You don’t need to overhaul your life.
You just need some things to be easier.
Modern Shortcuts is where I share practical ways to reduce mental load using modern tools, including AI, in a way that actually fits real life.
It’s about offloading the things that quietly drain your time, energy, and attention so you can focus on what actually matters.
Most overwhelm isn’t caused by one big problem.
It comes from a hundred small things competing for space in your head.
Unfinished decisions. Open loops. Tasks that feel heavier than they should.
Modern Shortcuts exists to help with that.
Think of it as a stress-reduction system for everyday life, without commitment to another system!
If systems worked, you’d already feel calm by now. Most of us already have lists.
Apps. Folders. Notes saved in places we forgot existed.
The problem isn’t organization. It’s that too much is living in your head at the same time.
Modern Shortcuts isn’t about adding another thing to manage. It’s about taking a few things off your plate.
That usually means saving time, often means saving money, and almost always means less mental energy spent on the boring stuff.
For example:
Instead of staring into the fridge at 6:30 p.m. and giving up, you can use AI to turn what you already have into a simple 15-minute meal.
Or instead of skipping movement because you don’t know what to do, you can ask for a short, joint-friendly routine that fits your energy and the time you actually have.
Just something that works today. Less juggling. Fewer open tabs. More “okay, this feels doable.”
Everyone else gives you a to-do list.
I’m more interested in a to-done list
I use AI as a kind of quiet support in the background. Not to run my life, but to make parts of it easier.
Here are a few ways that looks.
An emotional sounding board
Sometimes you just need to vent without staying stuck in your own head. AI can help you talk something through and reflect it back from a few different angles, so you can move forward with more clarity.
An executive assistant for life
The kind you never had, but always needed. Meal planning when you’re tired and out of ideas. Packing for a work trip without overthinking the weather or outfits. Turning “I can’t deal with this tonight” into a simple plan. Less decision fatigue. More done with less effort.
A BIFF communicator
Those emails you rewrite ten times in your head. Messages to a boss, a family member, or a volunteer group. AI can help draft clear, calm, firm communication so you’re not spending hours overthinking the wording. You stay in control. You just don’t have to find the words alone.
A workflow for everyday life
This is where my Information Management brain really kicks in. AI is very good at sorting and organizing things that tend to pile up. Digital files. Photos. Notes. Loose ideas. It’s like finally dealing with the digital junk drawer without it becoming a whole project.
I’ve spent over 15 years working in government, where structure, privacy, and good information practices matter.
That experience shapes how I use and talk about modern tools. This isn’t about shortcuts that cut corners. It’s about using tools thoughtfully, responsibly, and in ways that respect real life.
Midlife women don’t want to be told to automate everything. They want practical help that feels safe, sensible, and actually useful.
That’s the lens I bring here.
Modern Shortcuts is for midlife women who are capable, busy, and tired of carrying everything alone.
You might be navigating a big life change.
You might just feel like life is louder than it needs to be.
You might be curious about AI but not interested in learning it the hard way.
You don’t need to be tech-savvy.
You don’t need a new system.
You don’t need to optimize your life.
You just need a few things to feel lighter.
The anti-resolution approach
January is usually full of advice about what you should be doing.
No thanks!
While everyone else hands out to-do lists, I’m more interested in a to-done list.
Most midlife women aren’t overwhelmed because they lack willpower.
They’re overwhelmed because they’re making thousands of decisions a day.
This isn’t a motivation problem. It’s decision fatigue.
So instead of adding habits, Modern Shortcuts focuses on removing mental load.
Less “life coach.”
More Chief of Staff for your life.
Instead of this:
“Wake up at 5:00 a.m., meditate, journal, and set intentions.”
You get this:
“Paste your chaotic Notes app into this prompt. AI sorts it, deletes the fluff, and puts the rest where it belongs.”
One feels like work.
The other feels like relief.
Yoga doesn’t plan dinner.
Diets don’t remember birthdays.
Wellness routines don’t draft awkward emails.
AI can help with those things.
The wellness industry wants to change your body. I want to change your schedule.
Because when the boring, invisible stuff gets lighter, everything else does too.
Starting in January, I’ll send one short email a week with:
☑️No resolutions.
☑️No programs to follow.
☑️Nothing to keep up with.
Just useful ideas you can borrow when life feels heavy.
Short. Practical. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kim Anstey
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