Meet Shamita, she is a superwoman. And by superwoman, I mean a working mother. She strives every day to be the perfect woman and she knows she can have it all. There is just one little problem. She is overwhelmed when she has to deal with anxiety time and again.

Buffers

Shamita has a perfect family. A loving supportive husband and a beautiful daughter. Her day begins with a loving kiss from her daughter. She starts the day at 5 am every morning. Cooks and packs the tiffin for her daughter and gets her ready for school. She rushes her to the bus stop in front of her house and bearly makes it the school bus each time. Right after that, she runs back to pack tiffin for her husband and gets ready for office. Anxious and nervous, she is late to the office again. Her boss gives her that “not again” look.

If Shamita was a minimalist, she would have known the importance of having “Buffers”. A minimalist plans any daily activity with buffers in it. A buffer time before rushing to the school bus, doing some meal prep to add buffers in cooking time in mornings and yes, buffers for her commute to the office.

More “Buffer” means more time for unexpected events. More time means lesser anxiety.

Flow

At the office, Shamita is constantly in and out of meetings. Every time she gets down to finish a project, an email, a text message or a colleague is at her desk to interrupt. Inevitably, she is filling up for someone who took a holiday. Again, her boss has given her some work which he should have done himself. Shamita is overwhelmed by how she gets trapped into doing everything but the most essential work.

If Shamita was a minimalist, she would have known that she needs a “State of Flow” to get things done at the office. This state of flow is only achieved by planning and scheduling work properly. Responding rather than reacting to requests for work. And most importantly saying a graceful NO when required. Avoiding meetings if they can be. Fixing time for checking emails and mobile messages rather than letting them distract her.

The “State of Flow” is a complete immersion into an activity. More focus leads to lesser anxiety.

Lesser Decisions

On her way back from office, Shamita is still on phone talking to her clients on a late evening call when she takes out her personal to-do list. She needs to get groceries for dinner and fill fuel in her car. She needs to call up the plumber to fix the kitchen sink. And she has to schedule a parlor visit for a hair spa session this weekend. Oh, and how can she forget to order that new dress for the upcoming event at the office. She has to call her husband to ask the biggest question of the day – “What to make for dinner?“.

If Shamita was a minimalist, the two biggest decisions are answered by themselves. “What to wear?” and “What to cook?”. Typically minimalists own fewer clothes and are open to borrow or repeat clothes for any occasion. Cooking is less of a headache when you are already in the habit of batch cooking and meal prepping for the whole week in advance. And as for the superficial desires of cosmetic fixes and owning possessions, a minimalist is above it. As Tyler says in Fight Club – “Things that you own, end up owning you.”

Lesser possessions mean that you have to maintain less. Lesser decisions lead to reduced anxiety.

Play

As Shamita reaches home exhausted, she hardly has time to sit down and catch a breath. She is already working on the dinner while she plays her favorite Netflix special. She and her husband like to watch TV or streaming services during dinner. Meanwhile, her daughter needs some help with her homework. She is already feeling guilty about missing out on her evening Yoga session. Her neighbor likes to join her for a yoga hour whenever she finds time. Unfortunately, it gets canceled most of the time. Anxious and disgruntled after a crazy day, Shamita has trouble sleeping. Before she realizes, the sun is up and she is looking at another daunting day ahead.

If Shamita was a minimalist, you know the drill now. A minimalist would schedule a time for play. Shamita’s play hour is her Yoga hour. She is compromising her play hour by taking up more responsibility in the kitchen. And replacing any relaxation time with TV. TV and streaming services are doing nothing but damage to her already overwhelmed brain. Watching TV before sleeping, has proven to make the brain stimulated and lead to poor sleep.

Play expands the creativity in our minds and is a natural antidote to stress. Reduced stress in turn leads to reduced anxiety.

I feel anxious just thinking of a day like Shamita’s. If your day is similar to hers, it’s time to redesign your lifestyle today!

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