More on getting things done

Focus on one day at a time rather than trying to ace every single day.

Life is not about acing every single day.

one person who lived it

Journal every morning to clear your mind and set intentions for the day.

It helps with clearing the mind and setting daily intentions.

3 people, independently

• Journal daily to identify what you are doing well and what you can improve upon.2

Spend money on coffee to work in a shop all day if it helps you get a large amount of work done.

The productivity gained is considered a good return on investment.

one person who lived it

Learn Excel basics in a few hours.

It can help with budgeting and analyzing data.

one person who lived it

Break job instructions into three steps: Important Step, Key Point, and Reason Why.

This is part of the Training Within Industry (TWI) discipline.

one person who lived it

Make it your mission to check on everyone's progress in the group.

This keeps you on your toes.

one person who lived it

Focus on finishing just the first page of a book or chapter rather than the whole thing.

One page usually leads to the next.

one person who lived it

Use walking time to brainstorm and make progress on personal or work projects.

It kicks off a process in the brain.

one person who lived it

Take a complete day off from social media.

You won't miss out a lot, and your life won't change in any ways.

one person who lived it

Track what you avoided doing alongside what you did to make invisible wins visible.

It makes invisible wins visible.

one person who lived it

Adopt three distinct hobbies: one for fitness, one for income, and one for creativity.

• Hobbies rarely earn as much per hour as a job; if they do, they become a profession.

2 people, independently

Read 'Eat That Frog'.

One person became ten times more productive after reading it, improving every aspect of their life.

one person who lived it

Run work ideas by known skeptics early to refine your pitch.

Their negative slant helps you defend the idea, making the pitch stronger.

• This assumes the skeptic is driven by good intentions rather than trying to keep you down or sabotage you.

one person who lived it

Review your life plan and journal from the past year to adjust goals and extract lessons before setting new ones.

Reviewing one's year is full of lessons and allows you to check progress on goals.

2 people, independently

Track just one thing for a month before deciding you have failed.

The issue is usually visibility, not discipline.

one person who lived it

Write down 10-year goals in a spreadsheet, review quarterly to identify one goal per area that gets you closer, and review weekly to determine actionable steps.

It helps retain focus.

one person who lived it

Pick a class or archetype to get the most from strengths and guide growth instead of imitating others.

Mastering your own class is more fun and sustainable.

one person who lived it

Keep a daily 'energy budget' with two columns: what gave you energy versus what drained it.

It helps you see how much energy you are giving away without noticing.

one person who lived it

Use Khan Academy to fill gaps in your education and learn new topics.

• It only goes up until calculus; it may not cover advanced topics like graph theory.

5 people, independently

Keep a buffer of drafted content to ensure consistency during illness or off days.

It prevents missing a beat when you are sick or having an off day.

one person who lived it

Generate your own side quests and reward yourself with dopamine for reaching self-set goals.

This solves boredom at its root.

one person who lived it

Put on makeup if it gives you a sense of accomplishment.

One person felt it had an 'I achieved something' effect.

• This is substitutable and based on one person's experience.

one person who lived it

Practice creativity regularly as it grows or atrophies based on use.

It functions like a muscle that develops with practice.

• Specific creative skills may not translate to other domains.

one person who lived it

Reflect on your core values to make sense of your behavior, emotions, and actions.

It helps make sense of your behavior, emotions, and actions.

one person who lived it

View failures as necessary risks to gain experience and level up, rather than reasons to stop.

Failing provides free XP; you respawn smarter instead of throwing the controller.

2 people, independently

Print simple reminders of small actions and place them in visible locations like your desk.

It helps a lot and is stupid simple.

one person who lived it

• Place a physical to-do sheet in an obvious location you look at without fail, such as a mirror or ceiling.1

Steal micro-moments for yourself instead of waiting for large blocks of time.

You won't get an hour.

one person who lived it

Do not keep a clock in your reading space.

It might distract you.

one person who lived it

Divide a number by 5 to calculate 20% of it.

20% is equivalent to the fraction 1/5.

one person who lived it

Be cautious of using 'one more' tricks if they cause your subconscious to distrust your promises, which can lead to increased procrastination.

My subconscious doesn't trust myself anymore.

• Can train your subconscious to distrust your promises.

one person who lived it

Take action on goals like weight loss or traveling instead of just reading about them.

Imagining doing stuff gives a dopamine rush that feels like actually doing it, which wastes time.

one person who lived it

Focus on taking action over achieving perfection.

Mistakes serve as lessons that eventually lead to being right.

3 people, independently

Reframe skipped tasks by identifying the specific low-value activity you chose instead, such as zoning out.

