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HOW TO EDIT YOUR LIFE
Anna Newton shares an edited insight into how to take back controlFINANCES
Highlighters at the
ready. Print out your
bank statement from
the last month.
Assign one colour
to fixed expenses
(rent, mortgage, bills,
transport), another
to variable expenses
(food shopping, eating
out, entertainment)
and the last one to
savings and debts
(ISAs, credit card
payments). This
will give you an
accurate idea of your
monthly Uber/nut
butter spend. Scary,
yes, but useful.SOCIAL LIFE
The next time you
receive an invitation,
ask yourself if you had
to attend it right now,
would you? That will
give you an insight
into whether you
actually want to go. If
you don’t, start saying
no. ‘I’ll have to check
my diary,’ is a useful
phrase, but honesty- ‘I’m shattered and
need an early night’ - works, too. Another
method is to give
yourself a ‘free nights’
quota during the week
and month – diary
slots you can’t fill.
WORKOUT
SCHEDULE
Start with some data
gathering. Is there
something you’ve done
in the past you’ve lost
touch with? Are your
mates raving about a
new class? Work out
what will make you
feel excited to show
up for, then work out
when you have time
to do it. In search of
motivation? Recruit a
mate or schedule your
workout week and
book classes on a
Sunday. The prospect
of losing money is
endlessly motivating.INBOX
Folders are your friend.
Split your work into
categories and assign
emails accordingly.
Use the ‘flag’ function
for any emails you
don’t have a chance to
get to so you can pick
them up the next day.
Inbox overflowing?
Adopt a rule that
works for you, be it
setting an ‘out of
office’ explaining that
you check your inbox
three times a day, or
set a designated ‘reply
time’. Consider saved
templates for emails
you send regularly.having wrapped her head around her bank
account, her boyfriend’s bank account (yes,
really), her wardrobe and her diary – all the
while packing for a house move – she’s seen
for herself the benefit that being organised
can have on your mental wellbeing. ‘I’d done
a few Marie Kondo-inspired drawer tidies
in the past, but it was the fact that Newton
talked about editing your entire life that
hooked me. And it’s become about much
more than decluttering. I’m reintroducing
social plans in a more discerning way,
following Newton’s advice on how to decide
how you spend your own time. I feel like I’m
a calmer, more content person because of it.
It’s the feeling of taking back control and
having a handle on my life.’MISSION CONTROL
And if editing your life delivers a problem-
solving satisfaction during periods of peak
stress, it can serve as a game-changer during
a major milestone. Lucy Downing (aka
@afrugalmum) found Marie Kondo’s method
to be a lifeline when she and her husband
were adjusting to life as new parents. ‘Before
we became parents, we’d leave friends’
houses feeling shell-shocked by how their
baby had taken over their home,’ she says.
‘When it was our turn, we found ourselves,
on day six or seven post-birth, clearing out
the cupboard under the stairs to make a
‘baby cupboard’. I’m aware that this might
seem a little crazy, but it was what we needed
to do to feel in control at a time when our
world had completely changed.’
It’s streamlining as a form of self-care.
Not the fluffy, commodified, buy-this-£40-
candle kind, but a practical way to remind
yourself that you matter. ‘For me, the diary
is the foundation of self-care,’ adds Newton.‘By working out where your free time slots
are – and if there aren’t any, moving stuff
around to create them – you can add in the
routines and habits that will help your life
run smoother.’ That might mean scheduling
your workouts for the week ahead. If so,
science has your back – a study published in
the Journal Of Obesity found that those who
carefully plan their exercise regime are more
likely to show up for it. But Silverthorn,
Newton and even Kondo will all admit thathow to keep your life running smoothly
will be different for everyone; spending a
morning with your bank statements and
a highlighter might do it for you, as could
finally sifting through those textbooks from
school you’ve still got or skipping that
episode of Pose on Netflix to do an Ocado
shop for the coming week. ‘These little tasks
that keep your life running aren’t the sexiest,
but they help you feel organised and on top
of things, which in turn makes you feel calm
and leaves more time for the fun stuff,’ says
Newton. Like origami-ing your knickers.S
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