Hacks

Practice makes perfect (or at least better). Unfortunately, some of life’s most important decisions do not come with that many opportunities for practice.

Generally, the higher the stakes, the less often we are able to practice. Most people choose a career path, a spouse, buy houses and cars once or twice a decade, and start a retirement savings plan (hopefully with multiple calibrations and modifications). There is not much room for trial and error as we can hardly rewind the clock and make things undone.

Moreover, we only get feedback on the options we selected, not the ones we rejected.

Do you have lots of time to read lengthy articles including some of my blogs?

Nowadays, less and less of us own that luxury.

So let’s take a shortcut to some valuable life lessons from people who have “been there, done that” long before you.

Why not adopt tried and tested approaches?

Thus, this overlying objective of briefness brings with it the fact that I can not go into details and explain why something works or does not work.

Bath at night or in the morning?	At night – relaxes and assists in falling asleep faster.
Broccoli or spinach?	Broccoli, if you can chose only one; but both are healthy.
Buy something or do something?	Do something – experiences create more happiness than things.
Can drinking tea reduce stress?	Yes, treat it as insurance policy for your health.
Can honey soothe a cough?	Sure, it can.
Clean the windows or the car?	Car – burns more calories and is less accident-prone.
Do babies blink less than adults?	Yes, less than twice a minute vs. adults ten to fifteen times a minute.
Does double-dipping spread germs?	Yes, equivalent to swapping spit with the other guest.
Frowning or smiling all the time?	Frown before making a decision. Increases vigilance of our “Slow Thinking Mode”, resulting in a more logical conclusion overriding intuitive, instinctive and emotional decisions.
Fruit juice or smoothie?	Smoothie – contains more fibre.
Grape juice or red wine?	Health benefits are about the same, with less side-effects from grape juice and one can still drive.
Have sex or go straight to sleep?	Have sex.
How to cure motion sickness?	Eat ginger. Its active component 6-gingerol aids digestion and settles upset stomachs.
How to prevent heartburn?	Chew a gum.
Iced coffee or hot coffee?	Hot! Those drinking iced coffee are unconsciously more likely to see other people as more selfish, less sociable, and colder.
Is hospital care worse on weekends?	No, there is little evidence of that.
Is nose blowing dangerous?	No, as long as you do it the right way: blow one nostril at a time.
Pay by cash or credit card?	Pay by cash – can increase happiness and decrease expenses.
Shop online or in-store?	Shop online – avoids temptations as one is not able to touch the actual object.
Shower or bath?	Shower – good for blood circulation and uses less water.
Sunflower Oil or Olive Oil?	Olive Oil – good all-rounder.
To lose weight eat alone or with others?	Look for a thin colleague to go to lunch with (and don’t finish the food on her plate). The bigger the group, the more one tends to eat.
Use a straw or sip drinks?	Straw – so that sweet and fizzy drinks make less contact with teeth.
What are superfoods?	Broccoli, spinach, beans, blueberries, oats, oranges, wild salmon, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, yogurt, tea, and pumpkins.
What’s the safest seat in a car?	It’s the rear middle seat, despite it being the least popular one.
White or brown sugar?	Doesn’t make any real difference to your health.
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