It feels less like lying to yourself.

one person who lived it

Use all available exam time to double-check every answer.

Knowing you are done might help you think more calmly about questions and answers, preventing mistakes like filling in the wrong bubble.

one person who lived it

Knit as a hobby to cultivate skills and gain a real sense of fulfillment from finishing projects.

Finishing a project gives a real sense of fulfillment.

one person who lived it

Insert space between events and reactions to make better decisions.

To allow for better decision-making.

one person who lived it

To stop reactionary behavior, measure how much a situation bothers you, judge if it is worth dealing with, pause to remember you have a choice, plan your response, engage with the plan, and review the results.

Using this process helps you feel more in control of your daily life.

one person who lived it

Begin with the simplest component of a task, then move toward the more challenging parts.

5 people, independently

Keep a 'to-done' list where you record only completed actions, no matter how small.

Stacking wins is more motivating than focusing on pending tasks.

one person who lived it

• Identify real blockers to tasks before trying to force completion.1

Seek help to bypass unnecessary struggles and lower the difficulty of your challenges.

It allows you to fast-forward past the 'school of hard knocks' rather than going it alone.

one person who lived it

Fake confidence while figuring things out, recognizing that no one truly knows what they are doing.

Competence is often a facade maintained while learning on the job.

one person who lived it

Create a system for how to do things and follow it consistently.

The system reduces reliance on willpower.

one person who lived it

Keep emails related to pending tasks until the task is 100% finished.

Having an empty inbox brings relief.

one person who lived it

Play a muted movie in your peripheral vision while working alone.

It helps pass long hours alone.

one person who lived it

Combine artistic ambition with an engineer's mindset to create realistic plans for big things.

Life is not a movie and requires planning.

one person who lived it

Use the Block Reddit add-on to pester yourself into wasting less time on the site without making access difficult.

One user found it pesters them enough to reduce wasted time while keeping access easy.

one person who lived it

Create a purgatory folder for documents you are unsure whether to keep or delete.

You may need them later even if you are not sure now.

one person who lived it

Drive to work or shower without music, podcasts, or headphones to let your mind wander and think.

It allows you to zone out and generate ideas.

one person who lived it

To remember that inches use double quotes (") and feet use single quotes ('), associate the number of syllables in the word with the number of marks: 'inches' has two syllables, 'feet' has one.

4 people, independently

Break down complex multiplication by splitting one factor into tens and ones, multiplying separately, and adding the results.

It can be done almost instantly with practice.

2 people, independently

Make plans and commit to them using RSVP systems that hold you accountable, as having someone expecting you makes it easier to follow through.

Having someone expecting you makes it easier to force yourself to go.

one person who lived it

Take tiny steps toward your goal every day to build encouragement through small wins.

Each successful step and win makes you more encouraged.

one person who lived it

View your brain as an organ that provides a function for thinking, distinct from your sense of self.

one person who lived it

Visualize your future self using digital tools or writing letters to connect emotionally.

The future self is often too abstract to care about otherwise.

one person who lived it

When motivated at night, write down exact, detailed steps for actions to take the next day instead of vague intentions.

It captures motivation like storing rain for later use.

one person who lived it

Listen to documentaries while performing repetitive manual tasks like faxing to improve your mood and learn new information.

It improved my mood and I learned about history topics like Henry the Eighth or the Bubonic Plague.

one person who lived it

Take only the course load you know you can handle rather than risking burnout and not finishing.

one person who lived it

Try freestyle rapping as a creative outlet.

It is wonderful in many ways.

one person who lived it

Gauge the customer's needs before offering input; some want to shop around with salesperson help, while others need immediate service and will leave if wasted time.

Wasting the time of customers who just need quick service causes lost sales.

one person who lived it

Instruct users to unplug and replug devices rather than asking if they are plugged in.

Asking if a device is plugged in often leads to an unchecked 'yes', whereas instructing them to unplug and replug forces them to check.

one person who lived it

Remember that months alternate between 31 and 30 days, except for February and the consecutive July/August pair which both have 31 days.

July and August were named after Roman emperors who wanted extra days, pinching them off February.

3 people, independently

Find the right goals before attempting to increase productivity.

Losing goals or vision causes productivity to go south.

one person who lived it

Keep a list on a whiteboard or digital note of perishable items like produce and cheese that need to be used soon.

It prevents forgetting about out-of-sight items before they spoil.

one person who lived it

Visualize decimal digits as physical objects to help track intermediate sums when multiplying large numbers.

It is a memory trick that works well.

one person who lived it

Use a side project to test a new field and build confidence before quitting a time-consuming job.

one person who lived it

Assign specific hours to tasks in a calendar instead of using lists.

