The Life Hack Lives!! (Issue #13)
This week’s theme is life hacks - tips, tricks, and strategic shortcuts to make life a little easier.
Hi friends!
Before we jump in today, just wanted to give you a heads-up that the P.S. section of today’s newsletter has moved! In case you’re unfamiliar, P.S. is my bonus section exclusively available to paid subscribers, where I share bonus thoughts, reflections, and more vulnerable stories. I’ve decided to expand P.S., and it will now exist as a bonus newsletter!! As a paid subscriber, you’ll get to read this extra issue every Monday. So excited to be able to pop into your inbox twice a week. :)
Remember the peak of the Buzzfeed era? I was in college at the time when my friends would send quizzes, listicles, and (theme incoming…) life hacks to the group chat. I learned a lot, including which Disney princess I am and how to efficiently deep clean my shower, although I remember very little overall. All these years later, with Buzzfeed on the outs and TikTok at the forefront of the media landscape, tips and tricks on how to live better, more efficient, tastier, and cleaner lives continue to dominate the social media landscape.
In fact, they’ve been around for so long that the idea of the “life hack” has become a meme in and of itself, spawning a whole YouTube genre of creators reacting to and recreating the most horrible “hacks” (I made each of these words a link to a different video, so make sure to click through and check out my range of examples, haha). But still, the general appeal of the life hack makes sense to me. Living a full and balanced life is challenging. And many of us are forced to make ends meet without adequate social supports. It makes sense that we’re drawn to quick fixes that promise to help in meeting the demands of modern adulthood. The success of the life hack genre relies on the idea that with one piece of advice, our lives can be magically transformed. And while no life hack can ever deliver entirely on this promise, I do think there’s value in ~some~ of these tips and tricks. So, while I can’t say that anything in this issue will completely transform your life, maybe it can help make things a tinge easier.
A round-up of things to watch, read, and listen to as you head into the weekend.
*Indicates a gift link. I know how frustrating paywalls are! When possible, I’ll try to offer gift links through my subscriptions to support access to high-quality journalism.
Eater: Trader Joe’s Is a Frozen-Foods Fantasyland by Rebecca Flint Marx
I visit Trader Joe’s on a weekly basis and love how many options they have for ready-made food. Their freezer section is especially handy for busy weeks when cooking falls on the back burner (pun intended). While a lot of the options are good, this article rounds up the best TJ’s frozen offerings, so you don’t waste any time with something sub-par.
The Washington Post: We tested five TikTok cleaning hacks. Here’s what worked.* by Kalina Newman
This article is the life hack for cleaning life hacks, with detailed reviews of the best and worst of #CleanTok advice. Newman rates each “hack” for its cleanliness, efficiency, and hackability, consulting with experts to make sure the hacks won’t actually damage your home in the process.
The Washington Post: Don’t try to worry less. Worry smarter.* by Tracy Dennis-Tiwary
I really appreciated Dennis-Tiwary’s deep dive about worry and ways to practically deal with the stress it causes. Integrating research throughout, Dennis-Tiwary examines worry from various angles, using their own experiences with worry to illustrate more abstract concepts. Check it out!
Playlists to add to your music library.
Music to help you focus while working or studying is one of the most fundamental life hacks out there. So here’s a little list of solid standbys that help me dive deep into my work when I’m really trying to get stuff done!!
Things to try + share in the group chat.
Note: Links preceded by an asterisk (*) are affiliate links that allow me to collect a small commission when you purchase something I’ve recommended. That said, I can promise that I’ll only ever share items I truly love. Buying through these links is one way to support me and my small biz. ❤️
This *defrosting tray provides a quick and safe alternative for defrosting meat. Remembering to reserve enough time to properly defrost food for dinner is a challenge, and there’s been many a night where I throw-out my plans to cook in favor of ordering in. But this tray, made of highly-conductive food-safe aluminum promises to defrost your food quickly and evenly!
Ahead of my wedding last month, I asked my maid of honor to put together a slideshow of old photos of Andrew and I from our childhood and throughout our lives. She used this photo scanning app by Photomyne, which allowed her to transfer our physical childhood photos into digital versions. I’ve tried other photo scanning apps in the past, but the quality wasn’t quite as good and the Photomyne version has lots of options to edit the photo to improve the clarity and quality of the scan.
Speaking of scanner apps, I’ve been a loyal user of this document scanner app for years now. This app is best for scanning documents and creates digital versions of physical documents, using a smart scanner to detect the edges and creating the perfect, collated PDFs. It’s a key tool in my business, and also has tons of other daily uses to keep track of and store physical documents in the digital space.
I love these Pad Thai Korat packets for when I want a restaurant quality meal without the effort or cost. They are a fridge clean out meal, as you can add whatever veggies or protein you have on hand. I love experimenting and using the packets as a base, and often tend to veer from the instructions for my own custom creations!
Did you know that there’s a glasses monopoly that makes your frames and lenses unnecessarily expensive? Andrew and I learned about this a few years ago, and it really shocked us at the time. There’s a common misconception that glasses are expensive because of a highly specialized manufacturing process, but that isn’t actually the case. So to combat getting ripped off by what we now refer to as “Big Glasses,” Andrew and I have become die-hard fans of Zenni Optical. You can shop tons of styles online, with most ranging between $15 and $50. They have an online try-on feature, a super easy return process, and suggestions on when to invest in upgrades based on your prescription. The lower cost has allowed us to treat our glasses like an accessory, and it’s really nice to be able to switch out my glasses based on my outfit!
Have I changed your life? Again, that is not my goal, but I hope you did find something useful in today’s special, tips-heavy round up. See you next week!
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