22 Life Hacks That Actually Work
1.
I call it the power of "might as well" Gonna get up from my desk and go to the kitchen? Oh well, might as well take this plate with me. Going to pee before bed? Oh well, might as well brush my teeth. Going to brush my teeth? Oh well, might as well floss. Going outside? Oh well, might as well bring the trash. Its ridiculous, but it works.
3.
If something’s worth doing, it’s usually worth doing badly. Half-assing the dishes is better than leaving them to fester in the sink. Sending old friends a happy birthday message when Facebook prompts you is better than losing touch entirely. Taking a quick shower without soap is better than not showering at all. Piling your laundry up in a basket instead of putting in the wardrobe is better than leaving it scattered over the floor. Also applies to self-improvement stuff as well as maintenance. Don’t worry so much about doing 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and a 10km run that you do nothing, just walk around the block and do one of each of the others for now. Just write one page a day of that novel, and allow it to be terrible. Write simple, buggy programs. Draw badly. Watch youtubers cook or fix their car or put on makeup or build something, even, if you can’t find the energy to yourself. If you’re having trouble finding a date start pre-emptively assuming that everyone is off-limits and just focus on finding genuine friends who match your orientation. Somewhere along the line you’ll lose your discomfort and start getting better at doing what you want or need to do.
4.
Take two to ten minutes to tidy up your home before you go to bed. The next morning, you'll feel way better not having to look at all the junk/things you still have to do.
5.
Choose your reaction before your emotions can. I was always jealous of people who naturally had a great response to problems (like “I forgot something at home. Oh well, it happens to everyone. I’m sure they’ll understand why I’m late.”). I began really noticing how much easier that must make life, so I started trying to imagine the “right” reaction to situations. If you make yourself pause to think of a good reaction, you can kind of choose it like “Yeah, that would be a good one” and then you don’t give your stupid brain an opportunity to throw out a sh**ty reaction. (Someone made me remember something I think is important to add, so I’m pasting it here so it won’t get lost) I learned to do it despite it seeming impossible. The trick for me was to recognize that I was enabling and feeding my own emotional responses, like “My car won’t start, I should be upset! Why wouldn’t I be?! This will cost me money!” I was choosing to be upset because I was “supposed” to be, or I was entitled to be upset. But I didn’t really want to be.
6.
Don’t ask someone ‘do you need anything?’ when they are going through something. Ask them ‘what can I do for you?’ and stop talking. Sometimes listening is enough. Being a good listener isn’t easy. You have to stop waiting for your turn to speak and just be there for them. Source: father of daughters.
8.
One of my favorite is to bring a couple of new disposable diapers to the beach (lake, river, etc.) If you decide to leave your towel to hit the water, you can wrap your cell phone, car keys, wallet up in diaper, then fasten it up and I promise you NO ONE will mess with your stuff! You're welcome! Hee!
9.
I started saying 'silly' instead of 'stupid' like for example 'Oh I'm so stupid' or 'that was stupid'. I've noticed that it helped improve my self esteem
10.
When someone you like or respect does something confusingly infuriating, imagine the most-favorable-to-them possible explanation, and pretend that's true. Wait until you know more before getting reflexively angry.
14.
Don't save your banking information on online stores. Makes impulse buying much more difficult if you have to track down your wallet.
15.
If you keep forgetting if you locked your door/car/lock, do something silly after locking it. It will help you remember if you have to think back.
16.
Not necessarily crappy per se but I always encourage people to befriend the hospital employees that bring you your meal trays. They’ll hook you up with the good stuff so you’re not stuck eating crappy food.
17.
Taking two steps at a time when walking up the stairs. You take half the time to get to the next floor, and you get a good glute work out at the same time.
18.
Had a pigeon problem on my balcony. I live in front of a church, so a lot of them gather there. At night and early on the morning, they would come to my balcony, leaving s**t and feathers all around and biting my plants. One day I saw a plastic raven at a store, that supposedly scares them away. It was expensive and I didn't have much money, so I grabbed a bunch of black plastic bags and some wire, made a fake raven and attached it to the railing. It's been like seven months and I haven't seen a single pigeon on the balcony since.
19.
Swirling the liquid in a bottle you need to empty fast. Creates a vortex that lets the air in and the liquid out without all that messy glug glug noise.
20.
Bending your knees up using a little stool to support your feet while pooping. It has changed my life.
21.
Place a small bowl of 2/3 water, 1/3 white vinegar (or lemon juice) in your microwave and cook on high for 10 minutes. Any stuck on dried food residue will wipe right off with no effort.
22.
YMMV, but when you're giving presentations or interviews, literally pretend you're Steve Jobs. Watch his videos on YouTube. The dude had a questionable personality, but nobody's questioning that he's a damn good public speaker. I have social anxiety, and literally just pretending that I'm like a presentation God makes a huge difference.
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