Lists are wishlists; assigning time forces realism about available time.

one person who lived it

• Set reminders for tasks to support executive dysfunction.1

Start by abandoning open loops that are no longer relevant, such as unfinished hobbies or books, rather than beating yourself up about them.

Closing or abandoning loops reduces the number of things that need to be done.

one person who lived it

Clean your living space to feel a sense of control.

• Based on one person's experience.

one person who lived it

Check the comments section of Life Pro Tips posts for additional advice and corrections.

The comments often contain greater insights or real tips behind the main post.

one person who lived it

Read books to get lost in stories and distract yourself from negative feelings.

It serves as a beautiful distraction.

one person who lived it

Use a template list for weekly reviews to avoid wondering where to start and prevent procrastination.

It saves the trouble of deciding where to begin and stops procrastination.

one person who lived it

Visualize the specific physical sensations of the work itself, such as the weight of equipment or bodily effort.

This is described as the most important step.

one person who lived it

Embody your ideal future self by imagining their feelings, thoughts, daily routine, and surroundings to transform your present behavior.

It transforms you.

2 people, independently

Share your ideas publicly if you lack the time, energy, or resources to execute them yourself.

Maybe someone else will make them reality.

one person who lived it

Block out 'nothing' time in your calendar for awareness and breathing without an agenda.

It provides the freedom to be, breathe, and practice awareness.

one person who lived it

Journal about your day, your thoughts, and your plans for tomorrow before bed.

Journaling dissipates emotional energy and makes the next day smoother.

one person who lived it

Create an initial plan to provide direction, even if it is imperfect, with the intention to adjust it along the way.

A plan gives direction and having one is better than having none.

one person who lived it

Calculate 15% by finding 10% and adding half of that amount.

3 people, independently

If you need to reduce stress quickly, listen to the 'Below the asteroids' track from Eve Online.

One person reported it deflates stress almost instantly.

one person who lived it

Confuse clarity with certainty: be clear about the next step without knowing where it will lead.

one person who lived it

Listen to audiobooks of Shakespeare while reading the text.

Hearing talented actors interpret the words makes them come alive and aids understanding.

one person who lived it

Use gaming, such as Animal Crossing or returning to teenage-era games, as a coping mechanism during difficult times.

Gaming helps people cope and provides a return to simpler times.

one person who lived it

Avoid massive long-term targets; instead, set small, doable objectives for today.

3 people, independently

Jot down all your tasks, select one at random, and execute it right away.

3 people, independently

Use intentional errors in teaching to test student understanding.

Students are often more motivated to correct a teacher's 'slip-up' than to answer questions directly.

one person who lived it

On the weekend, measure your progress against where you should be to reach your goals and make needed adjustments.

one person who lived it

Switch to bullet journaling using an unruled or dot-grid notebook to avoid restrictive layouts.

It offers flexibility without the gimmickry or small boxes of pre-filled planners.

one person who lived it

Perform mundane self-care actions specifically for the benefit of your tomorrow self, rather than for today's self.

It makes going into action feel more logical and prevents dragging yesterday's burdens into today.

one person who lived it

Try the 5-second rule to interrupt hesitation and initiate action immediately.

5 people, independently

Learn a foreign language.

It exercised my brain and improved concentration.

one person who lived it

Follow up with whether a suggested solution worked or did not work.

Failing to reply leaves people wondering if the solution was effective; confirming it helps future readers.

2 people, independently

Reframe questions about performing a task into questions about whether you want the resulting benefit.

Framing from the benefit standpoint rather than the task standpoint helps motivation.

one person who lived it

Change group chat titles to include the specific plan details so members see them immediately upon opening the app.

To ensure nobody misses the plan.

one person who lived it

Do not fret if someone steals your idea, recognizing that they must now worry about their next idea while you continue to generate new ones.

one person who lived it

Build self-trust by setting realistic promises to yourself and fulfilling them every time, avoiding unrealistic commitments you cannot follow through on.

Fulfilling these promises builds self trust.

one person who lived it

When seeking honest feedback on a business idea from friends or family, present it as if it belongs to someone else.

Friends and family often criticize ideas or try to pull you into their lifestyle because they want you to be safe, rather than offering objective support.

one person who lived it

Maintain multiple concurrent projects so you make progress somewhere every day.

It is motivating.

one person who lived it

Keep your thoughts, words, behaviors, habits, and values positive to shape a positive destiny.

Positive thoughts become positive words, which become positive behaviors, then habits, then values, and finally destiny.

one person who lived it

Allow staff time to memorize processes and build competence before expecting high-speed performance.

