People Are Sharing The Small Things That Greatly Improved Their Lives, And I Can't Believe I Didn't Think Of These Before
"I added 'I don't know' to my vocabulary. Until I did that, I think I never let anyone teach me, never really listened. Other people are pretty amazing. It's OK if they know things I don't."
In a midday Twitter scroll, I came across a prompt by Twitter user @emilykmay, who asked: "What's a small thing you've done that's greatly improved your life?"
what's a small thing you've done that's greatly improved your life?
— emily (@emilykmay) December 9, 2023
Now, I've consumed a fair amount of self-help information, but from self-help tips to everyday life hacks, a lot of these ideas by the public were genuinely useful. There were quite a few ideas I never heard before, and I will be stealing some to implement into my routine.
Let's get into 'em all:
1.
Started going to the gym, stopped listening to (as much) sad music, and started watching comedies over romantic shows. Not that all these things completely fixed my life, but my moods are more balanced.
— 🎄k e y 🎁 (@heykeyona) December 9, 2023
2.
Every time I start to get stressed i ask myself 5 questions.
— Joshua Treadway (@treadingalong1) December 10, 2023
1. Will I care about this tomorrow?
2. Will I care about this next week?
3. Will I care about this next month?
4. Will I care about this next year?
5. Will I care about this in 5 years?
Saved me a lot of stress.
3.
Stopped judging everyone - myself included.
— Kath (@Kath1213) December 9, 2023
4.
I added "I don't know" to my vocabulary. Until I did that, I think I never let anyone teach me, never really listened. Other people are pretty amazing, it's OK if they know things I don't.
— n/a (@billoftheages) December 9, 2023
5.
I spend about an hour every night lying down w my daughter while she goes to sleep & I used to hate it, wishing I had the time to write. but something just clicked one day: every night could be the last night
— Alicia A-Z, PhD, she/her (@aliciaandrz) December 10, 2023
now, I just pretend every night is the last night I get to sleep w her https://t.co/mux9zibejR
6.
Turned off push notifications for social media. I’m now at a place where I’m engaging with social media, but it is not engaging with me.
— Lexi the Thorns Red Dress Girl™️ (@LexiliciousDef) December 10, 2023
7.
Instead of feeling obligated to clean the whole house at an unreasonable time of day- i just set a timer for 5-15 min. And i just do as much as i can in that time and call it good. It really adds up and makes me clean faster !
— rachel (@chel_00) December 10, 2023
8.
I chose containers in sizes that all mix & match with only two different lid sizes… and tossed or donated *everything* else. It’s not terrifying to open that drawer in my kitchen anymore. And it sounds so silly - but I regret not doing it yearsssss ago.
— Lindsay Wright (@lindsaydot) December 9, 2023
9.
Fold and put away laundry immediately, load by load, as soon as it is dry. It was a hard habit to get into but now it is automatic, it only takes about 7-10 minutes tops, each time, and my life is immensely better. Honestly, it was life-changing.
— KarenKarenBoBaren🌻 (@KayMonRey) December 10, 2023
10.
Coffee pot and smart bulbs in my bedroom. No more loud alarms; we wake up every morning to the light coming on and the coffee percolating. Gentler and makes me highly motivated to get up.
— Betsy Cornelius (@bcornelius79) December 9, 2023
11.
Drink a big glass of water first thing in the morning. Even before coffee
— Andy Ottaway (blue cheque) (@Andy35o) December 9, 2023
12.
Hired someone to clean the entire house every 2 weeks - best investment we’ve ever made. https://t.co/1O5IrKfH1l
— chaos robot 🤖 (@deestiv) December 10, 2023
13.
Starting a list of “home projects” in the notes app on my phone, in which I place a ✅ after each completed task. It ranges from v small (e.g. superglue this decoration back together) to large (e.g. replace light fixtures). I don’t worry about organizing it, just getting it down. https://t.co/dNavH9zmn7
— Laura Norton-Cruz, LMSW (@lauritadianita2) December 10, 2023
14.
Stopped guilt tripping myself about making my bed in the morning. It does not equal productivity.
— Amy Colleen (@sewistwrites) December 9, 2023
15.
Started sleeping with my cell phone in another room.
— Graham Thornton (@thewaynorth) December 10, 2023
16.
Stopped coloring my hair.
— Jess 🌎 (@realJess_V) December 10, 2023
Letting go of that ritual made me realize how much time I was wasting on covering something that makes me happy… a lot of people in this world never get the chance to grow gray hair, and I’m glad to experience it ☺️👩🏼🦳
And lastly:
17.
learning to be alone and loving it. I'm no longer compelled to be in a relationship just so I'm not alone. too high a price to pay. if only people knew.
— Robin S. Willis (@RobinWillis1) December 10, 2023