When you are trying to resolve an issue where someone else made an error, put the focus on the error and not the person. Example of this: Instead of saying, “You didn’t send the attachment,” I say, “The attachment didn’t come through, please try sending it again.”

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Procrastinating? Your brain feels overwhelmed by the task. Tell yourself that you’re going to spend 15 minutes on it and do what you can. You’re far more willing to dive in.

Taking on the whole task feels overwhelming so you don’t start. Tell yourself that you’re not trying to complete it, only that you’ll spend 15 minutes working on it, which feels much more achievable. So you start the task, and usually end up spending more than 15 min on it and realize it’s not as bad as you thought. Even if you don’t finish it, you got over the hump of starting. Next time spend another “15 minutes”.

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Don’t undervalue yourself when deciding whether or not to apply for a new job. It’s up to the person doing the hiring to determine if you are what they’re looking for, and the only way to guarantee that you won’t get the job is if you don’t apply for it.

The job posting is the employer’s wish list, it’s not a checklist.

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If you are the only one trying to maintain a friendship, they aren’t your friend and your time and energy would be better spent somewhere else

If someone is clearly depressed, prefers alone time, or needs your help before something bad happens, this is not the tip for you to follow. Please reach out to that person and let them know you care. I’ve been on that end and it is so reassuring to hear from someone even if you don’t feel like being around anyone.

But if you have friends who you consistently try to make plans with, they decline or take a rain check with a “oh we’ll have to hang out soon” and never get back with you, yet you see them out with other friends all the time, then yes, this is very applicable. You deserve better friends.

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Getting angry with people for making mistakes doesn’t teach them not to make mistakes, it just teaches them to hide them. Highlight the mistake, not the person.

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If you have children and talk to them about danger (which you should), tell them that if someone is ever attempting to take them they should yell “you’re not my mom/dad!” That way, passers-by know it’s not just a kid having a tantrum

My mom taught me this along with having a password if one of her co-workers ever had to pick me up for an emergency or whatever. Once my grandpa came to get me and it wasn’t planned, I asked him the password and he didn’t know what I was talking about. I wouldn’t go with him for 20 minutes until he called my dad and got the password.

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When hanging something with two hooks, use painters tape to get exact markings, and a level on the wall. Hammer in your nails, and peel away the tape

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Learn to do — and enjoy — things by yourself. You’re going to miss out on a lot of fun if you keep waiting for someone else to accompany you

Took up archery for a while. Guess what? I met a bunch of people who were in to archery.

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Buying ice cream? Press on the top of the container, if it’s solid it has been properly stored, if it depresses it has thawed and refrozen

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I put a bubble level on my basic drill so I know when I’m 90 degrees perpendicular to ground when drilling vertically.

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When adopting or purchasing an animal, ask yourself “Will this animal be with me, regardless of my financial, employment, housing or relationship changes?” If the answer is “No”, you are not a suitable owner

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Take photos of your parents doing things they do every day. When you get older, they will bring back memories more than any posed pic ever could.

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When you buy a house, change out the water hoses for the washing machine because you never know when they were replaced last and are one of the most common causes of catastrophic water damage in homes.

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If you’re taking your animal to the vet for an ailment, get video of them coughing, breathing strangely, limping, etc. Animals may not show the ailment at the vet’s office and the video can help the vet diagnose your furry friend

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Inflation is currently ~2% per year. If you are not getting more than that per year as a raise, you are getting a pay cut. If you are not earning more than that in returns on your savings, you are losing money.

If you have a bunch of cash sitting in a savings account making 0.03% interest, you are losing ~2% of your money every year. Invest it, put it in a CD that matches or beats inflation, etc.

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Learn to do and enjoy things by yourself. You’re going to miss out on a lot of fun if you keep waiting for someone else to accompany you

Took up archery for a while. Guess what? I met a bunch of people who were in to archery.

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If you want to divide something among two people (usually kids), you get one person to divide, and the other person gets first pick on which piece they want. Everyone wins and it ensures the person who divides is fair.

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If ever you need a program you want for free (for example a video/photo editor) don’t search for “free”, search for “open source” to avoid limited trial versions, adverts and malware

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Let someone know you’re picking up the tab for a meal AFTER they’ve ordered. This allows a considerate friend to order what s/he wants freely and also prevents a colleague/acquaintance from taking advantage of your generosity

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If you really want to connect with someone, take them for a long, scenic walk. Not being face to face takes some of the pressure off, and the scenery puts you in the right mood to open up.

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Find someone’s locked phone? Turn it in to their carrier. They will locate the owner by serial number. This LPT makes you a bro and returns the phone the fastest way to its owner who really just wants the photos.

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If you borrow money from someone, don’t let it get to the point that he/she has to ask for it back. It sucks for both. If you can’t repay now, show intent by paying what you can and keeping the other person posted often

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Even if measuring milestones and accomplishments is not part of your annual review at work, always keep a personal list with a short summary and dates so you can casually bring it up during those interviews

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Write down great ideas when you get them; do that right away. You think you will never forget them, but you almost always will

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Adopt an adult dog from a shelter if you want a companion but don’t have time/ patience to train a puppy. They are already potty trained in most cases and love you all the same.

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Pack your toiletry bag the night prior to traveling and only use that travel bag when getting ready the morning that begins your travels. This way, you will identify anything you may not have packed the night before and will have time to add it to your toiletry bag before setting off.

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Looking to buy or rent a house in an unfamiliar neighborhood? Find Airbnb there, stay a few nights and walk to the train, grocery stores, etc. Get a better feel of it

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If you get paid bi-weekly, break your installment loans (mortgage, etc) into accelerated bi-weekly payments to save on interest, reduce the length of your loans, and simplify your budget

What’s an accelerated bi-weekly payment?

Let’s take this example:

You just got a $250,000 mortgage at 4%, 30 year fixed. Your monthly payment on the mortgage (not including taxes, etc) would be $1,193.54. If you multiply that by twelve payments, you pay $14,322.88 a year in interest and principle. Divide $14,322.88 by 26, or the number of two week periods in the year, you get $550.86, a number I’ll bring up in a moment.

Now, if you take that $1,193.54 and divide it by two, you get $596.87. If you pay this amount every two weeks you’ll be paying about $46 more every two weeks than if you were to pay semi-monthly (that $550.86 I mentioned above,) and that amounts to an extra full payment of $1,193.54 a year that goes directly to principle. Your total yearly payout is $15,518.62.

What are the results?

Here’s the interest you’d pay over the life of the loan (360 months) with a standard monthly payment of $1,193.54:

$179,673.77

Here’s the interest you’d pay over the life of the loan (now only 310 months) with an accelerated bi-weekly payment:

$151,482.12

Not only are you saving $28,191.64 during the life of the loan, but you are also paying the loan down faster, and will have paid off your house in just under 26 years instead of 30.

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