Speed cannot be achieved until the underlying process or recipe is fully memorized.

one person who lived it

Consider creating a shared document to compete against someone else for added fun and accountability.

It would be fun.

one person who lived it

Add the year to the notes section of recurring calendar events for weddings or funerals to keep a historical record of when they occurred.

It preserves a record of the event regardless of whether you attended.

one person who lived it

Carry a notepad and pen while walking to capture ideas immediately.

You will not remember things otherwise.

one person who lived it

Remember the moments you chased and the ideas you followed, not just the routines you completed.

one person who lived it

Focus on listening to the professor's supplementary information during class rather than focusing on printing slides.

Printing distracts from paying attention to verbal information that supplements the slides.

one person who lived it

Prefer resources that explain similar equations rather than providing full solutions to promote learning.

Providing full solutions leads many students to simply copy them, whereas explaining similar equations helps learning more.

one person who lived it

Study international perspectives in political science to learn more than domestic curricula offer.

You can't overstate how much more you learned from studying other countries' perspectives.

one person who lived it

Generate original ideas and drafts yourself first; use AI only for ideation help or polishing if needed, then review, adjust, compare, and rewrite.

4 people, independently

When seeking collaborators for an idea you lack the skill to execute alone, state that you are working on it rather than just having an idea.

Having something substantial to show increases your perceived credibility.

one person who lived it

Cook rice in a rice cooker while working on other tasks, as it requires no supervision.

3 people, independently

Manage your creative efforts with intention.

Intention will pay dividends.

one person who lived it

Focus on executing only those steps that genuinely advance your objectives.

4 people, independently

Set a recurring calendar reminder for the birthday of a beloved fictional character to receive an annual humorous notification.

It provides a moment of laughter when the notification appears.

one person who lived it

Do not dismiss your creative projects just because similar works already exist.

Similar premises can result in vastly different outcomes; your unique execution may surpass existing works.

one person who lived it

Recognize that thought conditions action, which determines habits, forms character, and shapes destiny.

2 people, independently

Place infrequently used items in the first location you checked when looking for them, as it may feel like the intuitive spot.

one person who lived it

If your country's history only makes you feel good, recognize that you are likely reading mythology instead of actual history.

one person who lived it

Record your objectives on paper or a writable surface like a whiteboard.

3 people, independently

If you did not keep notes or calendars and cannot recall past events, check your emails and social media accounts to reconstruct your history.

one person who lived it

Use kinesthetic learning methods, such as LEGO models or physical activities, to understand abstract concepts like fractions or trigonometry if traditional explanations fail.

one person who lived it

Listen to audiobooks during dental appointments, particularly for painful procedures like root canals.

one person who lived it

use an alarm clock instead of your phone to avoid using your phone right when you wake up

to stop using your phone immediately upon waking

one person who lived it

Turn off notifications for most apps, especially social media, and only check them when you consciously decide to.

4 people, independently

Unsubscribe from junk emails to prevent ignoring important messages amidst notification clutter.

Ignoring email notifications because they seem like junk can cause you to miss critical updates, such as job offers.

one person who lived it

Walk to work or engage in outdoor activity to use light and fresh air.

Light and fresh air majorly changed how awake I felt once at work.

one person who lived it

Start tasks with a 90-second timer to warm up and gain momentum before moving to longer chunks.

It helps overcome initial resistance and get into a Flow state.

one person who lived it

Stop work in the middle of a sentence or task at the end of the day rather than finishing it.

Leaving off mid-stream makes it easier to rejoin the same train of thought the next day.

one person who lived it

Do not start new tasks during breaks if you know you will not be able to finish them.

Breaks should not generate obligations.

one person who lived it

Use an existing daily routine, such as waiting for water to boil, as a cue to perform a short workout.

Having a cue helps.

one person who lived it

Get enough exercise.

It can help.

one person who lived it

Do nothing for 24 hours to reduce brain dopamine levels.

To reduce brain dopamine levels.

one person who lived it

Meal prep on Sundays and do small chores in 15-20 minute bursts to avoid large cleaning days off.

To avoid trying to throw together lunch every morning and making cleaning a big task on off days.

one person who lived it

Make new habits as effortless as possible when you first start forming them.

Making it effortless at the beginning is crucial for habit formation.

one person who lived it

Ignore the 'do it now' rule if you have hundreds of small tasks, as this indicates a systemic issue.

Having thousands of five-minute jobs suggests a need to ignore standard advice due to external pressures or life arrangement.

one person who lived it

If you are young or have low concentration stamina, work for 5–10 minutes and then take a 1–2 minute break.

