I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here?
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye Using a broom instead of a shovel to clear powdery snow (up to a few cm), especially on rough surfaces like asphalt.
Carrying a multitool/Swiss army knife on my belt. Crazy useful.
A little bigger, but: Getting a used countertop induction cooker for $25 off craigslist. It doesn't fully replace our gas stove, but I do almost all my cooking on it now and it is better in *so* many ways... and I can stash it away when not in use. I even brought it to a hotel so we could cook in our room.
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye
1. A daily pill case, which sounds stupid because they're already so ubiquitous, but I tried for years to make a pill reminder app on my phone be a thing, and there's no contest. Spend $4 on the daily pill container. Do not try to use technology.2. The BIG eyeglasses cleaning cloths. The tiny ones they give you at the optometrist suck. Get the dinner-plate sized ones and never accidentally touch your lenses ever again.
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye When a shirt was too stained or holey for workwear but fine for leisure or under layer, I used to forget the problem and mistakenly wear it later. Now I write the problem on one side of clothespin and shirt colour/shape on other side. Then clip to collar and back into drawer. When shirt is on me or in laundry, clothespin is clipped to box on my dresser. (chest of drawers)
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@mhoye @jimfl Just a guess - at some point you worked in a commercial kitchen or lived with someone who did. For me, it was my brother the chef. It's ine of those ideas that seems simple and brilliant but it's also absolutely necessary for food safety in a commercial setting. "What is this?/how old is this?" are questions that need to be answered in a split-second. Tape and a Sharpie make it easy and training & habit do the rest.
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@mhoye
1. A daily pill case, which sounds stupid because they're already so ubiquitous, but I tried for years to make a pill reminder app on my phone be a thing, and there's no contest. Spend $4 on the daily pill container. Do not try to use technology.2. The BIG eyeglasses cleaning cloths. The tiny ones they give you at the optometrist suck. Get the dinner-plate sized ones and never accidentally touch your lenses ever again.
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye I put a tiny little click-coupler on both of my thin liner gloves, eliminating the annoyance that would crop up every few weeks of discovering I'd grabbed only one of the two gloves on my way out of the house.
edit: oo, and a shoehorn long enough to use while standing up straight. The length makes using it easier after having put on two layers of outerwear, plus gloves.
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye replaced all the buttons on my nice thrifted coat with decorative metal ones
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@mhoye I hung a 3-by-30 inch strip of fabric over the row of holes in my office window blind to keep the sun from shining in my eyes for three minutes every morning
There are a lot of things I'm prouder of, and a lot of things that improved my life more than this or that are more interesting, but you asked for the simplest, cheapest one, and this is it.
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@mhoye It took me embarrassingly long to realize that a stopwatch lap timer is much better than a human attention span at predicting the next smoke alarm low-battery chirp, even if the inter-chirp timing is a little irregular.
(My other opinions: this task is much easier with more technology—stepstool, chunky over-ear headphones, and bisect search for the location. Oh, and don't buy Kidde. Kidde sucks because it's screamier and more prone to false alarms.)
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multiple sets of measuring spoons / measuring cups so that you (almost) always have one the size you need
a back scratcher
a bottle brush to clean the inside of jars and bottles instead of faffing around trying to squeeze your hand in
a good garden knife
a cheap LED flashlight for your grab bag of tools
a seam ripper
plunger caps for bottles of vinegar and olive oil to slow/control the pouring speed
@mhoye @gvwilson (for the cheap LED flashlight, consider an Emisar D2 single-channel with an Eneloop or IKEA LADDA AA cell in it: it's a right angle flashlight with a magnet in the tailcap which makes it very convenient to point at work in a dark, tight space. https://mastodon.social/@gnomon/115761837676418073 / https://mastodon.social/@gnomon/115827794883007741 )
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye When I started using the elastic loops on my big gloves - wintertime life got easier. I can just drop the gloves 🤪 any time I want more dexterity, without worrying about remembering where I put it down.
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@mhoye When I started using the elastic loops on my big gloves - wintertime life got easier. I can just drop the gloves 🤪 any time I want more dexterity, without worrying about remembering where I put it down.
@mhoye Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I can add elastic wrist loops and strings to my nice gloves too
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@mhoye Heated mirror in the bathroom, no more wiping while shaving.
I take stain removing wipes (Shout brand) when travelling, as inevitably I spill something on my trousers/jumper.
Proraso gel stops bleeding within seconds, ideal if you cut your face when shaving.
@drmikepj an Alum block or styptic pencil works wonders. I shave with a double edge safety razor and just run an alum block over my whole face after shaving. It reduces razor burn too.
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
@mhoye
Replace gel handsoap dispensers with foaming dispensers. Then refill them with 4 parts water and 1 part castile soap. -
@mhoye eating some food with a spoon, an I'm not talking about soups, but more like stews and small pasta. If it's already bite sized, spoon.
@mhoye I could go as far as eating sushi with a spoon. Sue me
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@mhoye I replaced a split-ring keyring with a cable keyring. It is much easier to add and remove keys, and the non-rigid nature makes it more comfortable in a pocket.
@edebill @mhoye
I got one of those: https://troika.de/en/products/patent-kyr60-mc
Got one bunch for work, one bunch for home, one for my mother's. I take the work key bunch off when the weekend starts, so I don't have to lug it around when it's not needed -
@mhoye Keeping a sharpie and a roll of painter’s tape in the kitchen. Label anything that goes in the freezer (optionally put weights and dates where sensical) or in the fridge after repackaging
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I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here? Lazyweb, a question:
On a whim, I've added zipper pulls to a bunch of my clothes and coats. It's such a small, inexpensive thing but it's an improvement I notice dozens of times a day, especially wearing winter gloves.
So I'm thinking about aggregating marginal gains now, and wondering what other options like this I have. What is the _smallest_ thing - in terms of size, cost, effort, whatever - that has made your life better in some way?
Hiding a car key on the car.
(Hidden so well that mud and possibly a little blood are involved in retrieval.)
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Cuisinart Quick Kettle QK-5C
This is a 0.5 l / 2 cup / pint electric kettle I purchased 10+ years ago. It the current production is the same, it works well and handles minor abuse.
For a single-person-sized teapot, it is fine. If my partner wakes up in time, I use the stovetop kettle and the 1.5 l teapot.
