The other day I saw this list of 100 ways to improve your life:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/01/marginal-gains-100-ways-to-improve-your-life-without-really-trying
Just for fun, I divided the 100 suggestions into 4 piles :-)
Already doing:
16 Set aside 10 minutes a day to do something you really enjoy – be it reading a book or playing Halo.
18 Reuse all plastic bags – even bread bags. Much of the packaging you can’t reuse can be taken to larger branches of supermarkets for recycling.
21 Add the milk at least one minute after the tea has brewed.
27 If possible, take the stairs.
29 Eat meat once a week, max. Ideally less.
32 Connect with nature: stand outside barefoot for a few minutes – even when it’s cold.
33 Join your local library – and use it.
35 Eat salted butter (life’s too short for unsalted).
36 Stretch in the morning. And maybe in the evening.
37 If you’re going less than a mile, walk or cycle. About half of car journeys are under two miles, yet these create more pollution than longer journeys as the engine isn’t warmed up yet.
40 Instead of buying new shoes, get old ones resoled and buy new laces.
41 Buy a plant. Think you’ll kill it? Buy a fake one.
42 Don’t have Twitter on your phone.
45 Text to say thank you.
47 Take out your headphones when walking – listen to the world.
49 Buy in person!
50 Learn how to floss properly.
53 Learn the basics of repairing your clothes
67 Sing!
69 Hang your clothes up. Ideally on non-wire hangers (it’s better for them).
72 Always use freshly ground pepper.
73 Thank a teacher who changed your life.
75 Keep your keys in the same place.
76 Ditch the plastic cartons and find a milkman.
80 Mute or leave a WhatsApp group chat.
82 Cook something you’ve never attempted before.
86 Nap.
89 Politely decline invitations if you don’t want to go.
90 If you do go, have an exit strategy (can we recommend a French exit, where you slip out unseen).
92 Don’t look at your phone at dinner.
93 Do that one thing you’ve been putting off.
Can do:
2 On the fence about a purchase? Wait 72 hours before you buy it.
3 Tip: the quickest supermarket queue is always behind the fullest trolley (greeting, paying and packing take longer than you think).
4 Bring fruit to work. Bring fruit to bed!
6 Everyone has an emotional blind spot when they fight. Work out what yours is, and remember it.
8 Send a voice note instead of a text; they sound like personal mini podcasts.
13 Feeling sluggish at work? Try the Pomodoro technique: 25 minutes on, five-minute break, and repeat.
25 Look closely.
31 Ask questions, and listen to the answers.
34 Go for a walk without your phone.
38 Sleep with your phone in a different room (and buy an alarm clock).
46 Read a poem every day. Keep a compendium, such as A Poem for Every Day of the Year, by your bed.
57 Every so often, search your email for the word “unsubscribe” and then use it on as many as you can.
62 Go to bed earlier – but don’t take your phone with you.
64 Dry your cutlery with a cloth (it keeps it shiny).
66 Don’t save things for “best”. Wear them – enjoy them.
68 Think about your posture: don’t slouch, and don’t cross your legs.
71 Switch your phone off on holiday (or at least delete your work email app).
74 Respect your youngers.
79 Ignore the algorithm – listen to music outside your usual taste.
84 Handwash that thing you’ve never cleaned.
87 Learn how to breathe deeply: in through the nose, out through the mouth, making the exhale longer than the inhale.
94 Give compliments widely and freely.
95 Set up an affordable standing order to a charity.
96 Keep a book in your bag to avoid the temptation to doomscroll.
97 Listen to the albums you loved as a teenager.
98 Make a friend from a different generation.
Things to do (hopefully in not too distant future):
9 Keep a bird feeder by a window, ideally the kitchen. It’ll pass the time when you’re washing up.
22 Laugh shamelessly at your own jokes.
24 Start a Saturday morning with some classical music – it sets the tone for a calm weekend.
30 Be polite to rude strangers – it’s oddly thrilling.
39 Send postcards from your holidays. Send them even if you’re not on holiday.
52 Say hello to your neighbours.
55 Learn the names of 10 trees.
56 Call an old friend out of the blue.
58 Buy a newspaper. (Ideally this one.)
59 Always have dessert.
61 Make something from scratch. Works best if it’s something you’d normally buy, such as a dress or a bag.
63 Volunteer.
78 Always book an extra day off after a holiday.
83 Join a local litter-picking group.
99 Staying over at a friend’s place? Strip the bed in the morning.
Not applicable:
1 Exercise on a Monday night (nothing fun happens on a Monday night).
5 Consider going down to four days a week. It’s likely a disproportionate amount of your fifth day’s work is taxed anyway, so you’ll lose way less than a fifth of your take-home pay.
7 Plant spring bulbs, even if they’re just in a pot.
10 Always bring ice to house parties (there’s never enough).
11 Get the lighting right: turn off the overhead one, turn on lots of lamps (but turn off when you leave the room).
12 Sharpen your knives.
14 Buy a cheap blender and use it to finely chop onions (it saves on time and tears).
15 Keep your children’s drawings and paintings. Put the best ones in frames.
17 Don’t be weird about how to stack the dishwasher.
19 Take a photo of the tag you are given when leaving your coat in a cloakroom.
20 Can’t sleep? Try a relaxing soak with lavender bath oil before bed.
23 It might sound obvious, but a pint of water before bed after a big night avoids a clanger of a hanger.
26 Set time limits for your apps. Just go to the settings on your smartphone and add a limit – for example, if you have an iPhone turn on Screen Time.
28 Always be willing to miss the next train.
43 If you find an item of clothing you love and are certain you will wear for ever, buy three
48 Buy secondhand.
44 Try taking a cold shower (30 seconds to two minutes) before your hot one. It’s good for your health – both physical and mental.
51 If something in the world is making you angry, write (politely) to your MP – they will read it.
54 Always bring something – wine, flowers – to a dinner/birthday party, even if they say not to.
60 Drop your shoulders.
65 Instead of buying a morning coffee, set up a daily transfer of £2 from a current into a savings account and forget about it. Use it to treat yourself to something different later.
70 Skinny-dip with friends.
77 Rent rather than buy a suit/dress for that forthcoming wedding (even if it’s your own).
81 Learn a TikTok dance (but don’t post it on TikTok).
85 Don’t get a pet/do get a pet.
88 Buy a bike and use it. Learn how to fix it, too.
91 If in doubt, add cheese.
100 For instant cheer, wear yellow.
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