Concentration takes energy.

one person who lived it

Do a 7-minute workout when feeling slumped all day.

One person reported feeling much better after doing it.

one person who lived it

Use discipline to set a new habit, but maintain it by fully adapting to the lifestyle and learning to enjoy it.

Deprivation-based strategies do not work long-term and often lead to rebounding.

one person who lived it

If you struggle with limiting screen time, count usage by 'sessions' rather than duration; treat any instance of opening a platform like YouTube as one unit, regardless of how long you stay.

It keeps the habit manageable without overthinking.

one person who lived it

Do annoying or boring tasks first so they are done.

You can then move on to other work.

one person who lived it

Prepare enjoyable items for the next morning the night before to create a positive incentive to get up.

Making it so you want to get up is more effective than relying on willpower.

one person who lived it

Reserve specific TV shows for gym sessions so the desire to see what happens next motivates you to exercise.

It creates a reward loop where you need to work out to continue watching.

one person who lived it

Consult the Getting Things Done methodology to organize small tasks.

Its principles are solid and helped improve work productivity and organization.

• Classic GTD may not work particularly well in digital formats.

3 people, independently

Follow a routine of 20 minutes of work followed by 20 minutes of rest.

It becomes second nature and builds discipline.

one person who lived it

If you need motivation for daily sessions or milestones, try moving coins into a jar as a reward.

The sound of the coin dropping can serve as motivation.

one person who lived it

On a reset day after a bad week, only do tasks that remove friction and make tomorrow easier, rather than trying to catch up or earn discipline.

Changing the conditions you wake up into rebuilds trust with yourself.

one person who lived it

Read a book before sleep instead of using screens to help you get sleepy.

one person who lived it

Place a timer on your work desk to create a sense of urgency that helps you start tasks when motivation is low.

The sense of urgency provided by the timer helps initiate tasks when motivation is lacking.

one person who lived it

If you are neurodivergent and struggle with starting tasks, try keeping your shoes on when you get home to keep a state of readiness.

It serves as an unconventional method to help people who are wired differently get things done.

one person who lived it

Pair a routine task with a timed activity or a distracting task to create motivation or a timer for your routine.

The end of the timer acts as a reward or motivator to hurry up.

one person who lived it

Schedule mandatory meetings to force yourself to show up and work.

You gotta show up!

one person who lived it

If you want to reduce daily friction, try setting a morning phone notification that states one life goal and one habit to abandon.

One person reported that changing this initial input made the rest of the day easier without requiring extra willpower.

one person who lived it

Set small daily goals (e.g., 'go to the gym today') instead of massive long-term ones to avoid making excuses to delay action.

Massive goals make it easy to postpone contribution until 'tomorrow,' which often never comes; daily goals remove that excuse.

one person who lived it

• Divide big objectives into small daily steps to create forward motion.3

Fill the gap after finishing a task with a small reset action like standing up, walking, drinking water, or stretching, or a low-effort task.

Leaving the next step undefined allows distractions to win.

one person who lived it

Create habits tied to certain times and rewards rather than relying solely on to-do lists.

It's usually easier to stick to habits with specific times and rewards.

one person who lived it

Schedule demanding tasks during times of day when you are most focused.

Morning meetings destroy my focus.

one person who lived it

Read in public spaces like cafes, libraries, or parks to hold yourself accountable to finishing the book.

Being in public can help prevent the distractions found at home and encourage sticking with the material.

one person who lived it

Dress fully, including shoes, when working from home.

It makes you more productive.

one person who lived it

One approach that helped: score the difficulty of your tasks on a scale of 1-10 and track how that correlates with your energy throughout the day to identify when you are actually strongest versus when you thought you were.

It revealed discrepancies between perceived peak performance windows and actual data-driven evidence.

one person who lived it

Use timeboxing to limit task duration, shifting the goal to doing the best possible within that time.

It changes the focus from abstract completion to achievable effort within a set limit.

one person who lived it

Lay out work materials like answer keys, tests, and calculators on your desk the night before.

It allows you to immediately start working when you arrive the next day.

one person who lived it

Create laminated task cards for daily habits and place them in deliberate locations around your house.

Seeing the card prompts the task; moving completed cards to the back reveals the next task.

one person who lived it

Avoid joining too many accountability groups simultaneously if you struggle with laziness.

You may doubt your ability to keep up with multiple commitments.

one person who lived it

Get fully dressed and ready in the morning even if you plan to stay home all day.

Staying in pajamas can make you lazy and spoil the day; getting dressed increases productivity.

one person who lived it

Break delayed projects into smaller components and rotate between them to avoid burnout or feeling stalled.

