Sometimes these Thursday posts are tricky. You know, coming up with three things that sort of go together. Not that I always do that but it’s worth mentioning that it’s generally the goal. This week I have three things that are pretty unrelated except that they are all sort of . . . life hacks. In other words, they are three things I’m currently doing to make my life easier/better/more productive.
- Set some short term seasonal goals. You know Dale and I made a big splashy 19 in 2019 List. I thought about doing one for myself, too, but I had a hard time coming up with things that I knew would carry me through the entire year. Instead, I came up with things I want to do in January/February/March. Things like schedule my annual physical, clean out a couple of cabinets and my closet, and choose new bedding. I’ve got them listed in my journal to remind me to spend some free time each week on this stuff and when April arrives I’ll be ready for new things.
- Delaying the purchase of things on Amazon. I might be a little hooked on the evil giant that is Amazon. It’s just so easy to buy something instantly and have it 2 days if I order it in the next 3 hours and 42 minutes. Ya know? Sometimes it’s stuff I actually need but sometimes it’s impulse purchases that I could do without. So, what I’ve started doing is putting anything I want to purchase in my cart and then walking away. At the end of the week I take another look at that cart and evaluate what’s there. One question I ask myself is – can you remember what you put in your cart? If I can’t remember something it automatically gets removed. If I can remember and if I still feel like it’s important to purchase then I’ll probably go ahead and click that purchase button.
- Stand Up! This is an app that I recently put on my iPhone. It’s used to set a reminder to get up and walk around. I have a very sedentary job and it’s easy for me to get so involved in whatever I’m working on that I’ll just sit for 2 hours or more without getting up. When I sit that long my knees get stiff and it’s just not good anyway. I’ve currently got the app set to remind me every 50 minutes to Stand Up! and walk around. I do a loop through the library, including going up the stairs, and I’m finding it’s good not only for my body but for my head.
Those are my 2019 life hacks! I hope there’s something useful in there for you or that perhaps they sparked an idea for something you can try to make your life better, too.
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Good ideas!
I like your Amazon idea. I’m guilty of doing the same thing, but I need to get out of that habit. Even if I do eventually buy what’s in my cart, I should make a point to wait until there are several things that can ship in one box so I cut down on my carbon footprint from shipping.
I’m glad to know about Stand Up! I definitely keep too focused at the computer.
I like your Amazon plan. We try to be carbon conscious. If I’ve made every reasonable effort to buy local then it sure is nice to know Amazon usually has your back.
Those are all good hacks, Carole! I have been trying to do the same thing with my Amazon cart, because they just make it So. Damn. Easy. to buy all the things. . . And I’m gonna just throw this out there. Maybe you need an Apple Watch. It is relentless about reminding you to stand up every hour. And it also tracks your exercise minutes and calorie burns. (In addition to doing all kinds of other cool things.) Just a thought . . .
XO
Agree on Amazon. But don’t you have to do your part to keep the GDP going? I like the memory hack….I will try that. What’s the get up and walk app? LIke that too.
Never mind on the app…I see the link.
Kym beat me to it, but I am chiming in here with another Apple Watch chorus! It is truly my best motivator every day – for all kinds of things!
Amazon… what on earth did we do before it existed?
My Fitbit buses if I haven’t done 250 steps in any given hour. It helps me from sitting too long too.
I was just thinking that it was about time to figure out what I want to accomplish in the short term, and it’s just the sort of thing the BuJo is good for!
I need to find an app like Stand Up! for Android… a quick glance at available apps didn’t give me quite what I’m looking for, but I’ll try again with different search terms. Thanks for mentioning that!
I remember my mother telling me about Gaylord Nelson (I think that’s who it was… the founder of Earth Day and Senator from Wisconsin) or maybe it was his predecessor William Proxmire (more of a money guy) who never bought anything on impulse. He’d go home & think about it, at least overnight, and determine whether it was worth the time, trouble & money to go back and get it. Alas, he didn’t have it all at his fingertips as we do now. But you’re doing the same thing, essentially, in giving yourself time to think about it. I often do that, too, though often put things in my Wish List — sometimes it’s something I might really *like* to have but don’t necessarily want to buy myself, and the kids really appreciate having a go-to list to give them ideas (everything from $10 books to $1800 camera lenses) (haha! yes, a true wish list).
These are all great ideas Carole – thanks for sharing! I remember decades ago when I ordered a bunch of stuff from catalogues (long, long before Amazon or on-line ordering) I would fill out order forms and then put them in a folder. A week or two later I would re-look at stuff (mainly clothes) and see if they still appealed to me. Nine times out of ten I didn’t order things! I’ve got so many things around the house that I want to do – I think listing out a few of them as short term goals will really help me Kick-Start the process.
I am also an Apple watch person and it does keep you moving! I just put a water app on my watch and phone yesterday to tell me to drink more water. I haven’t quite configured it yet but it did notify me first thing this morning…time to drink! (Oh we could go so many places with that! 🙂 ) And fortunately I am not a frequent Amazon peruser because when I am I love to hit go!
The Amazon idea is SO GOOD. We are guilty of spending way too much on Amazon, and this is a great way to be mindful about it.
I also love the idea of the seasonal goals. I got a little overwhelmed the first few days of January thinking of EVERYTHING I want to do this year. And really, all you have to do is break it down to a little at a time. I think I will also take your advice on this one. 🙂
I love my iWatch for fitness. Watching the number of steps I take grow, tracking my exercise, standing time, and movement in separate rings of achievement has been so good for me. Any devise of app that keeps you moving is a good one! Because I refuse to sign up for Prime I have always used the cart parking method to see if I really want/need something and it works! I think you’ll find the same. ALL three of your hacks are really good ideas! I’m going to use #1 and make a cute page like you did for your 19!
That’s a great Amazon idea. I’m horrible about looking through (and of course, clicking on) the Daily Deals when I get bored with flipping through Facebook & Instagram.
My Fitbit buzzes me every hour if I don’t move enough on my own. I almost (Almost) wish it had a “snooze” feature that shocked me a little if I didn’t get up and move after being buzzed. The buzz is a little too easy to ignore.
Oh–that Amazon idea is perfect! I’ve got to try it. Especially when I wake up in the middle of the night with a “brilliant” idea.
Great ideas, Carole! Ditto-ing the Apple Watch love … it has changed the way I think about “exercise” and truly, getting up every hour is so good for the body and the mind. I make a point of always using the stairs for bathroom breaks – you can imagine how many extra flights I get in every day.
Good ideas that made me think!
Some excellent suggestions, I set my timer on my watch to get up about every 15 minutes. I hear sitting is the new smoking-0.o. I agree with the Amazon ordering. I keep a running list of groceries I need to buy as well as stuff for the house [cleaning supplies and the like]. Once I get a decent list going I try to figure out if it’s cheaper easier for me to go to the store or order. It’s nice to know that you don’t have to drive to a bunch of stores hoping those sometimes hard to find in stock items are not at the store you thought. Good luck on the shorter goal list, that’s how I like to approach projects/goals.