only one or two well-formulated skincare products.

Read at www.theguardian.com