One morning a few weeks ago, I opened one of my dresser drawers and was immediately in a bad mood. My workout clothes drawer was a mess again, with t-shirts haphazardly folded & leggings mixed up in sports bras. As the Type-A/neat freak I am, that disorganization instantly pissed me off, thus I started my day very, very cranky.

There were a few other things pissing me off that morning (it was a bad morning), so I decided to write them all down as a hate-list (try it sometime, it helps). Turns out, the stupid/little things that were irritating me I had complete control over to change. Shocker, really. All the things that were pissing me off about had very simple solutions.

The next day, I ordered drawer organizers from Amazon. My messy workout clothes problem was fixed. Just like that.

As an adult, there are a lot of things you have to do. But I’m now in the mindset of making things easier for myself. If there’s something I absolutely hate doing, I try to find a way to make it better. Sometimes it means getting creative or spending a little bit of money, but it’s better than getting pissed off every day over stupid little things.

So below, I’ve listed everyday annoyances with easy solutions to make them more enjoyable. I’m not claiming that you’ll end up loving that chore you absolutely despise, but maybe it’ll make doing it a little better. Read on to simplify your life.

My commute suuuucks.

Commuting is the worst. I think we’ve all been in a situation where we feel like we’re wasting away commuting back and forth, back and forth, day after day. It’s exhausting & irritating & not fun at all. I’m lucky because my current commute is lovely and definitely nothing to complain about, but before this, I was taking 4 buses a day with an hour (or more) commute there and back. I know the commuting pain.

But since we have to get to work & make a living (damn adulthood), there are some easy ways to make commuting a tad more enjoyable. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram (because really, do we really need to get FOMO at 6:30 a.m.?), try listening to a podcast instead. There are legitimately SO MANY podcasts out there–whatever your interests are, there’s definitely a podcast for it. Or, assuming you don’t get car/train sick, read a book. Old fashioned, I know. But when I had a good book I was into, I actually looked forward to my commute because it was a set time to find out what happened next. My mom got me a Book of the Month subscription for Christmas & it was the best gift I’ve ever received. Every month, I’m guaranteed a new book to read, aka my heaven. (Find out more & sign up here). Looking for a cheaper option? Book Bub is a daily newsletter that gives you the best deals on ebooks (some are legitimately $1 to download). OR my favorite option, join a library & see if it uses OverDrive to borrow ebooks for free~

There aren’t enough hours in the day & I’m stressed AF.

“Remember, Beyonce only has 24 hours in a day, too.” –some quote I’ve read on Pinterest probably. Yea, okay Beyonce only has 24 hours too, but sometimes 24 hours is just not enough to get everything done. No matter how productive you are, it always seems like there’s just not. enough. time. 

I know some of you are going get angry about this solution buuuut…try waking up earlier. I know, I KNOW. Sleep is precious and one of the only good things we have left. But I’m a big proponent of taking back my morning & waking up an extra hour earlier makes a HUGE difference. At my old job, if I had a lot of work to do, I’d get into the office super early to knock it out. It was always quiet, and I was always HELLA productive. I’d rather get in early vs. stay late because who’s productive past 5 o’clock reeeally? (And if you say you are, then you’re lying). Just try it. Even if you just wake up to check some emails in bed, it’ll make your to-do list feel more manageable.

I actually hate waking up in the morning/getting ready.

So if you read that last suggestion and were like “f*ck that, Kasia,” that’s fine too. Even though I’m a morning person, there are days that I can’t get myself out of bed. When I’m having a groggy/cranky morning, I listen to a happy playlist. Yea, super cheesy, I know, but I legit have a “Happy Happy” playlist (mostly consisting of Jason Mraz and Ben Rector), and it’s super hard to be sad when “The Remedy” is playing. Also, drink some coffee while you get ready (hint: coffee is the solution to almost everything). My sister and I are big proponents of this. The smell of coffee wakes you up/makes you happier (scientific fact). I usually get my Keurig set up, then go to the bathroom/wash my face, then my coffee is done and I can sip it while I do my hair/makeup. Little things right?

I can’t fall asleep at night.

On the flip side, after a super stressful day, sometimes it’s really hard to unwind to go to sleep, no matter how tired you are. I’m not going to suggest stop looking at your phone right before bed (even though we all should, but it’s not super realistic). Instead, create a calming nightly routine. For me, right before I go to bed, I always spritz my pillow with lavender spray and put on this nice smelling “stress relieving” lotion. It’s just a little thing that signals to my hyperactive brain that it’s time to go to bed and doing it consistently creates a habit of winding down before going to sleep. Find a routine that works for you!

Every time I look in my closet, I can’t find anything to wear.

Ah, the forever conundrum of having a full closet but having nothing to wear. Simplify your morning by picking out your outfit before (time old trick). But if you’re like me who thinks wearing a pencil skirt will be a great idea for tomorrow but then wakes up and is not feeling it, I like to have a few options of outfits in mind for the week. You don’t have to lay everything out per se, but just have some outfits mentally planned out for the week and pick one based on how you’re feeling in the morning.

I’m also a big fan of StitchFix. It’s a tad expensive, but a stylist literally shops for you, sends you clothes & you return whatever you don’t like. So easy when you don’t feel like going to the mall. Learn more & sign up here.

And finally, invest in a steamer. It’s so much easier/better than ironing. Plus all your clothes look better/more wearable when they’re nice & crisp. I love this steamer here.

I will never be someone who likes the gym. Ever.

Well, first things first, if you hate the gym, just don’t go. I know it’s tempting to join the $10 Planet Fitness, but if running on the treadmill sucks out your soul (hi, me), you’re never ever going to like the gym. Period. Find something that you actually like to do! Working out doesn’t have to be horrible–it can actually be fun (gasp!) If you love cardio, try SoulCycle or another spin class. Or I’ve heard great things about Orange Theory. If you’re interested in trying yoga (!!!!) go try it! Just find some kind of exercise you enjoy and working out won’t seem so dreadful, and you may look forward to actually going…

Another thing to help motivate you to work out is invest in some cute workout clothes (obviously) but also deck out your gym bag. When I decided to (finally) ditch my gym pass & become a yogi full time, I got a new gym bag and got a bunch of travel sized stuff to go in it. I got great smelling makeup remover wipes, mini dry shampoo, hairbrush, cute little pouch for my jewelry. Again, the little things that make going to work out a tad more fun (because who doesn’t love travel sized things?)

I actually despise [blank] chore.

There’s always that ONE chore that you absolutely hate doing. For me, I cannot stand taking out the trash. It is the bane of my existence every week. I will never ever *like* taking out the trash, but I recently got lavender scented trash bags which makes it a smidge less awful. At least the garbage doesn’t smell AS terrible as it normally does.

So find something that will make that chore you hate easier. Hate vacuuming with that clunky old vacuum from your parents? Get a smaller, sleeker vacuum instead (highly recommend). Hate making dinner? Try crock pot recipes that you throw together & forget about until it’s done. Hate cleaning the bathroom? Do it first thing on a Saturday morning so it’s done with, get cleaning supplies that don’t smell gross, jam to a pump up playlist and knock it out. Chores suck. They’ll never be fun but at least we can stop dreading them (a little bit).

Life is hard enough as it is. So why do we make everyday things harder than they need to be? Most things that piss you off have simple solutions–take a little time to simplify your life. Trust me, you’ll be a lot happier. &.