What do you swear by?
What do you swear by?
Brand, thing, behavior, method, advice, mantra, etc.
I swear by Blackwing pencils.
Also, the 'two minute rule', which has really improved my life: "if it takes two minutes or less to do, just do it now; if it takes longer, schedule it." I've got untreated attention issues and it's very easy for me to notice something needing done, and overlook or procrastinate it because it seems inconvenient in the moment. Having a totally painless rule that forces me to acknowledge that thing I should pick up, that trash bag I should change, etc, or, to at least put on my calendar anything I mustn't forget in the long run has been great for me.
uBlock Origin forever and always. I've recently reinstalled Windows within the last 30 days and thus have a fresh installation of my browser and uBlock Origin – I have already blocked 609,521 ads, wild.
https://ublockorigin.com/ (Platform links at the bottom)
Learn to be curious. Don’t know that word, define it. Never heard of that person. Wikipedia. Ever wonder how a combustion engine works. Look it up. I grew up when I had to write things down and go the library. We live in an age of wonder with unlimited knowledge at your fingertips. There is no excuse for ignorance today. You’re just being indolent. Learn to be curious 🧐
Also. Admit when you are wrong and apologize.
Obligatory "get a bidet" answer
"You are under no obligation to be the same person you were 5 minutes ago" - Alan Watts
This one is a bit hard-won for me. You see I used to be an asshole. It was my brand. I thought "it's just in my nature".
Fortunately, I was also a student of religion (mostly because I was a militant atheist. Know your enemy and all that). Studying Buddhism, I began to observe the nature of self. I found enough distance from it to see its transient nature.
I realized being an asshole was a choice and I could just as easily choose otherwise. Soon I began to discover this was true of most character traits.
I'm not saying you don't have consistent patterns of behavior. I'll hopefully always be curious and analytical. But for the most part, the way you conduct yourself and where you focus your attention is a choice.
So, if you're not happy with who you are maybe don't be so attached to the idea of 'who you are". And if that seems hard, observe what you pay your attention to and try to find the distance between observation and behavior. In that gap lies the choice you make, consciously or not, to be "you".
Try leave everyone and everything better than you find it.
If you wouldn't take advice from someone, then don't accept their criticism.
A few years ago I read a post about self improvement where someone wrote about the concept of no-zero-days to form habits. It basically means you just need to do something meaningful every day to make it count, even if it's something very small. Read one page in a book - no zero day, do 10k steps - no zero day..
Of all the things I read and tried in the past to change my behavior, get more active, learn new things etc, this by far worked the best for me and basically changed my life.
Right now I have 18 different habits I'm tracking on my phone. Things like reading, learning Spanish, doing chores, solving a puzzle on lichess, taking a cold shower, learning something about world affairs/history, taking care of my finances, meditating etc..
I don't need to do all of them, one is enough. But because they require so little effort I quickly started to do more and developed habits I don't need to force myself to do.
Now I have a 1500+ day streak on Duolingo and do 2-5 minutes of Spanish lessons every day. For more than 4 freaking years. This eventually ended up in visiting a language school in Spain last summer. One of my best vacations ever.
I read almost daily and found interest in new genres. I get enough exercise at least a few times a week. I educated myself about finances and now I don't live paycheck to paycheck, paid off my debt and started to save something.
I later read about this concept in the book Atomic Habits and found variations of it in songs like Little Acorns by the White Stripes. In the end it's about breaking things up into small, easy pieces so you don't get overwhelmed or give up before you even start.
If anyone asks me what I swear by it's this. It's like magic.
Don't buy cheap daily use items.
Shoes Mattress Car TV Computer
That doesn't mean buy the most expensive thing. if you rely on this thing to get you through the day, get yourself something of quality. Do your research. Often times, buying the more expensive thing now, can be cheaper in the long run.
Secondly: Use mental health professionals. Go to a therapist, psychologist, or anyone else trained to help people mentally. For years I advocated for my employees to seek help. I built work schedules around their appointments. I could tell that it help or productivity as a team. I did this for years. Finally, this year, I went to see a therapist myself. I've been having depression problems for a while but I never took my own advice. Now, just 4 months later I'm doing way better. Not perfect, but I can tell I've made very good progress.
No-one ever lay on their death bed wishing they'd done more ironing.
On the whole (unless it's necessary for a professional environment) it's a waste of time. I iron nothing, and got rid of my ironing board because it was just getting in the way. I've kept my iron just in case, but last time it was used was about 5 years ago when a friend was staying who needed to iron a shirt for a funeral.
Sugaring.
I'll never understand why people continue to wax when sugar is an option. Wax is heated up to an extreme degree, which is why people can get burned. It sticks to your skin and rips off the top layer, which is why infections are common amd why its so goddamn painful. Wax requires multiple single-use paper strips, which is waistful.
