tiny tips about things you never thought about
this is just some stuff i do that makes life a teensy bit easier for me; i hope they help you, too!
when using post-it/sticky notes that you want to last longer than a day, place them in layers. use 2-3 sticky notes whenever you want something to last. it makes the “page” stiffer so it won’t bend as much, won’t fall off as easily, and when the glue wears off, you can peel off the back note and get fresh glue to stick it again from the notes on top of it. face it, you get them in packs of 100 for less than a buck, and have you ever even finished a notepad before losing it? you’re not wasting much by using extra.
if you have trouble getting out the door in the morning or losing things you need on a daily basis, keep a “constants” box. anything you need pretty whenever you go out goes in it. stuff like wallets, keys, umbrella, etc. as soon as you get home, dump all of your “constants” in the box. next time you go out, you have it all right there and can pick + choose what you need and what you don’t. this is especially helpful if you switch between purses, or rely on pants with pockets that inevitably have to go in the wash.
when you use tape, peel + rip off a) slightly more than you need and b) before you start taping things.
keep multiple journals, and keep them in one spot.
journal to carry with you and write down stuff you have to remember to put in your other journals (very meta, i know)
book of every compliment you’ve received, or any positive thoughts you have
journal to scribble thoughts in when you feel bad. i recommend NOT keeping these pages for long; if you do, you run the risk of feeling sad and looking back on it to make you feel worse. ripping/shredding/burning the pages once you write on them is great anger therapy.
any interesting words/phrases you hear
something new you learn every day
things/luxuries you want when you have money; when you’re low on money, look at it and put symbols next to the ones where you think “wait, do I still want that? is it worth it?” resist buying those things when you do have money.
if you’re dieting or trying to eat healthy etc etc etc etc for whatever reason: if you struggle with giving in to cravings, drink 1 small-ish cup (not one measured cup, like one tall glass) of water before eating anything. it’s not starving yourself, it’s just that sometimes your body is more thirsty than it is hungry, which causes cravings.. it hydrates you and when you’re done, you’re less likely to still want whatever junk food it is. supposedly it takes 20min to get past a craving - use that information carefully. don’t chug!!
also if you’re trying to drink more water, keep a stationary cup of water wherever you sit normally (desk, bed, by the couch, etc.) or carry around a full water bottle at all times. when you sit down there, fill up the cup of water. you’re more likely to drink the water now that it’s just available right there, like wow you don’t even have to get up or anything!! magic.
if you use the same water bottle most of the time, use a different one when you’re sick. I can’t stress this enough. as soon as you find out you’re sick, wash your water bottle as thoroughly as you can and stop using it until you’re sure you’re better. use a different cup (preferably disposable) whenever you drink, or switch straws every time. if you continue using the same “healthy” water bottle, you will keep putting your mouth on the sick germs, and they will linger there while you are sick and once you are well again, which makes it harder for your body to fight them. (this is a very generalized idea of how germs work; basically it’s not a good idea to keep putting your mouth on infected spit.)
if you can’t find the time to go outside/get some fresh iar/sunlight, decrease the amount of time the whole “going outside” process takes by making an “outdoors” bag. mine is a picnic blanket that zips up into a purse, that I can then shove stuff in. I keep a pair of sunglasses, a book I’m reading, a small bottle of bug spray, and a long-lasting snack (granola). when I feel like going outside I can literally just put on my shoes, grab the bag, and walk out the door. I can go for a walk or read in the grass or do literally anything without worrying I might need something that I left at home.
if you’re trying to improve your handwriting, place small grid paper behind everything you’re writing on. you should end up improving without noticing, but if not, make an effort to line up your letters with the grid. pretty soon it’ll be come habit.
when you’re making hot cocoa, put whipped cream on it.
if you’re messy/disorganized, i have a much more detailed post about fixing that here.
if you use a personal computer for school/work, make a separate “professional” user account. I listed this on my organization post but this was the one that helped people the most/they hadn’t heard of, and I don’t expect all y’all to read through that whole thing.
how it works is: use the admin account for slacking off. the user account should be for work/school only. on the admin account you can set restrictions for the user account, such as bedtimes (so you have a deadline!) and website restrictions (so you don’t spend all your studying time on tumblr). also if you ever have to do a presentation or something, you’ll never accidentally open up an embarrassing email.
if you have a small rodent for a pet, i have a trick for filling up water bottles. you probably have one of these little fuckers for a water bottle, or something similar, yes? mine are super tiny, and if yours are too, then you know the trouble it is to unlatch it and make a trip to the kitchen sink 3x a day. to fix this, i keep a large gatorade water bottle by their cage. now all it takes is unscrewing the cap, one squirt into each bottle, and they’re good to go! the water in the gatorade bottle lasts them about a week, so i refill it on the weekends.
if you have a stuffy nose/sinus issues, there are two things you should do:
steam it out. take a hot shower or run hot water while you sit in the bathroom doing whatever. the bad part of this is that you’re stuck in the bathroom where probably the only place to sit is the toilet and if you’re sick you probably have aches and it’s uncomfortable and you can’t really read a book because steam might damage it and ughhhh.
idk about you but my mom always made me rub vicks vaporub on my chest. this isn’t product placement sorry, I’m sure there are off brands that work just as well. anyhow, it’s got this pungent minty smell that clears your nose right up. that being said, it’s this nasty gel you put on your chest (so it’s below your nose and you breathe it) that feels weird and just ugh sometimes I can’t stand it.
however! you can combine these two tips into a shining perfect solution:
pour boiling water in a bowl.
take a spoonful of the gel and put it in the bowl.
stir it up or leave it floating, doesn’t matter.
sit with the bowl by your face or in your lap, intentionally breathing it in every once in a while.
this lets you sit anywhere you want and do whatever you want without worrying about paper/electronics getting steamy.
this also lets you just dump it out when you’re done and not worry about washing that gel off your skin!!
if your phone is whiny about storage space, transfer everything onto your computer periodically. photos take up a lot of room, but most of them you can’t delete because they have sentimental value. but think about it. it’s not like you need absolutely every photo from your last vacation on your phone at all times.
unfortunately, computers have a storage limit too. to conquer this, get an external storage unit or a USB drive. I believe there are websites that let you store photos as well, but I haven’t used these so I wouldn’t know what to recommend. transfer your photos from your phone onto your computer (hopefully it has enough space to hold them temporarily, you just don’t want to keep them there in case you don’t have room for something else). then just transfer the photos to the flash drive and voila! label it and put it in a box for whenever you need it.
if you want to save even more space, run through your photos before transferring them. once you get in the habit of transferring them, you won’t have hundreds of photos to run through so it won’t be such a hassle. I myself am that shitty friend who sends terrible memes in every chat so I ask myself, “do I really need this photo of a snail wearing sunglasses?” the answer is yes. delete it anyways.
if someone is nice to you or offers help, write their name down. I use this especially with online friends, not so much with people I know in real life because relationships in real life fluctuate so much that their support isn’t necessarily a constant, stable thing. if you feel sad, remember that these people have reached out to you in the past and probably will be happy to again. don’t expect much from them so they won’t disappoint you, but a simple “hey, I remember you offering help a while back and I’m wondering if that offer is still open,” is enough to get a conversation started and make you feel that you’re not a bother.
I hope these help!! ask me about it if you have any confusion :)
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