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
Reflective tape in the back of my mailbox, so that I can see through the mail-slot whether there's anything inside, without stopping and getting out my keys and opening the box. -
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
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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.
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@mhoye (I do use food storage containers, but those are for ingredient pre-prep and/or frozen.)
@feonixrift @mhoye A big win for me was to go on Aliexpress and buy quart and pint takeout containers in bulk. No mismatched lids, every lid matches every container. No rummaging for the size I need. They all stack, both when empty and when full.
And they're cheap. I won't need to think about it again for years.
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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 Loop's "Engage" ear plugs.
They cut high and low frequencies and allow middle frequencies (ex: voice, music, phone alarm) to come through. The first time I wore them I was amazed: the intended purpose was to cut noise on the street and in public transit. But the effct was: "OMG, I can hear myself *think*!". I hadn't realised how much the noise was stressing and distracting me!
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@mhoye clear cycling glasses.
They make you look like a bit of a knob, but they’re really comfortable for biking when it’s raining or snowing.
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@eigen @mhoye Amazon, sadly. I think I have some 12x12 inch ones, but here's a pack with 16x16 inch cloths. https://www.amazon.ca/MR-SIGA-Premium-Microfiber-Cleaning-Eyeglasses/dp/B0BXWW5TGD
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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?
Two things in relation to cooking and eating:
#1. Starting to do mise-en-place consistently when cooking - getting out all the ingredients, then doing all the prep work (chopping, slicing, some measuring) before I start cooking. Faster and less stressful while cooking.
#2. Cooking enough for 2 or 3 meals of each thing we make on weekends, sometimes more. Most recipes take only a little more time to double. Early dinners after work are now mostly delicious leftovers, maybe a side dish.
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Two things in relation to cooking and eating:
#1. Starting to do mise-en-place consistently when cooking - getting out all the ingredients, then doing all the prep work (chopping, slicing, some measuring) before I start cooking. Faster and less stressful while cooking.
#2. Cooking enough for 2 or 3 meals of each thing we make on weekends, sometimes more. Most recipes take only a little more time to double. Early dinners after work are now mostly delicious leftovers, maybe a side dish.
#2.5. For soups and stews we often extend that to making enough to freeze. This means more variety in our dinners, not less, because we can pull out a batch of pea soup or pot-pie filling a few weeks later when we’re not tired of it.
My wife and I both have significant ADHD (maybe AuDHD) so if we manage this, more people can than not.
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#2.5. For soups and stews we often extend that to making enough to freeze. This means more variety in our dinners, not less, because we can pull out a batch of pea soup or pot-pie filling a few weeks later when we’re not tired of it.
My wife and I both have significant ADHD (maybe AuDHD) so if we manage this, more people can than not.
Another food-related tip:
Bread machine, but just for the “dough” setting. Great for “artisanal” style breads.
I use it as my mixer, and come back 1 & 1/2 hours later to take out the dough, shape it into a loaf or put it in a bread pan and start heating the oven. I’ve been doing this for years now; we almost never eat store-bought bread any more.
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@michaelcoyote @mhoye Twist on 1.: we have like 10 peeler knives, so you never have to wait for the dishwasher or stress about reusing. Peel all the fruit and potatoes, open all the boxes. Cheapest ones are fine.
2.: yeah scissors everywhere: kitchen, bathroom, office, laundry room.I'll never go full on dollar store peelers. I struggled with cheap knives all my childhood until I grew up and bought a good Victronox peeler.
You don't need super expensive knives to be sure, but I'll never go bottom of the bucket on something as important as a knife.
The one I got is still made and currently around 15USD.
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I'll never go full on dollar store peelers. I struggled with cheap knives all my childhood until I grew up and bought a good Victronox peeler.
You don't need super expensive knives to be sure, but I'll never go bottom of the bucket on something as important as a knife.
The one I got is still made and currently around 15USD.
@michaelcoyote @mhoye Totally agree on sharp knife = best knife. We have chef’s knives for proper chopping. But for an apple, cheese derinding (
), or opening a box the bar is lower. Also, I cheated and sharpened some on a whetstone and didn’t factor stone + time into the actual cost 
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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 For every powerboard you have, put sticker labels on the base of each power cord that plugs into it, e.g. "router", "printer", "laptop", "screen". So you never have to trace a cord back to its source to work out what it's for.
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Oh, another one: a jar of binder clips in the kitchen. Don’t bother with ties or big “chip clips” or whatever, just fold the bag over and put the clip on it, cheap and easy.
@mhoye Bag sealer sticks are even better than clips, because they are fully airtight.
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Some of my answers to this include:
- A canning funnel. Cheap, and spill-free pouring stuff into containers is a lot easier.
- Oil all the hinges in the house.
- Get a slow-settling toilet seat, so it never slams down.
Oh yeah, definitely done your #2 and #3 too. Those sloooow toilet seat hinges are great, no more bang when lowering it.
And we've been using the same cheap binder-clip thing in the kitchen for years too.
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@mhoye For every powerboard you have, put sticker labels on the base of each power cord that plugs into it, e.g. "router", "printer", "laptop", "screen". So you never have to trace a cord back to its source to work out what it's for.
An extension of this I eventually picked up:
Put similar sticker labels on *both* ends of each signal cable - video cables, audio, USB, other digital cables - as well as on the power cords.
Now when you have to move your computer or other components around, you know immediately how to put things back together the way you had them working before.
This is even more useful in a work environment or server room.
(Edited to fix autocorrupt garbled text.)
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@michaelcoyote @mhoye Totally agree on sharp knife = best knife. We have chef’s knives for proper chopping. But for an apple, cheese derinding (
), or opening a box the bar is lower. Also, I cheated and sharpened some on a whetstone and didn’t factor stone + time into the actual cost . -
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 An online friend pointed me to the shoelace TED Talk, and now my laces hardly ever come undone, which is small but not trivial, if you’ve ever stepped on your lace and faceplanted.
How to tie your shoes
Terry Moore found out he'd been tying his shoes the wrong way his whole life. In the spirit of TED, he takes the stage to share a better way.
(www.ted.com)
