Best nonsense advice you have ever received?

[Penfoldseyebrows]

We all know about those sage words of wisdom that you should live your life by, but what are the throw away nuggets of knowledge that have made a much bigger impact on your life than you would expect?

I'd like to share mine which may seem blindingly obviouss to some but undid everything I knew about laundry and literature.

1. It's OK if you don't wear matching socks.

Even when I would regularly leave the laundrette run until needimg to wear my knickers inside out was becoming a real possibility, this would never even have occurred to me. I am pleased to have passed this life lesson onto my children.

1. Never waste time reading a bad book.

I felt morally obliged to the author to finish a paperback once I"d started. I would count the numbers of pages left instead of concentrating on the words on the page. After all, if someone can commit months, years or even their life to this little bound document. then surely I could manage a few more hours to finish it. But of course, the truth is that the writer has achieved their goal and the book would be much better passed onto someone else who may appreciate it than it guilt tripping me from my bedside cabinet. I've yet to embrace it though. I still haven't accepted that no matter how many times I try, I just can't get past chapter 5 of Wuthering Heights. I'm halfway through How To Be Both and I know I should apply this rule to it but I just can't bring myself to. Maybe I'll wade through one more chapter...

So what are your small inspiring messages that have improved your life?

St Anthony always delivers.

If you can't lie in go to bed really early.

Buy a window and mirror cloth.

My wonderful, glamorous PhD supervisor told me - at our first official meeting, when other people were being briefed about chapter lengths and research strategies - 'always wear a great coat'.

It is such good advice. In winter, if you have a good full-length coat, no one knows what you are wearing underneath and you never have to think. Total game-changer. I work in a job where I am often a total mess; people tell me I am well-dressed because I throw a good coat on.

She also taught me the skill of managing a wardrobe/organisation malfunction with grace: if you've put someone else out, apologise sincerely and honestly; otherwise, remember it's only a big deal if you make it one. And reciprocally, if someone else has a mix-up, smooth it over if you possibly can.

Don't bite more than you can chew.

Simple but made me think twice about many poor decisions I was going to make

Surely you have to remove the coat though?! Not many of us can spend the whole day working indoors in a school/hospital/shop/office/factory/public building wearing a fabulous coat for the entire day and never taking it off.

Laundry - neat Fairy liquid on a grease spot before popping in machine/hairspray for marker pen stains/bright sunlight for stained whites.

Finishing your plate - why is that last bit better off in you (presuming you don't want it) than in the bin?

Life - you don't have to accept every invitation to an argument

Never listen to any advice here - even mine 😊. I genuinely thought this was a lovely safe space to explore differing opinions. Alas, it’s a very bitter, negative space, filled by vapid individuals. I am deleting my account forthwith. Just reminds me why I do not have any close female friends.

If you are asked for something, for instance
“Will you pop in each day to check on my cat?”
In response say “May I think about that?”
If the person says ‘Of course’ even if they say ‘Could you let me know by Wednesday?’ you have time to consider if this is something you are genuinely happy to do. If they demand an immediate response then say ‘ok, sorry in that case I’d rather not commit’.
Absolutely the best advice for me.

Always trust your gut…

every single time

your subconscious is to be trusted and walking away is always the better option be it’s better to be wrong..

Pick your battles!

Sometimes it's worth giving in just to keep the peace.

But on the issues that mean everything to you, stick to your guns 100%.

Well, neither she nor I works in a school, hospital, shop or office - or a factory - so it was good advice!

I was literally responding to the OP in giving unexpected advice that worked for me. But I guess the point holds that you spend money on the things people will notice.

Some things don't get mended until they break

Told to me when I was burning myself out at work fighting metaphorical fires that no one else seemed to care about despite my best efforts to get them to understand and make changes

A wise colleague told me that sometimes, when all else has failed, you just need to stand back and let it happen.

The MN classic "you don't have to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm" is one I love.

And I will always remember something a grand fromage at one of my old jobs once said: "if you're going to be an arsehole, you'd better be a right arsehole".

Those were my new year resolution and honestly? I use it almost everyday (I have ADHD) and it work.
I will not worry about things that are outside my control
I can't control the needs and wants of others
As soon as I feel anxious I ask myself can I do anything about it?And most of the time the answer is no, since January I feel so much lighter.

Seen on here actually - if someone offers you a cup of tea, always say yes.
I love how it makes me think about other people and socialising (not my best skill).

I love that.

This is what Tara Palmer Tomkinson would say on TV, wear a good designer coat and handbag and the rest of your outfit can be Primark etc.

Doesn’t really apply to me as I don’t wear designer stuff but I still remember her saying it.

That life can turn on a sixpence so make the most of time with friends and family. Make them a priority.

Trust your gut.

It’s an invitation not a summons.

Whatever the event you don’t have to go!!!! Which leads me to the next favourite…

No is a complete sentence!

You do not have to give 100 valid reasons as to why you don’t want to do something…. No (often paired with thank you - or that doesn’t work for me….) is more than enough

You’re exceeding the limits of my medication!

Best said with a cheeky smile but can deliver the message in a humourous way that someone is going too far!

Other truly life changing advice was :

‘Put a toothbrush in every bathroom’

Might sound really ridiculous - but when we got a new toilet and sink put in downstairs, I immediately saw the joy in popping in for a quick wee now rather than traipsing upstairs - but when a 2nd toothbrush was installed in there too - it honestly changed my life!

NB I do have a chronic pain condition and having to navigate stairs fewer times during the day does save me a huge amount of time pain and energy.

NEVER let them BORROW your charger. Let them USE it.

My kids are not allowed to borrow ( as in take my charger from it’s place.) my phone charger. As once it disappears into the pit of doom that are their rooms I will never see it again.

Anyone is welcome to use my phone charger - but only in its designated spot in the kitchen!

Similarly my friend solved the charger problem by getting the whole family iPhones except themself who had an android. Non comparable chargers so theirs was left alone!

Fair enough but I'm now intrigued where you work: you keep your coat on all day but still look smart, so ruling out building sites etc where practicality is the main consideration. PhD would suggest professional level job or academia. Too invested in this 😆.

I agree with the coat thing, in terms of building an unwarranted reputation for 'tremendous style'. Coats are somehow more memorable than a freezingly expensive understated cashmere jumper or tiny solid gold earrings. I've got a couple of really good coats, both bought in the sales at massive discount, possibly because they were a bit too statement-y for most people, and several friends have commented, independently, on my so-called eye for style, and when I've drilled down, it's based entirely on these two coats, and the bargain vintage brooches I always pin on the lapels.

Another seemingly nonsense bit of advice that often holds true is that the thing that you first love most about someone is often the exact thing that'll drive you mad in the end.

My nana had a lot of sayings that I find useful and comforting (I can hear her saying them in my head). My favourite is 'do your best angels can't do better'. I say it to myself sometimes in tough situations where I am not sure I am getting it right and it reassures me that as long as I tried my hardest that's all that anyone could reasonably ask.

She was also a big fan of having clean shoes which I think is similar to the coat advice ie a simple way to look smarter. I have to admit I don't always abide by that one.

Totally. If you have to think twice about doing something it may not be a good idea. And if someone creeps you out there will be a reason for it.