5 Tiny Habits That Can Help You Enjoy Life Instead Of Trying To Escape It
Stop losing your free time by wasting it.
Thiago Schlemper | Pexels Ever wrapped up your day so mentally fried you end up mindlessly scrolling on your phone, wondering where your evening went? You’re not alone. For many of us, life feels like an endless loop of work, chores, sleep — lather, rinse, repeat. But what if it doesn't have to be?
Writer Jamie Fields said she was tired of escaping the monotony of life as it seemed to pass her by, so she took to Reddit to share how five simple shifts brought pleasure back into her evenings.
These five tiny habits can help you enjoy life instead of trying to escape it:
In a post to Reddit that literally any of us could have written, Fields shared, "A few months ago, I realized I was ending every day feeling wired and tired — half my brain still stuck in tasks, the other half scrolling because I was too exhausted to do anything else." Sound familiar?
Instead of being content to escape into the doomscroll, Fields endeavored to take her free time back. She explained, "I started simplifying a few things, one at a time, and it’s wild how much more peaceful my evenings feel."
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1. Stop stressing about dinner
Let’s be honest, unless cooking is your favorite pastime, most of us don't have the energy to be a gourmet chef after a full workday. Instead of spending brainpower each evening deciding what to cook, Fields said she made her life much easier by picking three go-to meals she could rotate throughout the week. She wrote, "No decision fatigue, no wasted ingredients."
The beauty of this approach is that it removes pressure, and the task suddenly doesn't seem as daunting. Feeding your body should be a pleasure, not a chore.
2. Clean out your email and start unsubscribing
Inbox overwhelm is real. Even if you don’t open every promotional email or newsletter, just seeing them stack up can feel like another list of things to “get through.” So the next move for Fields was a digital purge. She "unsubscribed from 90% of emails. Newsletters, sales, “updates” — gone." Confessing, "I don’t miss a single one."
It may sound minor, but reducing digital noise can have a ripple effect — less screen time, fewer distractions, and a calmer mind. Science backs this up, in fact! A 2015 study found that checking emails less frequently resulted in lower stress levels for study participants. A cleaned-out inbox means fewer notifications, which is something we could all benefit from.
3. Create a simple organization system for stress-free cleaning
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Clutter is an inevitable part of life, but feeling like your home is unkempt because there isn't a place for all your stuff can make relaxation feel impossible. You come home, toss your keys on the counter, your shoes by the couch, and your bag on a chair. Suddenly, your space feels chaotic, and every morning becomes a scavenger hunt.
Fields shared her solution for the mess — a drop zone. She explained, "I created a drop zone near the front door. Bag, keys, shoes, done. My house looks 50% cleaner from that one habit." 50% less time cleaning is a big win.
4. No phone an hour before bed
We all know we should use our phones less at night, but actually doing it? That’s the hard part. Instead of trying to enforce a rigid “no screen” rule, Fields took a gentler approach. "I leave the phone in the other room for the last hour before bed. Not even in a 'digital detox' kind of way — I just read or stretch or stare into space. It’s weirdly restorative."
Sleep medicine expert Michelle Drerup, PsyD, DBSM, told Cleveland Clinic, “Checking your phone stimulates your brain. You’re more active and awake. Even just a quick check can engage your brain and delay sleep.” Delayed sleep is anything but restorative, so Fields' suggestion makes sense. If you're worried about dozing to your favorite comfort watch, however, that shouldn't be a problem. Drerup noted, "More passive use of technology — such as listening to music via your phone or watching a non-distressing TV show — doesn’t really have an effect on sleep compared to active use. Active use includes things like texting or social media.”
5. Make the choice not to struggle with your free time
Perfectionism is sneaky. It tells us we need the right system, the best routine, the most efficient plan before we even begin. But what if the goal wasn’t to optimize everything, just to make it feel lighter?
Fields wrote, "I stopped chasing the 'perfect' system and just did what felt light. If a task or routine feels like a struggle every time, I try something simpler." Taking back the joy in life is a choice. Choosing to make your routine simpler is also a choice. Stop trying to live up to an arbitrary idea of what enjoying life looks like, and simply do what makes you feel good. That's the only choice that matters.
None of these habits is revolutionary, and Fields is the first to point that out. But as she wisely said, the changes to her routine are "helping me enjoy my life more — and not feel like I need to escape it every evening." You don’t need a life overhaul to take back your peace, and that should make you more than excited to reclaim it.
Erika Ryan is a writer working on her bachelor's degree in Journalism. She is based in Florida and covers relationships, psychology, self-help, and human interest topics.