Feeling bad does not speed up completion, so stop overthinking.

one person who lived it

Incorporate a midday nap into your work routine if you struggle with afternoon productivity.

One approach that helped: dividing the workday with a nap prevented the brain from failing in the afternoon.

one person who lived it

Keep your study area tidy and step outside for fresh air between assignments.

It makes you feel better and keeps you feeling energized.

one person who lived it

Combine systems for change with discipline to handle uncomfortable transitions more.

Systems and discipline work in tandem to get outcomes.

one person who lived it

Listen to audiobooks while performing mindless chores that require hand-and-eye coordination, such as folding laundry or cleaning.

It keeps the mind engaged during boring tasks and can help overcome a lack of motivation to tidy.

one person who lived it

Consider taking long walks or hikes while working through issues or billing clients.

One remote worker found they had no problem resolving issues or handling client billing while hiking.

one person who lived it

Practice your morning routine, including getting out of bed, during the middle of the day to know exactly what action comes next.

Practicing the sequence makes it easier to execute during the actual morning and avoids decision fatigue.

one person who lived it

Create external obligations, such as starting a newsletter with subscribers like family or friends, to compel yourself to work by avoiding letting others down instead of relying on willpower.

It creates a system where you don't have to rely on willpower.

one person who lived it

Build routines and systems for repetitive work instead of relying on motivation.

Motivation is overrated.

one person who lived it

If you feel exhausted despite completing few tasks, track how you distribute your energy instead of just counting completed items.

Context switches, interruptions, and small decisions can drain energy even when task volume is low.

one person who lived it

If you have executive functioning issues, announce your plans to create the external pressure needed to act.

People with these issues often lack enough internal pressure from self-made goals, whereas outside pressure like social accountability works.

one person who lived it

Take a short nap holding an object over a pot; use the transient state before sleep for ideation, letting the noise of the drop wake you before fully falling asleep.

This utilizes the transient state before sleep for ideation and prevents fully falling asleep.

one person who lived it

Schedule regular rest periods when engaging in intense productivity or habit changes to prevent burnout.

Going all in without breaks likely leads to burnout.

one person who lived it

Focus on sleep over late-night studying for tasks requiring high cognitive effort.

Sacrificing sleep is counterproductive to performance and stress may prevent sleep entirely.

2 people, independently

Be regular in your habits to harness inertia and build momentum.

Consistency gives a habit its own momentum.

one person who lived it

Schedule regular, low-priority activities that have to get done so they don't become a problem.

So that they don't become a problem

one person who lived it

If extensive lists cause paralysis, start just one activity to trigger momentum that leads to accomplishing more tasks naturally.

Starting one task can create a chain reaction of productivity.

one person who lived it

If you believe an employee is working inefficiently, teach them a faster method; otherwise, leave them alone.

Simply telling employees to work faster only creates stress and mistakes without improving efficiency.

one person who lived it

Perform physical exercises like pushups to help stay awake during an all-nighter.

Exercise helps too.

one person who lived it

Eat or drink foods high in natural sugars, such as fruits or juices, to raise blood sugar and promote wakefulness.

Increasing blood sugar levels promotes awakeness.

one person who lived it

Move habits like meditation and journaling to the evening to avoid overpacking the morning.

These activities work better when winding down and unplugging.

one person who lived it

Join a gym with structured group classes to create external accountability and routine.

The fixed start time of the class prevents procrastination by ensuring you cannot simply delay the activity.

one person who lived it

Turn solitary bad habits into good ones by playing online with friends via voice chat to talk to someone outside of work.

one person who lived it

Use video or screen-sharing during study sessions to create accountability through visibility.

Laziness often sets in when no one is watching to enforce accountability.

one person who lived it

Read 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear to learn strategies for building habits and preventing procrastination.

The book addresses building habits and preventing procrastination.

one person who lived it

Identify triggers to initiate positive habits and avoid negative ones, such as by journaling weekly to take stock of them.

Triggers can initiate both positive and negative habits; awareness prevents getting sucked into vices.

one person who lived it

Start meetings on schedule regardless of attendance to encourage punctuality.

It discourages lateness and ensures the meeting is worth attendees' time.

one person who lived it

If you struggle with using a specific space, place an object you need elsewhere in that location to create a dependency.

one person who lived it

Use the urge to perform a biological function, like needing to pee, as a trigger to complete a quick task first.

one person who lived it

Shower immediately after working out to use the feeling of being sweaty and gross as motivation.

Feeling sweaty and gross provides enough motivation alone.

one person who lived it

One approach that helped reduce daily chaos: take a walk before starting work or checking emails.

one person who lived it

Do not upload private or sensitive documents to random online PDF manipulation services.

