Life hacks, inspired by The Guardian (the numbering is the paper's, and their wording is in bold). (Sat 1 Jan 2022)
1 Exercise on a Monday night. Book a dance class – or sign up to a philosophy class and exercise your mind.
2 Find the perfect trousers/widget online – but don’t click “buy”. Wait a few days to see if you still really need/want the thing.
4 Bring fruit to work.
5 Work four days a week.
6 Put yourself in other people’s shoes – and then turn round and look at yourself.
7 Plant spring bulbs, even if they’re just in a pot.
9 Keep a bird feeder by a window.
12 Sharpen your knives.
15 Frame your children’s drawings and paintings.
16 Set aside 10 minutes a day to do something you really enjoy – be it reading a book or playing Halo. (Ten minutes?)
17 Don’t obsess about dishwasher stacking. If your partner thinks they're the expert, just pile the dirty crocks by the machine and leave the job to him/her.
18 Reuse all plastic bags.
19 Take a photo of your cloakroom tag. (And your meter reading.)
27 If possible, take the stairs.
29 Eat meat once a week or less.
30 Be polite to rude strangers. Not sarcastic – just polite.
31 Ask questions, and listen to the answers.
32 Connect with nature: stand outside barefoot for a few minutes – even when it’s cold. But maybe not if you live in an inner-city tower block.
33 Join your local library. (They’ve been researching “advice to teenagers” from old copies of Jackie, haven’t they?)
34 Go for a walk without your phone. And your mother will think you’ve been run over by a bus.
37 Walk or cycle for short journeys.
39 Send postcards from holiday destinations. (With increased roaming charges thanks to Brexit, this might be a good idea.)
40 Get old shoes repaired.
42 Don’t install Twitter on your phone. You don’t have to have email or Facebook, either. If you have them all, turn off notification beeps.
43 If you find an item of clothing you love and are certain you will wear for ever, buy three. Your favourite supplier is bound to stop making the only trousers that fit you.
44 Take a short cold shower before a hot one. (This tip is about 200 years old.)
45 Text to say thank you. In fact, thank people warmly for the slightest help or favour. And say good morning/good night/Happy New Year to the reception desk staff.
46 Read a poem every day. Browse Poem Finder and share your discoveries.
47 Take out your headphones when walking – listen to the world.
48 Buy secondhand.
51 If something is making you angry, write (politely) to your MP. (Surely your MP has an email address? And there’s nothing to stop you sounding off on Facebook and Twitter.)
52 Say hello to your neighbours.
53 Mend your clothes. If you don’t know how, get a sewing lesson from your mother, gran or great-aunt.
54 Always bring something – wine, flowers – to a dinner/birthday party.
55 Learn the names of 10 trees. (Why stop at ten? Do the same for wildflowers.)
56 Call an old friend out of the blue. (No – don’t! Contact them via FB, LinkedIn or email first.)
57 Clean up your inbox with “unsubscribe”.
58 Buy a newspaper.
60 Drop your shoulders. It helps with the breathing – see below.
61 Don’t buy a new dress – make one.
63 Volunteer.
65 Instead of buying a morning coffee, set up a daily transfer of £2 from a current into a savings account. Or to a charity.
66 Don’t save clothes for “best”.
67 Sing! If you want to improve, learn a song and sing it every day. And get a few voice lessons.
68 Stand tall and look ahead. (Essential for singing.)
69 Hang up your clothes.
75 Keep your keys in the same place.
77 Rent, don't buy, your fabulous wedding-guest outfit – and hat.
80 Mute or leave a WhatsApp group chat. (Especially if others keep posting dog videos.)
83 Join a local litter-picking group.
84 Handwash that thing you’ve never cleaned. (Not sure if they mean "jersey" or "porcelain shepherdess".)
86 Nap.
89 Politely decline invitations if you don’t want to go. Aim to stay half an hour or an hour at a party. Always take a friend. Stay longer if you're enjoying yourself, but leave as soon as you aren't. You can exit films and plays half-way through, too.
90 Have an exit strategy. (Including slipping out unseen. If stuck on your own, join a group and ask “Have you seen Stanislas?” Or join another sufferer and try to make their experience less ghastly. Introduce yourself with "I loathe parties – don't you?)
92 Don’t look at your phone at dinner. One day manners will catch up with technology.
93 Do that one thing you’ve been putting off.
94 Give compliments. (Hello, men: women adore flattery. And they love to think you’ve noticed something about them. In general, be clean, kind and helpful.)
96 Keep a book in your bag. It would help if publishers produced pocket/handbag sized, light paperbacks. Publishers: copy an old Penguin.
And a few from me:
Give your brushed-back hair a rest once a week with a side parting, or your hairline may move gradually north.
Live as near to work as you can (or work as near your home as you can).
Use bookmarks, not tabs. Clear your cache. Reply to your own tweets to create a thread. Keep your files in a folder on your hard disk. Back up in the cloud. Learn proper touch-typing – there are online tutors.
Give instructions in chronological order.
Disable the overhead light in your living room and put in wall lights that are turned on by the switch at the door.
Slice onions with the skin on for fewer tears, recommends a former sous-chef.
Don’t be so well in time for your train that you rush, with a spilling cup of coffee, to catch the one before it.
Don't listen to your friends, listen to your partner – and then do what she asks. You know what I'm talking about.
Breathe properly – using the bottom half of your lungs. A voice coach will give you better instructions than a youtube video.
Update your makeup – get a makeover and throw out your old products. A "warm" foundation won't make you look healthier, it'll make you look orange.
Update your hairstyle – both back-combing and very flat hair are both passé.
Take social dancing classes – look for “club dance” or “ballroom”.
Learn to knit.
Whatever the problem, alcohol will make it worse.
Advise readers how to cut down on telly, Twitter and phone – they won’t, but they’ll feel they’ve been done good to. And they'll share the list with all their friends!
Happy New Year!
More "not rocket science" here, and links to the rest.
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