If you really want more balance and calm in your life, say goodbye to these 5 habits

Do you ever feel like life is moving too fast—and you’re barely keeping up?

I know the feeling all too well. 

Despite our best intentions, it’s easy to get swept up in a pace that leaves us feeling constantly on edge, pulled in too many directions. 

Over time, that stress becomes our norm, and balance starts to feel more like a fantasy than something we can actually create.

But what if the real problem isn’t what we’re not doing, but rather what we are doing—often without realizing it?

Over the past few years, I’ve spent a lot of time studying the habits that quietly undermine our peace of mind. What I’ve found is that calm isn’t just about meditation apps and digital detoxes—it’s also about subtraction. Letting go of certain patterns that might feel harmless but are, in reality, draining us.

In this article, we’ll explore five such habits.

Letting go of them has helped me feel more grounded and in control. They might do the same for you.

Let’s get into it.

1. Doomscrolling 

It starts innocently enough. You open your phone to check one thing—maybe a quick headline or a weather update—and thirty minutes later, you’re deep in a pit of breaking news, outrage, and worst-case scenarios.

I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit.

Doomscrolling gives us the illusion of control, as if we just stay informed enough, we’ll be safer or more prepared. But in reality, it often leaves us feeling more anxious, helpless, and emotionally drained.

The science backs this up. As noted by Harvard Health, doomscrolling is linked to “worse mental well-being and life satisfaction”.

The tricky part is, this habit doesn’t always feel harmful in the moment. It can even feel productive or responsible. But over time, it chips away at your sense of calm, replacing it with a low hum of tension that never fully switches off.

If you want more balance, start by creating boundaries with your screen. Schedule check-ins instead of constantly refreshing. Leave your phone out of reach during meals or the first hour of your morning. It doesn’t have to be a full digital detox—it just needs to be intentional.

2. Multitasking

This is one so many of us are guilty of—and honestly, it’s no surprise why.

For years, multitasking has been treated like a badge of honor. It’s even listed in job descriptions, as if juggling five things at once is a sign of peak performance!

I used to buy into that, too. The busier I was, the more productive I felt—even if I was actually getting less done.

The truth? Multitasking can reduce productivity by up to 40%. Yes, 40%.

And it doesn’t stop there. As noted by Harvard Health, “Multitaskers are … less likely to retain information in working memory, which can hinder problem solving and creativity.” That hit home for me. I noticed I was constantly forgetting small details, rereading the same emails, and feeling mentally foggy.

So I started making changes. A few things that helped:

• Time-blocking tasks instead of switching between them constantly.
• Putting my phone in another room when I needed to focus.
• Batching similar tasks together so my brain didn’t have to keep shifting gears.

It’s not about becoming perfectly focused overnight. It’s about creating moments of presence—doing one thing, and actually being there while you do it.

3. Always saying yes

On the surface, saying yes seems kind. Helpful. Generous. And sure, sometimes it is.

But the truth is, we have limited time and energy—and every ‘yes’ comes with a cost. When you say yes to one thing, you’re always saying no to something else, whether you realize it or not.

I had to learn this the hard way.

A while ago, I agreed to help organize a community event. I was already stretched thin with work, had barely seen my husband that week, and had promised myself a quiet Saturday to recharge. 

But I said yes anyway—because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. The event went fine, but by the end of it, I felt resentful and completely drained. I had traded my peace for someone else’s preference.

After that, I started asking myself a simple question before committing to anything: If I say yes to this, what am I saying no to? 

Sometimes the answer was rest. Or time with someone I love. Or my own goals.

The point is saying no isn’t selfish—it’s a way of protecting what matters most. 

4. Overworking

This is one I’ve definitely been guilty of as a remote writer. When you work from home, it’s so tempting to just keep going—answer one more email, edit one more piece, squeeze in one more task before dinner. There’s no commute, no clear clock-out time, and before you know it, your whole day blurs into one long work session.

But it backfires. 

Have you ever noticed how the longer your day drags on, the slower you get? How your focus starts to slip and small tasks feel oddly overwhelming?

Well, you’re not alone.

Research suggests that productivity pretty much falls off a cliff after 50 hours of work. In fact, the study found that people who work more than 70 hours a week get no more done than those who work 55. That’s not just inefficient—it’s exhausting.

I’ve learned (and am still learning) to set boundaries around my workday. Logging off at a certain time, resisting the urge to “just check” things late at night, and building in proper breaks have been game-changers in how balanced and calm I feel. They might be for you, too. 

5. Trying to optimize everything

Last but not least: the trap of trying to optimize every inch of your life.

It’s sneaky because it sounds like a good thing. Who wouldn’t want to be more efficient, more productive, more intentional? 

Well, when every moment becomes a project to optimize—your morning routine, your workout, your meals, even your downtime—it stops being calming and starts becoming exhausting.

I fell into this without realizing it. I was tracking everything—my sleep, my steps, my screen time, even how long it took me to drink my morning tea. At some point, I had to ask myself: Am I actually living my life, or just managing it like a to-do list?

There’s a point where “better” becomes the enemy of “enough.” Where constant tweaking keeps you from ever fully being present.

Sometimes, good enough is good enough. You don’t need to hack your entire life to feel calm—you just need to make space for it.

Final thoughts

Letting go of these habits hasn’t made my life perfect—but it has made it quieter, more manageable, and a lot more mine.

If any of these resonated with you, start small. You don’t have to fix everything at once. Just notice. Choose differently when you can. Bit by bit, you’ll create more space for the calm you’ve been craving.

You deserve that.