30 low-effort ways to improve every area of your life ...Middle East

January doesn’t just mean less money, less booze, less food and less fun, it also means feeling like you’re failing at life when all around people are winning at theirs (if we believe what we see on Instagram, that is). So many of us try to change too much all at once and fail spectacularly at it.

Which is why we thought we would share these easy-to-implement hacks to improve your all round well-being with very little effort. From organising your cluttered brain and cupboards, to helping your personal relationships thrive, the experts are here to help.

Work & money

Stop checking your emails first thing

“If the first thing you do each morning is check your emails, it throws off any plans you had to tackle the to-do list and can take you down a rabbit hole that lasts all day. Schedule one or two times in the day that you check them – I do it at 10:30am and again after lunch. I get to clear any pressing matters first thing and no client is left waiting too long for a response.”  Claire Bartlett, business coach and host of “The Simplified CEO” podcast

Save without noticing

“Make the most of automatic ‘round-ups’ to kickstart your savings habit – Monzo, Nationwide, Santander, Lloyds and Starling all offer this tool: every time you make a purchase, it gets rounded up to the nearest £1. The spare change is then swept into a savings pot – an easy way to tuck away money without realising it.” Esther Shaw, finance and consumer journalist

Do a life admin MOT while nothing is wrong

“Check who has your important documents and passwords, whether your will and powers of attorney are still right, where your key financial information is stored and whether the people closest to you know what you’d want in a crisis. Families who’ve done this cope far better when something unexpected happens. Those who haven’t are left stressed, guessing and often falling out. It’s a small action that saves enormous emotional and practical costs later.” Caro Syson, funeral celebrant, author of “Boss Your New Small Business” and founder of Your Final Matters

Work on your credit score

“Making small changes to improve your credit score – getting on the electoral register, paying your bills on time – can save a lot in the long run. A person who holds a good credit score from their twenties will pay an average £293,739 in interest over a lifetime across mortgages, credit cards, loans and car finance, whereas a person with a lower credit score can expect to pay almost double this – £550,369.” Akansha Nath, personal finance expert at Intuit Credit Karma

Schedule boredom

“No podcasts, no phone, no “productive” input – just a walk or 10 minutes staring out of a window. Boredom resets attention, reduces mental noise and restores creativity. I find it helps me to reset my thinking quickly and work better.” Kathryn Dunn, hypnotherapist, confidence coach and founder of HypnoGirl

Get deleting

“Delete any app that makes you feel anxious, inadequate or bored. Scroll to the bottom of your contacts and delete people you haven’t spoken to in five years. Move every file on your desktop into one folder labelled “Archive [Month/Year]’ for immediate visual relief.” Shelly Dar, psychotherapist and anxiety specialist

Work with your natural rhythms

“Notice when you are naturally more alert and adapt your diary to work with those rhythms. Uninterrupted focus time for mentally heavy projects in the morning works for me. We don’t have control over every part of our diary, but we have more agency than we think.” Keren Blackmore, founder of Leap of Thought

Health

Eat protein before your morning coffee

“Starting the day with protein helps to stabilise blood sugar and cortisol, reducing mid-morning crashes, anxiety and cravings later in the day.” Lorraine Issott, health coach

Go barefoot

“Walking barefoot can help to reduce knee, hip, lower back and even neck and shoulder issues. When all the joints of each foot move well, the ankles move well and this allows the knee to move well. The hips also move in three planes of movement and mirror the ankles, so free ankles means free hips. Try walking barefoot at home, and on textures such as grass, smooth stones and pebbles, as these add different stimuli.” Venard Fong, chronic pain and movement expert and owner of The Venard Clinic

Train your eyes

“Your eyes are a primary sensory system connected to your brain and body. When they struggle to co-ordinate, your brain compensates by increasing muscular tension and mental effort – which shows up as brain fog, stiffness or the familiar afternoon crash. Spend 60 seconds a day gently training them: hold your right index finger (left if left-handed) in front of you and make small, slow clockwise circles, following the movement with your eyes only (not the head).” Bonnie Ryckova, rehabilitation and posture specialist

Take a 21-minute nap

“I swear by a 21-minute power nap after lunch each day. I do this no matter what I’m doing or where I am – even in the middle of a café. I worked out that 21 minutes is just enough time to be restored but not fall into a deep sleep, which would be difficult to wake from.” Jodi Montlake, naturopathic health coach

Eat 30 different kinds of fibre each week

“The Government recommends adults consume 30g of fibre every day, which only 4 per cent of us reach. But not only should we eat more fibre, we should eat more kinds of it, too. Paying attention to the different sources you consume could radically change your gut health by the end of the year, as different types feed different beneficial bacteria. The result will be better digestion, more energy and a stronger immune system.” Nora Cavani, molecular biologist & co-founder of child gut health company Alba Health

Relationships & family

Use ‘parallel play’ to recharge your social batteries

“Back-to-back social commitments, work engagements and spending time with friends and family can leave even the most extroverted people drained – especially after Christmas. Parallel play is sharing a social space with others while doing separate activities. It works because humans require social connection – but connection doesn’t always require communication and, at a time where the social battery is low, being in the presence of others is enough.” Anjula Mutanda, family psychologist at Stannah

Adopt a transition routine between work and parenting

“Rushing into a parenting shift with your head in work mode makes you more likely to snap and less likely to be present and connect. Take a moment to reset. Close your eyes and think about your child for one minute. Picture their face in your mind’s eye and breathe. If you find visualisations tricky, think of a happy memory or look at a photo. Then walk through the door to meet them, ready to be the parent you want to be.” Anita Cleare, parenting expert and author of “How to Get Your Teenager Out of Their Bedroom” and “The Work/Parent Switch“

