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?

Chalkboard for shopping list - wrote down what you need as you remember.

Big 'month to view' chalkboard on kitchen wall, with all appointments, birthdays, etc.

Letter rack for appointment letters etc, in date order.

Daily/weekly To Do List that's lanimated and stuck on kitchen cupboard. Then, if you're ill/away whoever is in charge knows exactly what needs doing, what each animal needs to be fed, etc.

My filing is in colour coded A4 binders, and I file/deal with immediately.

Renter that's what I do, no housework when deadline is looming except for the essentials (quick clean of loo, food prep/dishwasher, one load of washing a day- everything else not essential). However, there is always a day of reckoning in which you do actually have to clean things when they are truly disgusting!

I would rather have a book out though than a clean house and I do think if you can't afford cleaner more than once a week (I don't have one at all) then there is a choice there.

Action bills/ reply slips/school letters as soon as you get them.

Use your dc for domestic tasks as much as possible, eg in our house, dc 8,5,3:

Pairing socks/folding and putting away washing
Tidying
Hoovering
Laying meal items out
Clearing table
Stripping/making beds
Etc etc!!!

urgh housework.

Get The Week magazine. I get this every week and it gives you a round-up/summary of world current affairs in case you don't get time to read the papers or watch the news on TV.

Isn't it more satisfying to clean disgusting things?!

However, with children around, there's always "dead time" whrn you can't be eorking on your work deadline, when chaod busting cleaning/ organisation/ bill-paying can be done, e.g.:

• wiping/dusting the bathroom at bathtime
• swiping and sorting the kitchen in the same manner while food-dawdling is occurring
• eating breakfast standing up while doing lunches/ clearing the counters
• paying bills before anyone is up

-MNing/ reading the news while sitting with an anxious child who needs to go to sleep (so no conversation), but who wants a reassuring presence.

Twitter. It's made a huge difference. Follow the right combo of accounts and a five minute check in the morning will give you a round up of news headlines, travel, things happening locally etc with a side order of cats and memes.

I tend to only read the news if I click onto links from Twitter now. Regularly see/hear of things before the mainstream media have picked up on them. Good for feeling in the loop and clued up.

Do all your personal admin from work. I even update my CV at work.....

Meal plans. sorry to whoever said its irritating but i get proper jumbled up without - and the slow cooker too.

Please share those accounts EduCated

treadsoftly I would sack you if I caught you doing that

Set all the clocks in the house 5 mins fast. I have turned into a "5 mins late ALWAYS person" to an "On Time Person" almost overnight.

I dictate into my iPhone whilst driving home from work then print it out at home eg: to do lists (for me, for dh and for the housekeeper), meal plans, shopping list I find this saves so much "admin" time when I am at home.

Make exercise a non negotiable. Dc both have new contracts outlining their house hold responsibilities in exchange for pocket money.

Ocado don't deliver here Bastards!!

stratter chuff in letter rack, in date order?

at stillwish dictating lists for housekeeper - is that not the ultimate life hack, along with a chef?

PD argh you not missing much, you'd only be told to get thee self to Aldi after three months of hair raising prices.

Recycle stuff.

andsmile, my Favourite Bar None was, is and always will be Lidl

Key rack in the hall (not visible from front door). A set of house keys on every car key. Sounds simple but has made life sooo much easier for us.

Anyone post as a non-identified female on a male dominated forum? I would love to see the suggestions on a similar thread on there.

My best life hacks coping strategies are

1. coffee machine and 'hot cup' - bought an expensive one on Amazon that doesn't leak (so I can throw it in the same work back as my ipad) and then have hot coffee to drink when I get to work which lasts all morning. No more giving Starbucks money to avoid paying tax on.
2. make friends with people that have normal houses and kids - no one that likes the 'keeping up with' conversations, and no one with perfectly clean or polished houses or lives.

I don't know how you all do it all (children and work outside of home)
Back in the day, early 80's most of us mums locally stayed at home with children and even then we seemed like headless chickens!
This bed making cheat has saved me struggling with the duvet cover every week.
Disclaimer - I don't have any children living at home so only one bed to change regularly......
I love clean bed linen but loathe changing the duvet covers.
So, as we only ever have a one tog summer quilt and a 4 tog winter quilt.....I have machined the quilts inside the duvet covers and wash the lot. Doesn't take too long to dry on the line most of the year.
Bought a couple of extra cheap quilts so if one doesn't try by bedtime I have spares.
Has revolutionized my bed making!
Just hope the extra load doesn't shorten the life of the washing machine.

So a phrase that I've found useful is no - I already have plans ( even if the plan is to sit on the sofa and watch crap tv) - no justification or long winded explanation

At work, in meetings, summing up the actions and who is responsible

Also, if you are the type of person who gets talking on one point in detail, the phrase " taking a step back"

Learning how to search - I cheerfully plagerise by smart googling - I also can search for stuff and get initial info in ten mins which makes me look really smart

Also, know what you bring to the table - what are your strengths (mine include fast accurate good writing, good research skills and ability to talk to tech people ) rather than trying to be everything. If you're the big picture person, identify the detail person to work with - much easier than becoming one.

story that is genius - I wash duvets - im going to do this with the kids smaller ones I too have spares in case of puking.

bookish ooo wish I could wite fast and accurate I really struggle with this for Uni - did you learn this skills, any tips . Also 'no I already have plans' so simple...

Always have get well cards handy, so when people pop round and the house is a tip, they don't judge you cos they think you've been ill.

Betty Crocker cake mix, always an amazing homemade cake with no effort.

Say no. A lot.

Frozen real food along with microwave rice for quick dinners like frozen salmon, green beans and wild rice. Yum.

Dry shampoo.

Love this thread. Definitely going to use A LOT of these.

My time savers are to use Pocket when I see tweets with links to interesting webpages/articles (so you don't waste time reading them there and then but later when you have time).

Also my latest best buy was a Bluetooth hands free kit for the car. £30.00 and it means I can ring my son after leaving for work if I've forgotten to tell him something or am making sure he's up, or ring friends to catch up as I think of it, or return calls I've not had time to do during the day. I honestly love it. And I love it even more now I've read on here you can ask Siri to make notes for you!