Sugar never gets that hot so you'll never get burned. It only sticks to your hair, not your skin, so infection risk is much lower and it's not nearly as painful. No paper strips required, and only one glob of sugar is used.
Overall, all around, sugaring is far superior to waxing.
Brew your own coffee. I used to drink instant coffee (think nescafe but with lots of sugar) or just buy from coffesshops. Now I just buy the beans I love, grind some and make it the way I want (how strong or milky etc). I no longer have acid reflux from goddamn instant coffee powder and stay fit since I don't put any sugar in it. Also saves some money from buying in coffeeshop everyday.
Zipper cases. These are thin pillowcases that close with a zipper. You then put the normal pillowcase over the zippercase.
Why? Because it extends the life of your pillow. A normal pillowcase can slide while sleeping, etc... which can cause your face, hair, head, body, and all the oil it produces to get on the pillow itself. With the zippercase, you have a second line of defense to keep the pillow fresh.
Sure, you can clean the pillow, or run it through a gentle cycle in the wash, but it is way better to just avoid that. Let the double layer of protection do most of the work and absorb that body oil.
Change case 1 or 2 times weekly, change/wash zippercase weekly. Your pillow will stay fresh and clean and much more pleasant for longer, for a minimal amount of added work of putting that second case on.
Anyway I hope you are sold.
Random list but I am told I am a unpaid ambassador for:
- Vitamix
- Zero inbox for work
- Stoic mindfulness / negative visualizations / Momento Mori
- Birkenstocks , even if they went a bit downhill
- Star Trek
- Chimes peanut butter ginger candy
- Tea…in general
- Merino wool socks
- Lemmy
The problem with the 2 minute rule is when it recurses.
CeraVe unscented lotion punches way above it's class. Cheap enough to use as body lotion, good enough to use as face lotion. Apparently even the unimaginably rich Bryan Johnson, who does nothing but take care of his body and spends thousands a month on it, still uses this drugstore lotion because there really isn't much better at any price.
I have attention issues to and I can spend an entire day bouncing between two minute distractions. A list with three things that need to get done that day is what works for me. Sounds short, you can always do extras after, but having that list makes sure at least three things get done.
Also, iron skillets.
- Don't mess with people
- Don't mess with people's stuff
- Don't poke the bear
Mantra:
- A former coach used to say to us, "If you cut corners in practice, you'll cut corners in games. If you cut corners in games, you'll cut corners in life." It's a good reminder to do things right whenever and wherever you can. Every action you take is training your brain!
Product-wise:
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I swear by Dorset Cereals' muesli lmao. It is such a small thing but I absolutely love all the flavours and recommend them to everyone I know. If I were a different sort of person, I'd be approaching them for a brand deal, what with all the word-of-mouth advertising I do for them 😂
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I also swear by my Blundstones. They're great for walking, they always keep my feet dry in my very moist city, and they have lasted me really well so far.
You cannot pay people or companies to care. Do/Build it yourself whenever possible. And use this rule to fake unnecessarily expensive things like furniture or clothing. In most cases your worst service will still be better than hiring someone or buying a product from a company.
Linux
For a moment I was wondering whether the "two minute rule" was a lower hygiene standard for the acceptable time in which you can eat things after dropping them on the floor.
The only thing I've found in life that I find super helpful or swear by is using dated lists to organise what needs doing in my life.
Compeed Blister Plasters. They are the best and excellent to have on hand after a long walk or breaking in new boots. No other brand or non-name brand comes even close.
Pilot G2 pens. Not expensive and write well, use them at work and not be too upset if s customer walks off with one.
SAS shoes. Made in Texas, hella comfortable. You can’t buy them online, you have to go to a shoe store and get properly fitted. They also fit the saying about not skimping on things that come between you and the ground.
Throw away something I haven't touched in the past 2 years. It's helped me declutter my home.
I paint gaming miniatures, and the only varnish I will use is Testors brand. One pass with high gloss because it's more protective, one pass with "dullcote" because it gives it a matte and neutral finish.
Every other product I've tried has turned out cloudy, frosted, not the finish I want, or even cracked. So at some point I stopped attempting to find an alternative and just only use Testors.
See, they only sell it at one craft store in my area and it's in a locked case so you have to get an employee and there's only like two in the whole store. And it's expensive. So I don't like that hassle, wanted to find something easier to get, but nothing was ever even acceptable. So, it's Testors Dullcote only.
If you booze often, B1 vitamin will make you feel like a relatively normal human. You will still piss out your ass, but strength and endurance gains are still achievable. The only thing holding back this functional alcoholic is sleep. Booze destroys my sleep so I should prob quit, it's aging me.
My motto: if you do what you did, you get what you got.
It mostly serves to remind me (and my public, voluntarily or otherwise) that if you are unhappy with something and want it to change for the better, you'll have to change parameters (i.e. your approach) or you will just get the same result.
