Everyday life and work. These two juggernauts, side by side, fighting for the same hours in your day. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels like my workday ends, and then—surprise!—the “real” work begins. Housework, errands, meal prepping, laundry… the whole shebang. It’s no wonder we all need a few life hacks to keep it all together.

I’ve learned a thing or two along the way (and by “learned,” I mean spent hours googling “how to survive adulting”). So, buckle up: here are some tips and tricks that’ll help you slay both your everyday life and work with style, humor, and possibly a bit of chaos.

Time Management: The Secret Sauce to Sanity

Let’s start with the big one: time. Y’all, if you’re not managing your time, it’s managing you. I had to learn that the hard way (spoiler: I now use a paper planner instead of an app, because, well, I forget to charge my phone sometimes).

1. The Calendar Thing—It’s Not Just for Corporate Robots

Okay, I’m not gonna lie, my life was a mess before I started using a calendar. Work events? A complete blur. Doctor appointments? Always forgotten until they call to confirm. So, one day, I finally caved and started using a digital calendar—and lemme tell you, it was a game changer.

Now, I put EVERYTHING in there. Bills, workouts, grocery runs, you name it. I color-code it, I even set reminders, like my mom does for me every year on my birthday (because, apparently, I forget that, too). My everyday life and work runs a hell of a lot smoother now. Seriously.

2. The Eisenhower Matrix—Not Just For General Patton

This one is weirdly helpful for sorting out your day. You break your to-dos into four categories:

• Urgent and Important: Do these right now.
  
• Important but Not Urgent: Do these later.
  
• Urgent but Not Important: Get someone else to do them.
  
• Neither Urgent Nor Important: Just… stop. Don’t do these.
  

I first tried it during my lunch break at work, sitting in the cafeteria, eating the saddest sandwich (don’t ask, but it involved way too much mustard). It really helped clear the clutter in my brain. And trust me, after a few rounds of using the matrix, I started crossing off everyday life and work tasks like a pro.

3. Time Blocking: Not Just for Your Fanciest Friends

Time blocking. Sounds like something a productivity guru would do, right? Well, spoiler: it’s not rocket science. I started blocking chunks of time for each task. Two hours for work, one hour for grocery shopping, 30 minutes to argue with my laundry machine (don’t ask).

At first, I thought I was being way too organized. But honestly, once I got into the groove, I realized it’s like creating a roadmap for your day. And, uh, I’m the kind of person who once missed a dentist appointment because I forgot to read the email. So, this was huge for me.

Boosting Work Productivity—No Superpowers Required

Okay, I’m not gonna lie. Some days I can barely function at work, and I’ll be the first to admit it. But there are ways to get more done in less time—without feeling like you’re sprinting a marathon in the office.

4. The Pomodoro Technique: Works Like a Charm (Except on Pizza)

Now, this one? I didn’t believe in it at first. Work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break? Yeah, right. But it turns out, breaking your day into these chunks is pretty genius. It’s called the Pomodoro Technique, and yes, it’s Italian (which made me think it had something to do with pizza—false advertising, TBH).

I started using a timer, setting it for 25 minutes, then walking away to do literally anything else. The breaks felt like my brain could finally breathe, and I was way more productive afterward. I mean, my first Pomodoro timer actually went off in the middle of a Zoom meeting, which was mortifying, but still—I’ve stuck with it ever since.

5. Daily Goals: The Little Things That Add Up

Set three to five goals. Just three to five. You don’t need a whole manifesto. Some days, I’d be lucky if I could even finish those, but that’s life. You need small, bite-sized goals to make sure you’re actually achieving something, especially if your everyday life and work collide like a pile of dirty laundry and unfinished reports.

Pro tip: Write your goals down. I once wrote them on the back of a napkin during a meeting. Didn’t end well, but the point still stands—keep track of your goals. It works.

6. Cut the Distractions—We’re All Guilty

Now, I’m no productivity saint. I get distracted easily—mostly by memes, or dogs on the internet, or the sheer existential dread of checking my email. So, I had to get real with myself about distractions. I started using apps that block Facebook and Twitter during work hours. Yeah, those 15 minutes of scrolling? They add up.

In fact, my inbox is more manageable now (okay, it’s only manageable because I’ve buried it under 15 “out of office” replies). But whatever works, right?

Household Hacks to Make Life Easier

When you’re juggling work and home life, some days it feels like a circus. Literally a circus. With clowns. And flaming torches. So, to survive, I’ve found a few tricks to streamline my household chores—because there’s only so much time to do dishes when your deadline’s breathing down your neck.

