Here are this week’s Life Pro Tips.
1. Don’t get overwhelmed by perfection or nice-looking but arbitrary figures when shooting for goals. Do 17 pushups, save $138.93, read 1/3 of a chapter, but keep moving.
When approaching tasks, errands, projects, etc., somehow, my instinct is to throw the thought of doing it all out the window, rather than do what’s possible or even just easy. The thought of not having time to completely clean my room may deter me from making my bed, which would go a long way to make the room clean, inspiring me to actually finish it.
I have been trying to get back into the gym regularly too. When I do make the trip, especially if I haven’t been in a while and my usual reps are hard to achieve to the point of not achieving my initial goal, I can still say to myself “Dammit, I went”.
That may sound a little pathetic and be content with mediocrity, but it’s usually a step in the right direction far enough that I’ll want to go the next day too.
I’ve been putting away $75 a week for a few months. Times are tough right now, but instead of saying “Eh, I just won’t invest this week” I’ll put $25 away, even though it’s less. The value might change but the mindset does not.
As dumb as it sounds, I say to myself “Something is something, and nothing is nothing.”
Because truly, doing something incompletely, is better than doing completely nothing.
2. Money that scientific journals charge you to read a paper goes 100% to the Publisher, 0% to the Authors. If you just email the authors to ask for their papers, they are allowed to send them to you for free!
There are a few exceptions, but most will send them to you for free and will be genuinely delighted to do so.
3. Cover all open cameras you have on laptops and phones, especially company property. Never assume they are off and always assume someone is watching.
4. Stop looking for “the one”, that’s a made-up concept to sell romantic novels & movies. A real relationship needs work, commitment, compromise, understanding & willingness to have a two-way trade on every level & meet you halfway.
Always remember that every successful relationship needs to be a two-way trade; you give something you receive something in return, otherwise one side will finally get tired & the whole thing collapses. It doesn’t need to be the same thing or on the same level but there needs to be some balance.
5. Request an extra day off after you return from a trip to avoid jumping straight to work after a vacation.
