10 Practical Ways To Reduce Your Mental Load

Ever feel like your brain is running 50 tabs at once? Schedules, appointments, errands, family stuff, work stress, texts you forgot to reply to—it adds up fast. And while you might look like you’re holding it all together on the outside, but on the inside? You’re completely fried by 3pm, even if you haven’t done anything out of the ordinary.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Mental overload is way more common than we talk about—and it’s not just “being busy.” But the good news? You don’t have to keep living in a state of constant mental clutter. A few small shifts in how you plan, decide, and care for yourself can make a huge difference.

Let’s break down what mental load really is—and how to lighten it in ways that actually work.

What Even Is Mental Load?

Before we can lighten your mental load, it helps to know exactly what it looks like. It can look like a few different things.

It’s the Invisible Work That Drains You

Mental load is that constant mental to-do list running in the background. It’s remembering to book the dentist, order the birthday gift, keep track of everyone’s moods, and somehow stay emotionally available 24/7.

It’s exhausting—and it’s often completely unseen, especially if you’re the one keeping things afloat.

Burnout Without the Recognition

When you’re overloaded, everything feels harder. You’re easily irritated, scattered, and mentally checked out. Even the smallest decisions feel like too much.

This kind of invisible burnout hits hardest for caregivers, women, and anyone holding it all together behind the scenes. Just naming it can be a powerful first step.

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Why Tiny Choices Feel So Big (Hello, Decision Fatigue)

You wake up and your brain is already tired—what to eat, what to wear, when to reply to that email… it never ends. Every decision uses up mental energy, and once that tank is empty?

That’s when the fog, frustration, and procrastination roll in.

If you’ve found yourself snapping at your partner over what to eat or completely zoning out over something small, that’s decision fatigue talking.

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10 Real-Life Ways to Lighten Your Mental Load

Here’s how to stop juggling everything in your head and create more breathing room—mentally and emotionally.

1. Write It All Down (Seriously, All of It)

Grab a notebook, phone, or whatever’s handy and do a total brain dump. Write down everything that’s taking up space in your head—errands, reminders, family logistics, work stuff, emotional to-dos, that birthday card you keep forgetting to send.

Once it’s all in front of you, look at what actually needs your attention. Ask yourself for each item:

• Can this be automated?
• Can someone else do this?
• Does this even matter anymore?

You will be surprised how much lighter you feel just by getting it out of your head and onto paper.

A simple brain dump is a tool that should never be underestimated. I do this anytime things start to feel overwhelming because seeing it all on paper can be one of the easiest ways to organise and calm my brain.

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2. Stick to Simple Routines

Routines sound boring until you realise they’re your secret weapon against decision fatigue. The more you automate the little things, the more mental energy you save for the stuff that matters.

• Plan dinners once a week and rotate 5–7 easy meals.
• Create a cleaning schedule that you follow each week.
• Set a go-to morning routine that you do each day.
• Create an evening wind-down routine to help your brain switch off.

When you know what’s coming next, your brain relaxes. Predictability is a form of peace.

I’m a big fan of habit stacking too which can fit into the whole routines side of things – stacking different habits together so they become automatic.

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3. Create Recurring Reminders for the “Small Stuff”

The mental weight of trying to remember everything adds up fast. Things like “buy bin liners” or “book that dentist appointment” sound tiny—but keeping track of 50 tiny things? Exhausting.
Set recurring reminders in your calendar or phone.

If you have kids, this can be helpful for staying on top of their schedule too, like for me, it’s remembering my daughter’s clarient every Wednesday because she won’t remember to grab it if I don’t!

Those little reminders are such a simple way to stay on top of the thing we do every week or as a way of remembering future one-off tasks, by adding a reminder the second we think of it, like pay for car insurance next Thursday.

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4. Cut Down Your Choices

Every decision, no matter how small, eats away at your mental bandwidth. Make the easy stuff automatic by limiting your options. Skip the decision fatigue by reducing the things you need to focus on.