7. Meal Prep: The Struggle Is Real

Let me be honest with you: I’m terrible at meal prep. My first attempt involved forgetting about a chicken breast in the fridge, which resulted in a whole smell situation that made my kitchen smell like a mix of a wet dog and expired yogurt. Not cute. But, after some trial and error (and some minor mishaps), I figured out how to meal prep for the week.

I cook in bulk on Sundays—like, bulk. I batch-cook veggies, grains, and proteins, and then store them in Tupperware that I stole from my mom. It’s way faster during the week. And even though my first batch of quinoa tasted like soggy cardboard, I’ve got it down now.

8. Delegate, Don’t DIY It All

Listen, I love being self-sufficient. But, sometimes, my inner “I-can-do-it-all” warrior needs to chill out. So, I learned the hard way that I can’t take on every household chore by myself. In fact, the moment I started delegating tasks—to the people I live with—was a game changer.

Yeah, I’m looking at you, little brother. You can clean your bathroom every now and then, buddy. Trust me, this isn’t just for work. Managing your home is part of your everyday life and work balance too. Share the load.

9. Stay Tidy, But Don’t Lose Your Mind

I learned early on that a cluttered home means a cluttered mind. I keep my space neat-ish, but not perfect. Perfect is overrated. After all, I have a collection of mismatched socks that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Still, I keep it together enough so that when I walk into the kitchen, I’m not swamped with immediate stress about the state of my home.

There’s something about a tidy space that makes it easier to think. You don’t need to live like Marie Kondo, but a little clean-up goes a long way when balancing everyday life and work.

Self-Care: You Deserve It

Honestly, if you’re not taking care of yourself, then you’re just surviving. And surviving sucks. So, yeah, self-care is crucial—whether it’s for work, life, or both.

10. Exercise: Get Moving, Even if It’s Just to the Fridge

I’m not an exercise person, y’all. The first time I tried yoga, I pulled a muscle trying to touch my toes (I’m just not flexible, okay?). But I’ve found that even short bursts of exercise help me clear my head.

Like, I’ll take a quick walk around the block during lunch. No biggie. It doesn’t need to be a marathon. And yet—surprisingly—it’s still pretty effective in managing the chaos of everyday life and work.

11. Set Boundaries (No, Seriously)

This one took me a while to get right. When I first started working from home, I didn’t know where work ended and my personal life began. Fast forward past three failed attempts to leave work at work, and I finally learned to respect boundaries. No emails after 6 PM. No work calls on weekends (unless there’s a giant crisis). I literally lock my laptop in a drawer and walk away—game over.

12. Practice Mindfulness (Or, At Least Try)

I used to think meditation was for the truly enlightened—like people who have time to sit around and contemplate the mysteries of life. But, after a few weeks of being constantly stressed, I caved. Now, I set aside five minutes each day to sit quietly. It’s helped a lot, though, I’ll admit—sometimes I just end up falling asleep on the couch. But, hey, progress is progress.

Tech Tools to the Rescue

I get it. You’re busy. You don’t have time to be a productivity guru, right? Don’t worry, technology has got your back.

13. Use Apps to Stay On Track

Apps like Todoist and Trello make life so much easier. I’m not talking about some crazy productivity overhaul, just simple, straight-to-the-point task managers. If I had a nickel for every time my To-Do list saved my sanity, I’d probably have… well, two nickels, but that’s enough, right?

14. Automate All the Things

Okay, automation might sound like the future, but it’s actually here. From bill payments to grocery delivery (thanks, Amazon), you can automate pretty much anything. Sure, I still can’t get my laundry to fold itself, but I’ll take what I can get. Trust me, automating small tasks frees up mental space, letting you focus more on the big stuff, like making sure you’re not drowning in emails at work.

15. Time-Tracking Tools: Measure Your Time (Then Cry About It)

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent a solid hour on a work task and then thought, “Wait, what did I even do?” Time-tracking tools, like Toggl or RescueTime, give you a breakdown of where your time’s going. It’s eye-opening. And, let’s be honest, terrifying. I spent 40 minutes looking for my headphones last Tuesday. Whoops.

Final Thoughts: Keep It Real

Managing everyday life and work isn’t easy, but it’s doable. One step at a time, one strategy at a time. Whether it’s time-blocking or meal prepping, find what works for you. And hey, don’t forget to laugh about it when things go sideways. Because, as I’ve learned? It all gets better. Just maybe don’t use mustard as your primary condiment in life. That’s a lesson learned the hard way.