22 Tips That Helped Me Save Time, Money, and Improve My Mental Health in 2022
Money, lifestyle, travel, and self
- Put a hole in the middle of whatever food you microwave for more even heating. Courtesy of having leftovers for lunch pretty much every single workday this year, H/T to Reddit for teaching me this.
- Pay to get time back. My husband and I now pay twice monthly for some truly phenomenal house cleaners.
- Get off social media that makes you angry and go on social media that makes you glad. I moved away from Twitter and towards Tumblr this year.
- Prioritize happy habits over work. I declined a recurring meeting time because I had a conflict. The conflict was that I get coffee with my husband every Friday.
- Keep a list of things people mention throughout the year for gift ideas. I have this for every person in my life and it makes me a 100% better gift giver than whatever random nonsense I panic-buy on December 20th.
- Keep a list of things you’d like but can’t get for whatever reason throughout the year. This makes it easier for others to give you good gifts instead of whatever random nonsense they panic-buy on December 20th.
- Remember that retweets are not activism. Being aware of every single tragedy in the world does not make you a better person unless you do something about it — and nobody has the capacity to do that. Don’t be afraid to unfollow activists on social media if you just find yourself getting frustrated and upset with the world, but not taking action.
- Focus on doing good locally instead. Many big donation centers are exploitative. Sometimes it’s difficult to know how and where your money or donations get used. Plus, you might feel disconnected from the good you do. Give money to unhoused people, volunteer at your nearby shelter or food bank, or get involved with a local politician.
- Freeze bread, celery, and herbs in oil to reduce food waste.
- Try cooking one new meal per month. We found several favorites by branching out from the usual repertoire this year — shoutout to my new top meal, puttanesca.
- Keep meals in the freezer to reduce takeout orders. We stock frozen pizza and frozen leftover portions, and use them when we get home late from traveling/seeing friends/ and don’t feel up to cooking.
- Join groups to get and give free stuff. “Everything Is Free [your city name]”, Freecycle, and “Buy Nothing [your city name]” groups can help you reduce waste and pick up quality items for free.
- Accept that not everyone will like you. This one’s tough but probably the most important on the list. And especially if you don’t particularly care for someone, stop worrying about what they think of you.
- Don’t jump onto new platforms without vetting them first. I’m talking Bitclout (scam), Lensa (exploitative against artists), and Clubhouse (dead?).
- Learn the NATO alphabet. I spent a lot of time on customer service calls with folks for whom English was not their first language, and who had a bad connection. Being able to use and recognize NATO’s alphabet cuts down on misunderstandings.
- Document literally every process. If you go to the doctor’s, write down exactly what they said and what they recommend for next steps, and ensure you keep up to date with that document. If you need to claim insurance, keep a log of dates, times, and names of who you spoke with. Memory is fallible and these companies will take advantage of you if they can.
- Have a travel go bag. This year, I forgot extra masks, eye drops, pain killers, and shampoo on international flights. When I finally made a go bag with all my travel items in it, I stopped forgetting stuff.
- Remember that just because someone has a lot of money doesn’t mean they’re brilliant. Sometimes, they just got lucky. Looking at Elon Musk and A16Z, but this goes for everyone. Being rich is not a virtue in and of itself.
- Don’t apologize to anyone for your niche or cringe interests. If those hobbies make you happy, fuck the noise. Yes, I became hyper-obsessed with Goncharov last month, what of it.
- Being cynical is a lot easier than being genuine. Be aware of people who are constantly on the lookout for scams or hacks or tricks. That kind of life outlook doesn’t make you (or anyone else) happy.
21. Give people second chances. It sounds trite! I know. But you really don’t know what someone else is going through when they treat you in a particular way. It’s almost always worth giving someone a second try.
22. Make friends like you’re in kindergarten. I moved to a new city recently. Going up to acquaintances I liked and asking them if they wanted to be my friend (read: if they wanted to come over for dinner and games next week) was much more effective than waiting for friends to find me.
These were eclectic, but really shaped my year. What’s one tip you learned in 2022?
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