Life "hacks" - ways you secretly stay ahead of the pack?

[tarquinandjocasta]

By this I don't mean those crap Take a Break tips that are going round the internet - use a trouser hanger to hold your recipe book. More like things that you do, that give you a bit of an "edge" no matter how trivial.

I am having a crisis of confidence day - feeling a bit like I'm not good enough.

I'm just wondering if others have secret ways of feeling better about trivial stuff that doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things.

Obviously MN itself is a bit of a secret and a great way of finding stuff out/researching without "letting on" to people in RL….

If I am feeling lazy, I buy plain fairy cakes and ice them myself fancily filling with lemon curd and piling on the buttercream and pass them off - people think I am quite the domestic goddess.
I warm shop bought biscuits in the oven too.

There must be other things that you don't 'fess up to in RL?

Marking place.....I used to be so organised, but just lately it's all started to slip away and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed :/

I am a total failure at this kind of thing, so my one contribution is:

Buy some of those cheapo sticky lint rollers to get fluff off clothes and keep it in your desk drawer. Then when you get to work and realise that you shouldn't have given your cat a goodbye cuddle after putting your black jacket on, you can get your sticky roller out and have a quick de-fluff.

These arent really staying ahead though as in the OP. these are normal things like ' having food to eat' or ' getting a birthday present'

Hardly ground breaking

Ignore the pack and be a lone wolf.

Avoid mass media, it is a giant advert.

Don't buy shite, see above.

Don't eat and drink crap, you will feel crap.

Meditate often, aka sit and do nothing.

Exercise, create things that bring you and others joy.

Howl at the moon.

The night before, plan out what you have to do the next morning, not just lay out clothes, allow an extra 10 minutes, work backwards to when you need to be getting up and out the door. Don't be tempted to fill your extra 10 minutes with last minute jobs.

Leave the house looking unruffled, and if you suddenly find an extra random thing, you have extra time to still glide out to the world. Aiming to arrive early often gives you the feeling and impression of being 'on top of your shit'.

If you get those 'gift time' bags from your makeup/tolieteries brands, they often have miniture mascaras and lipglosses, put one in each handbag/bag you use, along with some mini-deorant (you can get these in the holiday travel sections in boots etc), you can always just make yourself look/smell ok if you've been rushing.

I have found that the following phrase has gained me friends and time.
' Yes sure I will come and help you........ but I am rubbish at it nowhere near as good as you guys.'
I can therefore avoid changing the toner on the copier or anything else I am not going to do and I make the other person feel good about their own advanced skills.

I love the thing about leading everyone to believe you run a menagerie. I can picture myself in future, mopping my brow, and exclaiming "Oh, the pets! the pets!"

Socks and pants are not expensive. I would advise anyone to buy as many as they can possibly afford. That way you are always ahead with washing them and no one is ever left without any.
Ditto school uniforms, especially the top half for primary aged dc. I don't want to be caught out during the week.
After washing swim gear, pe gear, but straight back into bags for next time.
Hooks every where you can put them. Backs of doors at bed room doors etc.
Baskets, tubs etc in every room. It has taken me a few teips to ikea but I now have a space for everything. From xbox gumph to paper clips. Even the crap everyone has at the end of the bench looks good in a basket or metal trough.
Some sort of hook/basket system for school bags/whats needed next day stuff. Get ready the night before.
Manicure kit, nail polish in the car. Do nails when waiting on dc outside swimming/piano etc.
Clean shower when you're in it.
Set alarms on phones for things.
Bulk buy cards & gifts.
Batch cook.
Get dc dressed first thing, right down to shoes. Yes they might get bit of something on top, you can rub it or throw tea towel over them. They get dressed quicker when they are hungry. evil
Use baby wipes to clean car.
Play pick up 10 things with dc before leaving house/going to bed.
NEVER get into habit of allowing tv on in the mornings before school. I have dc brain washed by now, the only task in the morning is getting out the door. (There are 5 of them, I have to be strict a bit)
Buy nice towels and have a set ready to put out for guests.

My SIL laughed our trousers off at a take a break tip around 10 years ago. "Sew jumper arms into a blanket to keep your arms warm while reading ." How we laughed , them cried when JML made a billion pounds from Slankets.

bloody norah

To be fair though, the OP is a tad hazy - rejects Take A Break-type tips and then gives two domestic examples.

