I threw this up on Metafilter too, but why not here?
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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, 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.
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@dabeaz Say more.
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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 yes! Or clothes pins work great if you have extra from hang dry lanundry
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@mhoye@cosocial.ca charging my phone (alarm) on the other side of the room
makes me get up at the right time way more often -
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 command hooks.
Got a thing that you use often but keeps getting buried? Stick it to the wall.
I do this with my keys so they do t get lost in the counter pile, and I’m less likely to forget them on my way out the door if they’re at eye level where I walk past
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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 I’m partial to IKEA’s “Bevara” clips for this purpose. Unlike most options, they survive being washed in the dishwasher without issue.
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@mhthaung Having a roll of velcro strip is great, particularly having a yard of it in the travel bag.
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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.
i use binder clips too lol
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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?
carrying a handkerchief.
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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 wonder if you'd enjoy Practical Betterments, a repository of such ideas https://practicalbetterments.com/
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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 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.
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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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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
@gvwilson @mhoye yeah, brushes if you wash (some) dished by hand.
A small dish or more specific thing for posing the spoons et al you're using to cook.
Having toilet paper stored in the bathroom (I didn't have it when I was a kid). Also, cleaning stuff close to dirty stuff for opportunistic cleaning, even if it means several instances of the same thing. The liquid to clean the toilet is ON the toilet, the brush on is side, the sponge not far.
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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 Stainless steel kitchen containers.
Cleanup is easy, contents don't spoil nearly as fast compared to plastic-only containers, and every part is replaceable. Flour, sugar, baking soda, all the core components sit comfortably inside.
Like, stainless steel *everything* in the kitchen is also good. Pans, tongs, measuring spoons, jiggers, etc. So many places sell cheap plastic crap that's a PITA to maintain, that the extra dollar or two makes a world of difference every day.
Same with a bag of clothespins, kind of like your binder clip suggestion but less effective.
Outside the kitchen? A power screwdriver. Just...why, *why* did I not buy this sooner? *Why* did I hate my hands so much, for so long?
A roll of tac-tape is also a godsend for securing all the things (cables, bundles, books, etc). It's everywhere, but I'm still on my first roll ever because it's infinitely reusable.
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@amenonsen @mjd @gvwilson that doesn’t sound small or cheap but I have to admit the idea is compelling
@mhoye @mjd @gvwilson I figured there must be a low-tech version that's just a giant bottle brush on a post, and there is! But then…
https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005004596638461.html
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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 saw a keyring made with a wire nut once and I've been copying that.
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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 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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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.
