The Mental Load Is Real – how Bridget Johns is simplifying her “to-do” list
Ever walked into a room and forgotten why? Or laid in bed at night running through a to-do list that never seems to end? Welcome to the mental load—a never-ending, invisible juggling act that’s exhausting just thinking about it.
Bridget Johns knows this all too well. Twenty years ago, she swapped city life for country, married a farmer from Alford on the Northern Yorke Peninsula, and—somewhere between running a household, raising kids, working a day job and keeping everything (and everyone) organised—realised something had to give. That’s how Be Simply Free was born, a business dedicated to simplifying life and optimising time.
“That to-do list in our heads that no one really sees is exhausting,” she says. “It weighs heavily, especially on women. Making sure there a clean, hygienic and safe space for people to live in, having food in the pantry, fridge and freezer, choosing what people are going to eat, knowing when the next student-free day is, what equipment people need for their different sports. It’s all the knowing!”
Bridget supports hundreds of busy women worldwide, providing them with simple, sustainable systems to manage their lives more effectively.
She says when people are struggling with the mental load, many experience a gut-churning feeling of overwhelm, guilt, and resentment. Her solution? Stop doing all the things for all the people, and “share the load”.
“Get it out of your head. Start by writing things down—whether it’s a to-do list on paper or in your phone.
Taking time to sit down and have a calm discussion with the rest of the family, and explain these tasks. Then, delegate.”
At the ages of 10 and 12, Bridget’s own children were responsible for picking and preparing a meal once a fortnight.
“We picked a night when there was no sport. They do their meal planning on Sundays, and it’s been eye-opening for them to discover that some of the meals they’d been asking for can take a lot longer to prepare. So on Tuesday nights when it’s their turn to cook, we get fettuccini carbonara, burgers, tacos and roasts.”
She’s also passed on the responsibility of school notes and getting diaries signed to the kids, and her biggest piece of advice for dealing with overwhelm, is to ditch the clutter.
“Clutter comes in many forms. When we’re surrounded by more stuff, it can be very overwhelming. ”
In Bridget’s own survey of more than 300 people, she discovered the top pain points were paperwork, office spaces, kitchens and wardrobes.
“The kitchen is the heart of the home. If you’re going to start decluttering, start with something in the kitchen.”
Her first tip is creating clear spaces and clear bench tops to work from.
“The bedroom is also the first place we see in the morning and the last place we see at night. It should be our sanctuary. Declaring the wardrobe is the best place to start to get that sanctuary back.”
In her workshops and one on one organising sessions, she goes as far as getting clients to understand their colours to reduce the amount of unused clothes taking up valuable wardrobe space.
“You can have a minimalist wardrobe, but with hundreds of outfits that will mix and match together. When buying clothes, don’t shop at Shein, buy quality that will last or even second hand if you can.”
And a valuable tip to get your head in the right space for becoming clutter free –
“Past decisions we can’t change, but for future decisions we can be more conscious of what we let into our home.”
“Let go of perfectionism. Simplify. Build habits that work for your household.”
And if you need help getting started, Bridget’s only a call away. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram or listen to her podcast, Clear Clutter Find Time with Bridget Johns. Because life’s too short to spend it drowning in to-do lists!
