Tips and resources for life
Here are tips and resources I mostly discovered during the COVID-19 pandemic that I wish I had sooner in my life. I hope you find some of them useful.
Breathe and move
After listening to Breath and checking out the videos on James Nestor’s website, I started a daily meditation practice incorporating pranayama breathing.
I have tried different workouts over the years. I’m currently liking the FitOn app. I also run a few times a week.
Change your life with a password manager
As someone who gives advice on data security, it took me far too long to get a password manager. It has been a game changer.
In addition to keeping track of my passwords for me, my password manager also helps me keep all of my online accounts organized for the executor of my will.
Channel your inner Marie Kondo
How I adapted the KonMari method to suit my life:
Channel your inner Woodsy Owl, the original zero-waste influencer
My zero-waste tips are available here.
Don’t waste your money on paid ID theft protection or credit monitoring
Get credit freezes and check your credit reports for any unauthorized activities for free instead. There are also free credit monitoring services you can sign up for instead of paying for them.
Electrify your life
Rewiring America has a helpful guide with checklists for homeowners and renters to electrify their homes for comfy, healthy, carbon-free living. Some of the easy, low-cost things I've done are switching my energy supplier to a green power provider and purchasing a portable electric stove that I’ve been using instead of my gas stove.
Get your finances in order
A recap of actions I took to get my own finances in order is available here.
Learn about effective altruism
I donate monthly to The Life You Can Save, which works to alleviate extreme global poverty.
You can get The Life You Can Save book for free as an eBook or audiobook. (I, of course, went with the audiobook.)
Peter Singer makes a compelling case that those with the means to do so have a responsibility to improve the lives of those living in extreme poverty and to do so in effective ways.
Also, if you’re looking for some food for thought about how to best use your career to solve the world’s biggest problems, check out 80,000 Hours.
Listen to audiobooks (and do so at high speed)
By listening to audiobooks while cleaning, cooking, eating, and starting and ending the day, I can get through about eight books in a month.
This is my favorite life hack. It’s like magically adding hours to your day for reading. I also discovered that I can handle listening to audiobooks at 1.5 - 2.75 times the speed, depending on how fast the narrator speaks.
Many audiobooks are free through the public library. Here’s a roundup of paid audiobook services.
When the library doesn’t have an audiobook I want but has the eBook version, I use the screen reader setting on my smartphone to have it read out loud. I also use a free text-to-speech app that reads PDF reports and web pages out loud.
Reduce toxic chemicals in your life
A roundup of resources I have found helpful is available here.
Start your estate and end-of-life planning
A recap of actions I took to start my estate and end-of-life planning is available here.
Stock up on emergency supplies
I have two weeks worth of water and shelf-stable food and have been slowly building up my emergency preparedness supplies for my home and for my bug-out bag, in consultation with The Wirecutter’s two guides (here and here) and The Prepared’s checklists.
Take a look at dental plans
I missed the enrollment period for dental insurance coverage through my employer. At first I was nervous about it the way I might be if I had missed the enrollment period for my health insurance. I started to look at my insurance options but then found Consumer Reports’ story, Think Twice Before Buying Private Dental Insurance.
That’s how I learned about dental savings plans. I shopped around and found a plan that included free check-ups and cleanings. With a promo code, I ended up paying about $100 for my first year.
Breathe and move
After listening to Breath and checking out the videos on James Nestor’s website, I started a daily meditation practice incorporating pranayama breathing.
I have tried different workouts over the years. I’m currently liking the FitOn app. I also run a few times a week.
Change your life with a password manager
As someone who gives advice on data security, it took me far too long to get a password manager. It has been a game changer.
In addition to keeping track of my passwords for me, my password manager also helps me keep all of my online accounts organized for the executor of my will.
Channel your inner Marie Kondo
How I adapted the KonMari method to suit my life:
- I, for the most part, kept the things I use and/or enjoy and donated the rest to Goodwill (you could also gift items to your local Buy Nothing group)
- I try to store similar items together in designated storage spaces of my apartment.
- I try to stand my things upright, including my folded clothes, so I can see all stored items at once in a storage space.
- I arrange my clothes and books (more or less) in order of color by the ROYGBIV color scheme.
Channel your inner Woodsy Owl, the original zero-waste influencer
My zero-waste tips are available here.
Don’t waste your money on paid ID theft protection or credit monitoring
Get credit freezes and check your credit reports for any unauthorized activities for free instead. There are also free credit monitoring services you can sign up for instead of paying for them.
Electrify your life
Rewiring America has a helpful guide with checklists for homeowners and renters to electrify their homes for comfy, healthy, carbon-free living. Some of the easy, low-cost things I've done are switching my energy supplier to a green power provider and purchasing a portable electric stove that I’ve been using instead of my gas stove.
Get your finances in order
A recap of actions I took to get my own finances in order is available here.
Learn about effective altruism
I donate monthly to The Life You Can Save, which works to alleviate extreme global poverty.
You can get The Life You Can Save book for free as an eBook or audiobook. (I, of course, went with the audiobook.)
Peter Singer makes a compelling case that those with the means to do so have a responsibility to improve the lives of those living in extreme poverty and to do so in effective ways.
Also, if you’re looking for some food for thought about how to best use your career to solve the world’s biggest problems, check out 80,000 Hours.
Listen to audiobooks (and do so at high speed)
By listening to audiobooks while cleaning, cooking, eating, and starting and ending the day, I can get through about eight books in a month.
This is my favorite life hack. It’s like magically adding hours to your day for reading. I also discovered that I can handle listening to audiobooks at 1.5 - 2.75 times the speed, depending on how fast the narrator speaks.
Many audiobooks are free through the public library. Here’s a roundup of paid audiobook services.
When the library doesn’t have an audiobook I want but has the eBook version, I use the screen reader setting on my smartphone to have it read out loud. I also use a free text-to-speech app that reads PDF reports and web pages out loud.
Reduce toxic chemicals in your life
A roundup of resources I have found helpful is available here.
Start your estate and end-of-life planning
A recap of actions I took to start my estate and end-of-life planning is available here.
Stock up on emergency supplies
I have two weeks worth of water and shelf-stable food and have been slowly building up my emergency preparedness supplies for my home and for my bug-out bag, in consultation with The Wirecutter’s two guides (here and here) and The Prepared’s checklists.
Take a look at dental plans
I missed the enrollment period for dental insurance coverage through my employer. At first I was nervous about it the way I might be if I had missed the enrollment period for my health insurance. I started to look at my insurance options but then found Consumer Reports’ story, Think Twice Before Buying Private Dental Insurance.
That’s how I learned about dental savings plans. I shopped around and found a plan that included free check-ups and cleanings. With a promo code, I ended up paying about $100 for my first year.