Making Life Better – Tips, Tricks & Hacks

Life Tips, Tricks & Hacks (volume 1)

It’s been on my mind for a while to share some little things with you that don’t really work for a full blown post on their own, but that hopefully, in some way, help you as they have helped me.  So here is the first, in what I hope will be a long-running, recurring series.  I haven’t decided how often to write these.  For now I’m keeping a list of tips, tricks and hacks to share with you when I have enough of them.  Let me know in the comments if any of these inspire you and thank you so much, as always, for reading my scribbles.

Let It Go – Happy Life Tricks

Do you have a huge list of projects you want to get done? Repair the Valentine wreath, recover the bench, review your will – that’s just three of mine. There are some things we want to do that we need to just let go either permanently or temporarily. It can be hard to LET IT GO. I think I have found an answer that works for me. It’s my “Someday / Maybe” list.

In his book, Getting Things Done, David Allen prescribes getting everything you think you need to do into a list. (I use Evernote). As mentioned in previous posts, this helps clear your mind. When I think of anything that needs to be done or see something I really want to do on Pinterest, I just add it to my “Someday / Maybe list” Then I go through the list and decide which thing(s) I’m ready to move to my actual to do list.

Here is the really important part, it can stay on my “Someday / Maybe” list as long as it fits my goals and values. Once it no longer fits, I let it go. While it frees your mind to have the list, it frees your list to delete what no longer fits. Let me know if you try it!

Limitless – Productivity Hacks

I know your favorite thing in the world is to do laundry, right? Probably not, it’s definitely not my fav and it seems to be LIMITLESS! If I don’t like doing something, I search even harder to find ways to do it faster and more efficiently. Here is one of my laundry productivity hacks for you. Lingerie bags are not just for lingerie. One of the worst laundry tasks, IMHO, is mating the socks, especially if there is a lost sock. I keep a lingerie bag by our laundry hamper just for socks. When it’s time to wash, I just zip the bag and drop it in the washer with the rest of the load. Once the load comes out of the dryer, all the socks are together and mating them is super easy.

BONUS:  Buy a different color lingerie bag for each person in your household and have them use for their socks only – then have them mate them.

24 Hours – Time Saving Tips

This time saving tip is something I started a few years ago and when I did I was kicking myself for not thinking of it earlier! Instead of dusting glass candle holders by hand or scrubbing the soap scum off of those pretty soap dishes on your bathroom sink, just pop them into the dishwasher. If the dishwasher is not quite full I search the house for something other than dishes that needs a good cleaning.

They come out shiny every every time. Also try it with toothbrush holders, shower caddy, the laundry detergent scoop, the scoops from your flour / sugar canisters, anything glass, decorative containers, pencil jars, etc. Note: NEVER put china in the dishwasher. The high heat is not good for it.

Million Dollar Baby – Money Hacks

I have to say, one of my favorite money hacks is the app, ShopKicks. Every time I go to Target, Walmart, Kroger and several other stores I get kicks. Once those kicks reach a certain level I turn those kicks into gift cards. You can also scan items while in the store and scan your receipts to get even more kicks. I don’t always go to that much trouble. The easiest thing is just to have the app open when you walk into a participating store and hear that sweet sound of kicks arriving in your account. Once you convert the kicks to gift cards, just show the cashier the barcode on your phone and let the savings roll. It’s so simple. (If you join using this LINK, I will get extra kicks for the first two weeks you earn kicks)

The Secret – Positivity Tricks

I went through a major and unexpected life change a little over a week ago. It was one of those things that was both freeing and could easily bring fear, if I chose to allow it. I am so blessed that my mom taught me THE SECRET power of thinking positive. Add to that being a Christian, who has complete faith that God knows what I need before I need it and is working for my best, and you’ve got a perfect miracle about to happen. When this life change first happened and in the first few days after it, I had to struggle to keep my focus on what will be instead of what has been.

Honestly, my first instinct was to go to bed and never get up again. A little dramatic, I know. Instead, I surrounded myself with positive words, bible verses, prayer, and meditation. I also made a point of only telling a select few and letting them know I needed their prayers but I did not really want to talk about it. I knew talking about it would lead to me being negative. Things are working out and I can see God is making things happen. I truly believe that if I had dove into the pit of negativity I’d still be in bed today.

The Social Network – Social Hacks

One of my Facebook friends posted today that she had been having trouble with lots of stranger friend requests who were also asking her if she was interested in a date with them. That weirdness aside, the problem was her security settings. Facebook and other social media platforms are constantly changing things. Add to your monthly or quarterly to do list to check your social media privacy and security settings. If you are receiving strange requests it might be time to check yours.  Here is how:

1. On Facebook
2. Click the down arrow to the right of the circle with the question mark.
3. On the left you will see a menu. The first option is General, the second option is Security. I suggest you review the options in Security, Privacy, Timeline and Tagging, and Blocking.

BONUS: If you are too distracted by Facebook or just want to cut back, also visit the Notifications section and adjust those settings so you receive fewer or no notifications. You don’t miss what you don’t know you are missing, right???

I hope you enjoyed this first roundup of some of my favorite tips, tricks and hacks. My wish is that in some way at least one of them inspires you to make a little change that will benefit you and those around you. I truly want whats best for you! Speaking of that if you have a tip you want to share or something you need help streamlining, leave a comment and we can work together on it!

Blessings,

Lauree

…keep dancing the dream

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