Write a letter (but don’t send it)

“Unfinished conversations or unsaid words left drifting in our minds resurface and can impact our mood and capacity for healthy relationships. Write a letter expressing everything you need to say without holding back, but never send it (unless you want to). It’s a way of getting it out of your head, a release that helps you move forward.” Anita Guru, founder and coach at The Mind Coach

Relax into roles

“Instead of ‘I did the dishes, so you put the clothes away,’ remember that we each bring different strengths to the relationship – which is a good thing! Let one person lead where they feel naturally confident, and the other support or respond. It reduces tension, restores ease and allows people to relax into roles that suit them, rather than forcing ‘fairness’ through resentment.” Holly Thomson, founder of Pursuit of Polarity

Listen to understand, not to fix

“When it comes to parenting teenagers, remember that most need a sounding board, not advice. Your instinct might be to jump in with solutions, but what they want is to feel heard and respected. Just listening and validating their feelings can help them to develop their own problem-solving abilities. It also reduces arguments.” Emma Bradley, parenting coach, author and teacher

Build non-transactional relationships

“Most adult relationships become functional – networking, parenting logistics, work alliances – but having even one relationship where you are not useful, impressive or productive, reduces cortisol levels and strengthens emotional resilience. Humans regulate best through safe, low-demand connections.” Tina Chummun, psychotherapist and wellness coach

Reframe sex as self-care

“Sex and pleasure isn’t indulgent, it’s a core pillar of overall wellbeing. Try to incorporate sexual wellness into your daily life – this could look different every day, from self-pleasure to a relaxing bath, steamy story or pelvic floor exercises. And stop chasing orgasm. This will take the pressure off intimacy. Pleasure is the goal.” Kalila Bolton, co-founder of women’s sexual wellness platform SheSpot

Home

Make an appointment with your clutter drawer

“Treat decluttering as non-negotiable self-care. Schedule it like an appointment. You don’t need to fix everything today, you just need to start – one drawer, one shelf, one bedside table. If you don’t love it or use it regularly, let it go. And remember, decluttering looks worse before it gets better. That doesn’t mean you’re failing – it means you’re in the middle of the process.” Elizabeth Wickes, The Lifestyle Organiser

Don’t keep anything for ‘best’

“Upgrade your knicker drawer and throw away your old undies. We tend to reserve our special pants for a special occasion. Quit waiting! Great underwear – every day – reminds you that life is the ultimate special occasion.” Dr Andy Cope, author of “The Art of Being Brilliant“

Reduce organisational effort

“What would make your day easier? A hook where you always drop your bag? A basket for the post? A tray for the things you use every evening? Organisation should reduce effort, not add another job to your list.” Nicola Lewis, decluttering expert and founder of This Girl Can Organise

Do a wardrobe edit

“Turn your clothes hangers the opposite way. When you wear something, hang it back normally – in 30 days, you’ll see exactly what you don’t need.” Shelly Dar

Well-being

Go back to the drawing board

“Do 10 minutes of drawing – with no expectation of making anything ‘good’. It gives your brain a small, contained task that gently pulls you out of rumination and back into the present. Pick one ordinary thing – a mug, fruit, a plant – set a timer for eight minutes, and draw it without lifting your pen or pencil. No erasing, no judging.” Rosie Brooks, illustrator

Sing

“Join a community singing group or sing in your car or shower. It has huge benefits, including improved lung function, reduced breathlessness, better posture, increased fitness (did you know that singing is actually classed as aerobic exercise?) and better efficiency of the cardiovascular system.” Emma Baylin, singing for health expert and founder of Shared Harmonies CIC

Do one uncomfortable thing every day

“Humans evolved to survive, not avoid, challenges, yet modern life insulates us from almost all discomfort. A cold plunge, a difficult conversation or a physically demanding task strengthens resilience, sharpens focus and builds confidence. If you want to live better and longer, start by leaning into discomfort rather than avoiding it.” Jan Gerber, CEO of mental health and addiction clinic Paracelsus Recovery

Hang out with your younger self

“At least once a week, look at an old photo and spend 10 minutes with your younger self. This reconnects you to your essence and softensself-judgement.” Lorena Bernal, author of “It Starts With You” and founder of Live Love Better

Do as the Thais do

“Channel the spirit of sanuk – a Thai philosophy about achieving pleasure, satisfaction and togetherness in all aspects of life. Learn to prioritise pleasurable activities and remember that not all time needs to be productive. It’s important to do things just for fun, with no greater purpose than enjoying yourself.” Karen Sinotok, author of “The Little Book of Sanuk: The Thai Secret To a More Joyful Life“

Shake it off

“A tool worth adding to your calming toolbox is kinetic shaking. Used in trauma-release work, it involves lightly shaking the body to discharge tension. So put on a power ballad and move. A kitchen disco can do a surprising amount for the nervous system.” Nicole Chapman, personal trainer and founder of the fitness app Power of Mum

Do a pre-sleep mental offload

“Set a timer for two minutes and write down everything that’s still in your head (tasks, worries, unfinished thoughts), then close the notebook. This signals to the brain that it doesn’t need to keep rehearsing open loops. Studies show this kind of cognitive offloading improves sleep onset and reduces nighttime rumination more effectively than relaxation alone.” Dr Ritika Suk Birah, counselling psychologist

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