• Have 2–3 go-to breakfasts on rotation.
• Have a master list of 20 to 30 meals to rotate through for your meal plan each week.
• Pick a weekly “uniform” for workdays.
• Check emails at set times instead of constantly switching over.
• Create a capsule wardrobe of coordinating items.
• Utilise the watch list features on streaming services so you have a curated list of things to watch.

Fewer choices = fewer decisions = more brain space for the important stuff.

When things are feeling hectic, I like to order a meal kit for delivery. This way we can choose from a set menu and the ingredients and recipes are delivered at the start of the week. Dinners are planned and that’s one less grocery shop and meal plan to do!

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5. Build in Tech-Free, Thought-Free Moments

Scrolling isn’t resting. Neither is multitasking. Your brain needs true downtime. Start by carving out small pockets of quiet—no screens, no tasks, no pressure to be productive. These small moments are essential for your self-care.

These small mental resets do wonders for your focus and mood and we all need a digital detox sometimes.

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6. Declutter One Thing at a Time

Mental clutter and physical clutter go hand in hand. Start small—one drawer, one shelf, one inbox folder. Don’t try to “Marie Kondo” your life in a day.

Small wins add up and give your brain fewer distractions to trip over. Here are 100 things you can declutter from your life.

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7. Stop Doing It All Alone

You don’t get extra points for carrying everything on your own. Mental load is often invisible, and unless you talk about it, no one knows how much you’re carrying.

Sharing the load brings more ease and more connection. We have a family Google Calendar so everyone knows what is coming up. This is a helpful tool in avoiding unexpected surprises too with schedule clashes in the household.

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8. Make Big Decisions When Your Brain Is Fresh

You make better decisions when you’re rested and clear-headed. That’s usually earlier in the day, before your brain gets bogged down.

Save simpler tasks—like sorting laundry or replying to casual emails—for later in the day when your brain is a bit mushier.

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9. Invest In Rest

Sometimes it’s worth spending a little extra money upfront if it means you can reduce the mental and physical load later. There are many things that fit into this category and yes, many of them do mean investing some of your hard earned cash, so they aren’t always viable but here are some investments that can help lighten your load

• A robot vacuum to reduce cleaning time at home.
• Hiring someone to mow your lawns (or paying the teenager next door).
• Meal delivery services are good during busy seasons.
• Hire a cleaner, even once a month, to do the tasks that are time consuming that you’re not keeping up with.

These aren’t always budget-friendly in the short term, but if you can swing it, they’re often a game-changer in the long run.

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10. Use “Defaults” to Save Time and Brainpower

Defaults = decisions you make once that keep working for you. They’re underrated lifesavers.
Create go-to systems for:

• Grocery shopping (a core list you stick to)
• Weekly theme nights for meals (like Taco Tuesday or pasta Thursdays)
• Social plans (monthly brunch with a friend, regular check-ins with family)

Less thinking. Less planning. More ease.

Area	Strategy	Why It Helps
Mental Tasks	Write it down, then share the load	Stops the mental juggling act
Routines	Automate the repeat stuff	Frees your brain for what actually matters
Scheduling	Set recurring reminders	Keeps life moving without constant remembering
Decision Fatigue	Limit your daily choices	Keeps energy for the big stuff
Mental Rest	Schedule actual breaks	Gives your brain space to breathe

Why You Should Reduce Your Mental Load

This isn’t just about getting more done. Lightening your mental load is about protecting your peace.

Chronic mental clutter leads to burnout, anxiety, irritability, and that feeling of being constantly behind. When you clear some space, everything else feels more manageable—your focus, your energy, your relationships.

You don’t need to overhaul your whole life to feel better. Start small. Change one routine, let go of one task, schedule one break.

This isn’t about being more productive—it’s about feeling less overwhelmed. You deserve to have a mind that feels calm, not constantly cluttered. And even if life still gets messy (because it will), at least you won’t be carrying all of it in your head.

You’ve got this. One small step at a time.