A good home cooked meal.
Usually right next to the thing that caused me to cuss.
People are assholes, who greedily eat up kindness and never, ever return it, no matter how much you need it in the moment.
They'll trauma dump on you, and not even listen to a word of your problems.
They'll beg you to help them push their dead car half a mile home, and guffah hard and say they arent your slave if you ask them to pick something up when they'll already on their way to your place.. something important for the favor you're doing for them.
They demand respect, but the second you expect it in turn you are worthless trash.
Its not a matter of if they hurt you, its simply a matter of when.
Batman
On a light note, I'm a slut for Bethesda, atleast I skipped Fallout 76 but I'm gonna preorder Starfield. I was 11 when Skyrim came out and it's very near and dear to me and I love some aspects of Fallout 4. ESO was also not bad and I play Elder Scrolls Legends. I'm seeing this through to the end bois ✌️.
On a serious note, I swear by never drinking alone or without someone I trust as much as my partner. Nothing bad happened to me but I have several negative experiences with drinking in my family. And technically my dad died riding a motorcycle drunk, but I don't think being sober would have saved him from that specific incident.
I just never ever want to be anything close to an alcoholic. I feel like I would get addicted if it was more convenient and didn't taste bad. Fear of addiction is also why I'm wary of gambling.
Zebra F-301 Pink Barrel / Black Ink 0.7mm
I had been using the regular F-301 pen since my early twenties. A year ago, I found a seller on Amazon that was selling the pink barrel / black ink F-301’s for what works out to be $2.10 a piece. My pens tend to go missing from time to time at work, so I bought a bunch.
Worth it.
As far a clothing goes, FIGS Supersoft underscrubs. Having worn plain black T-shirts my whole life and working in healthcare it’s nice being able to wear clothes that make me feel comfortable and kind of not at work, if that makes any sense. Really soft and don’t seem to lose colour! New Balance 574 have always served me well!
I see your blackwings and I raise you my mechanical contestant - the uniball kuru toga. The rotating lead gimmick actually works pretty well and the elite has just such a nice weight to it because the barrel is this nice knurled metal thing (I think the advance upgrade is also metal, but I don't have that one to compare)
Speaking of uniball, while I'm normally a fountain pen adherent, my go to non-fountain pen is the uniball eye. Such a surprisingly nice pen for the price, and while it's not exactly the same, because it's a liquid ink roller ball it's still much nicer to write with because you don't have to apply pressure to make it write.
- Seasonic PSU-s.
- Locally roasted coffee that hasn't sat in some dusty warehouse and on shop shelf for 3 years.
- Sun Tzu's Art of War.
The power of greyskull
Indo me migoreng noodles blue pack on peanut butter toast. It's so good and easy to eat.
Etnies shoes. I will die with a pair of them on my feet. They're the only ones that are comfortable, wear out in more than a few months, look generic enough to pair them with most of my clothes and are reasonably priced.
Underwater Hockey. Actually an amazing sport and I am so glad I found it.
Weber grills and smokers.
Putting new tasks down to get to them later at work when I see something I had not planned on doing. Just make a ticket and throw it in the backlog. It is amazing how those little 5 minute things can eat into the work you said you were going to be doing now.
Also, "the Scotty principle ". Basically always say something will take longer than it will.
Zoflora cleaning products. All the ones like Fabulosa etc are just poor imitations. Zoflora have the best scents and cleaning power.
That, and a scrub daddy with the power paste. I can clean anything with those products.
Gshock
Oil of Olay has an in-shower body lotion/body conditioner that works better than any regular lotion I have ever used. And I've tried them all. You shower normally, rinse, and what I do is turn off the shower and just use my hands to swipe water off myself so I can get better coverage with the lotion. Then I start from my head and work my way down with the lotion. (Doing it this way saves on product too). When I'm done, turn the water back on and rinse off. The stuff is magical. I have to be careful of things I put on my skin due to some sensitivity issues, and I have zero problems with this. It's stupid expensive and nearly impossible to find in stores anymore so I have to get it online, but it's worth it. After a week of not using it, my skin is a flakey, itchy mess.
They have a version with lavendar and retinol in it now as well, but I haven't tried that one. I just use the regular one.
Swearing. It's the fucking best!
Scheisse!
Ditto on the Two-Minute Rule. Getting stuff out of my head in general.
Vent (and especially swear!) to reduce physical pain, but absolutely not to reduce psychic/emotional pain. Venting just makes you hold onto psychic pain longer.
Sodastream. And not the electronic ones.
Your two minute rule is a lot like my rule where if I think of something I just do it now, or never do it at all! I don’t quantify the time it takes which can be problematic but it helps still.
I swear by Mitsubishi 9850 HB pencils. They are incredible.