Simplifying Your Life
A Q&A with Practical Productivity Author Monisha Longacre
As National Simplify Your Life Week approaches (August 4-8), we sat down with productivity expert and author Monisha Longacre to discuss her "Simplify Your Life Challenge" and how her book Practical Productivity can help people move beyond productivity hacks to sustainable habits.
Ripples: You recently launched your Simplify Your Life Challenge. What inspired this challenge?
Monisha: Let's be honest, when it comes to productivity tips most of us need to pick a few and stick with them long enough to feel the difference. I've tested dozens of tactics over the years, and I always come back to the few simple, powerful methods that actually work for me.
That's why for National Simplify Your Week, I'm challenging people to start building a habit.
Ripples: You're offering five specific strategies in your challenge. Can you walk us through them?
Monisha: Absolutely. I've narrowed it down to five proven techniques: the Two-Minute Rule, the Pomodoro Technique, Eat the Frog, Daily Top Three, and Time Blocking. Each one addresses a different aspect of overwhelm. The Two-Minute Rule clears mental clutter by handling small tasks immediately. Eat the Frog tackles procrastination by doing your hardest task first. The Daily Top Three forces you to prioritize thoughtfully instead of reacting to whatever comes your way.
Ripples: Why focus on just one strategy instead of trying multiple approaches?
Monisha: Because overwhelm comes from trying to do too much at once. When I work with clients, I see people fail or get frustrated when they try to run in too many directions at once. The challenge is specifically designed to help you pick ONE strategy and commit to practicing it daily during the five-day period. You'll track how it feels, what changes, and what no longer feels as overwhelming.
Ripples: Let's talk about one of your favorite techniques, "Eat the Frog." That's quite the “tasty” expression!
Monisha: I'll admit, I've never loved the name of this concept, but it works incredibly well! It comes from Mark Twain's quote about eating a live frog first thing in the morning so that nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. The idea is to tackle your hardest, highest-value task first thing in the morning. You build momentum, reduce anxiety, and set the tone for your entire day. Once you've "eaten the frog," everything else feels manageable.
Ripples: Time blocking is another strategy you recommend. How does this help with the feeling of being overwhelmed?
Monisha: Time blocking is like playing "productivity Tetris" where you're strategically fitting pieces together. You divide your day into blocks dedicated to specific tasks or types of work. This protects your most productive hours and keeps reactive work from swallowing your day. It's especially powerful for avoiding wasted time between meetings and ensuring your Daily Top Three actually get the attention they deserve.
Ripples: What's the difference between this challenge and just reading about productivity techniques from your book?
Monisha: Action. You can read about these techniques all day, but until you practice one consistently, you won't feel the difference. That's why the challenge is perfect for one week – long enough to start building a habit, short enough to feel manageable. I want people to track their experience: What changes? What gets easier? What no longer feels overwhelming?
Ripples: What should someone do if they want to continue beyond the five-day challenge?
Monisha: That's exactly what I'm hoping for! If one of these techniques clicks for you during the week, keep going with it until it becomes automatic, usually about a month. Then you can layer in another strategy.
My book Practical Productivity has 59 different tools, but the magic isn't in knowing all of them. It's in finding the few that work for your specific situation and making them stick.
Ripples: Any final advice for people feeling especially overwhelmed right now?
Monisha: Start small and be patient with yourself. You're not going to transform your entire life in five days, but you can absolutely start building one sustainable habit. Pick the strategy that most resonates with your biggest challenge right now, whether that's getting distracted by small tasks, procrastinating on big ones, or feeling like you're always reacting instead of proactively choosing your priorities.
Ready to help simplify your life?
Join Monisha's Simplify Your Life Challenge during National Simplify Your Life Week (August 4-8). Pick one of the five strategies and commit to practicing it daily. Share your experience using #SimplifyYourLife.
Practical Productivity: A Guide to Surviving Life's Juggling Act will be available at 25% off during the challenge week.