How The Microwave Changed My Day

Have you ever noticed how a pile of little tasks can feel like one giant disaster waiting for you? It doesn’t have to be this way — people love to tell you that. They say things like, “If you just start, it will be fine.” To those people, I want to say: that scares me. Don’t say, just start. It never feels easy.

But what if your first task was so easy it created a snowball effect? I decided I wanted to simplify my life, and my first task was to clean my microwave.

I had forgotten to cover some chili I was reheating. It looked like a red-sauce explosion had gone off inside. Normally, this is where I would scrub and scrub — and hate every second of it.

Since I was already working on simplifying my life, I took a different approach. I went to Google.

I discovered a method that sounded too easy: Put a bowl of water in the microwave, heat it for a few minutes, and let the steam loosen everything. I was skeptical. Very skeptical. For ten minutes, doubt swirled around in my head while the steam did its thing. And then I opened the microwave. Everything was wiped off with a paper towel. Everything. I was so excited that I started humming — to the dismay of my son. (I’m a terrible singer, so humming felt like a kindness.)

What surprised me most wasn’t the clean microwave. It was what happened next. As I simplified a few more tasks the same way, I noticed something shift: my time opened up. I had space to read. To breathe. To exist without pressure. Simplifying my cleaning had enhanced my entire day.

Now I look for other ways to make life easier — and because of that, I can write this blog post without intense stress. I’ve even decided to write only two posts a month instead of weekly, so homeschooling stays my priority, and I still have energy to read most nights.

So here’s my gentle challenge to you: Take one task and find a way to make it easier. Any task. Then notice what changes.

Did it boost your confidence?

Did your body relax?

Did it create space you didn’t expect?

If you’d like, tell me in the comments how it went.

Now go. Be safe. Know that you are not alone.