What are some life optimization tricks you have discovered?

Pay more attention to your grandparents and parents, learn their common sense so you don't discover "optimizations" and "life hacks" from blogs. You will save time not having to discover things people have known for centuries just by paying attention.

If you're on an iPhone, turn on "Website Settings > Use Reader Automatically" for any Substack site you browse to.

The next time you visit, you won't have to bother dismissing the "plz subscribe to my shitty newsletter" box that Substack forces on you.

If you have the time to do it today, doing so is an investment in having more free time tomorrow, or if tomorrow is busy it is now less stressful.

Keep your lighter in the empty part of your cigarette pack (haven't smoked in nearly a decade, but this logic is applicable elsewhere).

Find pants that fit/look good/are comfortable and buy 15 pairs.

Black clothes/accessories match everything and require less thought.

Know how you value your free time. That you can know when it makes sense pay other people to do things you don't want to do, or which take away from time you'd rather spend on something else. Some examples:

- Cleaning the house (not the easy stuff: do your own dishes!) but bathrooms, windows, deep-cleaning carpets etc...

- Landscaping and gardening

- Grocery delivery or ordering online for pickup

Do you really wanna spend half your weekend on this stuff?

Goes triple when you have kids.

My life optimisation tricks:

1. Do not watch TV. 2. Meditate. 3. Take vitamin D supplement. 4. Only buy black socks (and always have a pair).

Kettlebell swings are an incredibly efficient exercise. I’m in the best shape I’ve been in in years, for 1.5 hours per week in my bedroom with 3 weights and two yoga mats.

I look to monetize all my wasted time as much as possible. So I do those survey for cash or airline points during standup. Extremely low value, but given that I am trapped in standup (worthless to me) and it is too short to do something more valuable, I may as well.

Worth half a business class trip to Europe every year.

Most people have no idea what they are doing. Yes, this does include adults in high-level positions with money and/or influence.

Talk to people. Practice it every day to get good at it. Everything gets a lot easier when you talk to people. You'll be amazed as how easily things get resolved when you call someone and talk issues over (email and messaging don't count as talking).

Keep 12 oz cans of plain sparkling water cold if you are able.

Either way submerging one in ice water and spinning at the 2-minute mark will result in the contents becoming as cold as possible within 5 full minutes.

When you would otherwise consume a decent portion of beer or soda in a single elbow-raise, reach for the canned water instead.

The satisfaction of thirst combined with cooling effect will be quite comparable to either, and healthier to boot.

Caffeine is an appetite suppressant, which makes a pot of coffee a quick and easy low cal breakfast.

I categorize my phone usage (in order of necessity) into information, communication and entertainment. Information would be something like using Maps, but reading news, HN, Reddit, and social media are all considered entertainment. This helps me monitor how much "tech" is stealing my time and attention.

Try everything, don't get addicted to anything.

If you're counting the number of days since you last had it, you haven't truly moved on.

Return everything slightly better than you found it.

If you want something done properly, do it yourself.

Everything has a place. And everything in it's place.

- Most of these are about avoiding mental overhead. So that you have more brain capacity left for the people around you and the task at hand.

I define "optimization" to include "minimization of maximum disaster". So, when you're sitting on a public toilet...

Before you flush, stand up and turn around, in case you have to skedaddle cos of a blockage or something.

And when you stand up, turn around before you pull up your pants, in case your wallet flops out.

Heed these words, and the Gods of Public Lavatories shall be kind to you.

- Do not buy clothes that need ironing

Drink 500ml of water immediately after waking up. A dehydrated brain is not a smart brain.

Maintaining a toto list every morning.

It doesn't matter you do it or not, just the fact of maintaining a todo list is a job itself.

If you're bad at it, and you can reasonably outsource it to a human, software, or a robot, do it.

"- You can turn on the electric kettle while pouring water into it."

Is this optimizing for length? lol.

Majority own appreciating assets. Rent depreciating assets.