5 Little Life Hacks To Try This Month

A ridiculously simple pasta recipe, a little trick for remembering to do important tasks, and more!

1. Put a clothespin on your bag/purse/keys to remind you to do important tasks before you leave.

Rachel Miller

I always feel extremely smug/proud when I actually pack my lunch at night...but that feeling quickly subsides when I get to the office and realize that said lunch is still sitting in the fridge at home. So rather writing myself a note every time I have something I need to bring with me, I recently just started sticking a clothespin on my purse as a visual reminder that there's something I need to take care of. (I actually just keep the clothespin in my purse now, so I can use it to remind me to take things home from the office, too.) Simple and easy!

2. Try this incredibly easy lemon pasta recipe.

Julia Gartland / Via food52.com

I initially saved this recipe because the ingredients list is so minimal — butter, angel hair pasta, hot chicken stock, lemon juice, and black pepper — and it only takes 10 minutes (and basically no cooking skills) to make. So on a recent Omg my cupboards are bare haaaalpppp night, I decided to give it a try...and was genuinely surprised by how great it is! It's comfort food at its best, and a great recipe to make during rent week, if you're sick, or if your life is in shambles. (PS If possible, get Better Than Bullion, as the author recommends — it really is the best!)

3. Keep a phone charger in your bathroom.

Rachel Miller / BuzzFeed

I...do not know why it took me this long to do this. I often watch YouTube videos while I get ready for work, and that, combined with morning texts and podcasts, plus a long commute, meant that my battery was drained by the time I got to work. So I just put an extra charger in my bathroom and it's no longer an issue!

4. If you work Monday through Friday, try taking a random Thursday off to get shit done.

Rachel Miller / Via therewm.com

I never feel like there's a great day of the week to do my errands — the stores are so busy on weekends, but not everything can easily be done before and after work (or even on weekends, for that matter). So after thinking about doing this for months, I finally just took a day of PTO on a random Thursday in January and used it to do a bunch of annoying things I'd been putting off. I dropped off dry cleaning; I called customer service about an issue I'd had with a purchase; I went to Target; I got groceries. And...it was great! I was able to get stuff done way quicker than I would on a weekend, and felt so accomplished! I put a recurring event on my calendar to remind me to do it once a month, and I started keeping a list in my journal of things I'll do on my next Thursday off. I just did my February one last week! 😎

5. And make a dedicated morning playlist for days when you kind of hate the world.

Rachel Miller

A couple of months ago, I woke up one day and made the mistake of checking Twitter. The president had just tweeted and basically everyone was screaming at each other and it wasn't even 7 am!!! I was determined to turn my day around, so I decided to blast "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" on repeat and think about the "San Junipero" episode of Black Mirror until I felt better. And it...actually worked! This led me to create an entire playlist of songs that make me feel true, unmitigated joy and hope. I don't listen to it daily — I don't want to dull its magical effects — but it really helps on mornings when I'm struggling.

That's all I got! Have a great month!

Uroshpetrovic / Getty Images

See more:

• 7 Simple And Easy Ways To Have A Good January

• 7 Simple And Easy Ways To Upgrade Your Life In February