A friend of a friend has a good trick for finding out people's names if you've forgotten them - ask them what their name is and when they, mildly affronted, tell you their first name, you say nooo, I know you're Brian, durrr - I meant, what's your surname?? It's just I know so many Brians...(but in a less Bridget Jones' mum manner).

Always keep a spare bday and wedding card in the car, and a mini sellotape dispenser.

Oh jeez really. Is that it then do I Rilly rilly have to just 'do it all the night before' ... Despairs... Just sat down with glass of and buggered if I'm getting up now to do scheduling, slow cooker and bloody uniform. This afternoon has involved cooking for five, getting DSs to and from a Cubs trip, getting hyperactive kids to bed (2 hours - the younger ones all excited after picking up the older one ), dealing with a tantrum, doing essential emails, eating myself and changing cat litter....

Lol LaQueen

I was just thinking how perfect you always sound

I like you even more with the religious typo

I have noticed online sales and other things you do online are often open before their published start time. So tend to check an hour or so before the official start time. Quite often it means I can shop in the sale, book school clubs etc before the rush.

ooh.... my favourite answer to

where is my.....hat/coat/key/left shoe etc etc

I say.....

I'll give you a clue.....................................I haven't got it!

We write things on a dry wipe board as we run out and get more. Rather than having to transfer the list and leave it on the side at home take the list with you, I just snap a photo of it with my phone. Quick and easy and you don't lose the piece of paper.

Dust skirting boards with your socks. Whilst wearing them. I do this during tedious phone conversations, waiting for dinner to cook or whilst playing with DD.

Get up a bit earlier. Give yourself time in the morning to get ready. DH gets up really early and supplies coffee as I dawdle about. DD and I leave the house an hour later than DH but the early start means we can avoid dashing about like mad things; it also means I'm never late for work because I have little 'buffer zones' in my morning - for example, I don't have to be at work til 8.30 but I always try to get DD to nursery (5 minutes from my work) for 8. That way if we have a knicker wetting accident (her) or lose the car keys (me) I will still arrive at work on time and (in theory) unruffled.

I always factor in time to make sure the kitchen is tidy, too. I hate coming home to mess.

These are all brilliant - didn't expect to have so many replies but YES, the
pretending to have pets is the kind of secret I meant.

I do already online shop, meal plan (to some extent, though I could do with more variety) and have reminders on my phone - including one to remind me to start packing up and going to bed as I am terrible at not going to bed but arssing around.

I am RELIGIOUS about having everything ready the night before.

I do hate coming home to mess but am here almost all the time so it is almost always soul destroyingly messy - we have too much stuff.

I have had professionals in to deep clean. I don't rate the ones I've had in the past - I am time poor but I do a better job than professional cleaners on almost everything except my shower doors.

TEENANDTWEEN yours in particular the reading the Year above newsletter is what I was talking about! Useful: not everyone thinks to do it but it is helpful.

Things like knowing when the DC can start doing e.g. extra curricular activities at which age so you can research and get them on the sodding waiting list.

Siri is a godsend, I used to constantly wander about thinking of things to be done/bought etc usually when driving so hard to make a note. Now I tell Siri to note it and then when I go shopping Siri brings up my notes so I never forget anything. When I have a moment at home I get my Siri notes to check if I need to do anything. My life is so much easier.

I use the Next Buses app. Gives real time running data for all buses in the UK and I no longer waste time waiting for them according to timetables. I leave home and work according to when it says the next bus is due and how many minutes it takes me to walk to the stop to catch the bus I need. Probably one of my most used and reliable apps.

Twitter can be a great timewaster but I find it incredibly useful for info on train delays/cancellations etc as I travel a lot with work. The info is usually posted there before it makes it on the boards at the station or the websites. It has saved me from many a horrendously delayed journey. My DP drives hundreds of miles a week each week and always checks the traffic alert Twitter accounts before he sets off. Again it has saved him from hours of traffic jams.

Buying work clothes that don't need ironing. I have a load of Firetrap, Fat Face and Next dresses and tunics that dry perfectly on hangers that I wear with leggings, tights or trousers (non iron of course) for work. The hours that saves me! I used to spend ages ironing cotton blouses and the like. It might cost a bit more but it's worth it. DP has corporate clothing that never needs ironing and DS sorts himself out.

KenDodd that made me laugh. But aren't Slankets just full length dressing gowns worn back to front?