You do not know what these services do with your data, which could lead to breaking non-disclosure agreements.

3 people, independently

Simplify your language by giving up small talk and idioms to communicate more directly with non-native speakers.

It allows you to talk directly.

one person who lived it

Slow down playback for complicated topics or speakers careful with wording, but speed up for less dense content.

Some speakers require processing every word, while others do not.

one person who lived it

Use a cloud storage service that maintains local file copies to ensure access during internet outages.

It syncs up when the connection is restored.

one person who lived it

Write text-based tutorials for software or similar topics so users can search for specific information and read at their own pace.

Text allows users to quickly extract the specific piece of information they are stuck on, whereas videos do not allow quick extraction.

2 people, independently

Save your email address as a text shortcut on your phone to auto-populate it.

It saves significant time and frustration.

one person who lived it

Use 'Draft mode' in printer driver settings to save toner or ink without altering the document.

It uses less toner.

one person who lived it

When editing tutorial videos, speed up the audio by 115% without changing the pitch to keep viewers engaged without them noticing the manipulation.

It makes the videos less boring for viewers.

one person who lived it

Screen public domain children's books for outdated racism or offensive content before sharing them with kids.

Some books reflect the time of their original publication and may contain full-blown racism or blackface that is problematic today.

one person who lived it

Close a .LOG file without saving if you opened it but made no changes.

This prevents adding unnecessary timestamps.

one person who lived it

Remove invisible zero-width characters from copied text to avoid being identified by websites.

Websites can generate unique sets of invisible characters based on user data like username or IP address.

• Standard Notepad may not eliminate valid unicode sequences, making this scrubbing technique flawed.

one person who lived it

Do not change standard keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+S for saving files.

Standard shortcuts are established conventions that users rely on.

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Copy and paste code blocks into Notepad to strip formatting and reveal errors like missing quotes.

Stripping formatting makes errors more visible when struggling to locate them.

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Fix paragraph formatting before exporting to EPUB or using a table of contents.

to prevent broken reflowing text

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If you lack technical expertise, avoid making risky system modifications like editing host files.

Without the skill to quickly fix errors, you risk breaking your system and needing an operating system reinstall.

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Type CAPTCHA codes entirely in lowercase letters.

Most CAPTCHAs are case-insensitive, saving time on capitalization.

• Some CAPTCHAs are case-sensitive; if you fail, you may need to redo the entire entry.

2 people, independently

Avoid illegal book download sites and support authors by purchasing books or using legitimate free sources.

Downloading copyrighted material is theft.

2 people, independently

Perform an editable action before testing undo gestures to ensure there is something to undo.

Otherwise the gesture may appear to fail.

one person who lived it

Use Ctrl+Z to undo mistakes immediately instead of manually correcting them.

It saves significant time compared to scrolling and backspacing.

one person who lived it

Use AI to appeal bureaucratic decisions, such as workers' compensation, by filtering out jargon and generating rebuttals.

It can filter out nonsense from official letters and produce rebuttals with citations and steps.

one person who lived it

Avoid sending personal notes via standard SMS to yourself to prevent accidentally disclosing sensitive information to others.

risk of fat-finger errors sending sensitive content to the wrong person

one person who lived it

Consider purchasing newer translations of classic works if the available public domain versions are poor.

One person reported regretting reading older, free translations.

one person who lived it

Check other language versions of Wikipedia articles if you speak multiple languages to gain different cultural or historical perspectives.

Cultural and historical perspectives can vary between language versions.

one person who lived it

Take regular backups of important files.

Accidental deletion via shortcuts like Shift+Delete can remove important files.

one person who lived it

Do not feel pressured to learn complex keyboard shortcuts for minor edits if highlighting and deleting is enough.

The productivity gain from switching to full keyboard navigation may be insignificant for simple tasks.

one person who lived it

Write cooking instructions, including heat level and duration, directly on freezer bags.

Knowing exactly how to cook the contents eliminates guesswork.

one person who lived it

Adapt video playback speed to your individual preference rather than using a fixed standard.

Individual speed preferences are different for everyone.

one person who lived it

Change your internal identity so that external actions follow.

one person who lived it

Rent a gym locker to leave your towel and swimsuit hanging so they dry overnight.

Items will be mostly or completely dry when you pick them up.

one person who lived it

Screw baby food jar lids into the bottom of a 2x4 board, then hang jars filled with small hardware by their lids for easy access.

one person who lived it

In high-volume shower settings with limited time, soap up with Prell shampoo while waiting in line to speed up the process.

one person who lived it

Use a dark-colored bucket when submerging the tube to improve bubble visibility.

Bubbles are easier to see against a dark background.

one person who lived it

Check the bottom of your laundry hamper for small lost items.

one person who lived it

Store fresh vegetables properly to prevent wilting and rotting.

Proper storage usually prevents produce from going bad.

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Keep one container loaded with toiletries and another empty; drop used items into the empty one as you go, then swap them when finished to complete your routine without thinking.

one person who lived it

Answer spam calls and immediately mute the microphone until the caller hangs up.

This registers your number as dead or causes robots to stop speaking.

2 people, independently

Make guttural noises, grunts, or heavy breathing into the microphone when answering spam calls.

One person reported a lower incidence of specific daily calls after doing this.

one person who lived it

Answer calls and verbally request removal from the caller's list.

Callers are required to honor removal requests regardless of their purpose.

one person who lived it

Use Ctrl+9 (or Command+9 on Mac) to jump to the last open tab.

6 people, independently

Use a session manager like Session Buddy or bookmarks to save your browsing sessions for later.

That is what they are for.

one person who lived it

Identify Rick-Roll links by looking for the string 'XcQ' at the end of the URL instead of installing additional browser add-ons.

Installing many add-ons can degrade browser performance.

one person who lived it

In print settings, deselect 'Background Graphics' to remove ads from the saved file.

for removing ads

one person who lived it

Save the print-preview version of a recipe as a PDF to avoid using paper.

No paper needed

one person who lived it

Use the Distraction Free YouTube extension to block homepage content, trending buttons, recommended videos, and comments.

It leaves a blank landing page with only subscriptions and search, which is what one user wanted.

2 people, independently

Press Ctrl and F, or F3, to open the Find Bar and search for text on the current page.

3 people, independently

Once you have an initial selection, adjust it character by character using Shift + arrow keys.

This helps if you missed punctuation or selected too many characters.

4 people, independently

Set up browser profiles for different activities, such as work or play, to control which extensions are active.

to improve performance

one person who lived it

Press Ctrl+F4 to close the current browser tab without closing the entire window.

4 people, independently

Request that the network administrator unblock a specific website, as this is often possible.

One person reported that requesting it works most of the time.

one person who lived it

Create a separate user account on your computer dedicated to work or school.

This creates definite separation and allows you to uninstall distracting personal programs like Steam from that profile.

one person who lived it

Ensure only one keyboard language is installed if swiping the space bar toggles languages instead of moving the cursor.

Having multiple languages installed replaces the cursor-movement gesture with a language toggle shortcut.

one person who lived it

Hold Ctrl and press Delete to remove the entire word ahead of the cursor, or hold Ctrl and press Backspace to remove the entire word behind it.

4 people, independently

Use MATLAB, MathCAD, Maple, or Mathematica for partial differential equations and multivariable systems.

These problems need more sophisticated methods; Wolfram is not too helpful for double or triple integrals.

one person who lived it

Press Ctrl+N to open a new browser window or Ctrl+Shift+N to open an incognito window.

3 people, independently

Check if a number is divisible by 3 by adding its digits together; if the sum is divisible by 3, the original number is too.

3 people, independently

Print out favorite recipes and keep them in a binder or folder for easy access instead of bookmarking them online.

It makes selecting recipes easier than searching digital bookmarks.

one person who lived it

Use the SUBTOTAL function to calculate subtotals within a column alongside your data.

Summing the entire column then produces a correct grand total without double-counting the subtotals.

one person who lived it

Fold a map into a strip showing your area of interest on both sides, then accordion-fold that strip to flip through sections like a book.

one person who lived it

Set your browser to automatically reopen all tabs from the previous session when you start it.

3 people, independently

Create a separate Linux partition for work to remove easy access to games while trying to be productive.

one person who lived it

Place habit tracker widgets on your main page to keep checkmarks visible and avoid ignoring them.

one person who lived it

Check the 'Languages' sidebar on Wikipedia for a 'Simple English' option.

5 people, independently

Keep your phone separate from your wallet and keys to reduce bulk and prevent screen scratches.

Keys can scratch the phone's screen, and separating items reduces bulk.

one person who lived it

Use a two-sided adhesive hook for key storage instead of Legos to avoid damaging surfaces.

Adhesive hooks can be easily removed without damaging the surface.

• Some view using toys for organization as unprofessional.

one person who lived it

Use two pencils instead of fingers to detangle chains, leveraging the precision of the points and graphite lubrication.

The pencil points offer precision and graphite lubricates metal, making detangling easier.

one person who lived it

Drill holes into keys to differentiate them by touch.

Avoids gendered assumptions associated with colored nail polish.

one person who lived it