9 ms·

Ask HN: What lifehacks actually changed your life?

• cweill 5y ago
  Posting one thing on Twitter every day that I think will be valuable to someone. It's part of showing your work, which is important when building a bootstrapped solopreneur business. I've met clients and valuable connections that way.
  • kossTKR 5y ago
    That's a great one. I remember the 30, 60 or 90 day challenges people did on the internet of the 2000's. Especially in the creative fields; 30 days of html tricks, 60 days of posting a new illustration or 90 days of blogging about some personal health project - always with lots comments in the old blogosphere. It's a great way of getting out of your shell, become used to criticism both positive and negative, connecting with like minded people and get a momentum or habit going. I even distinctly remember a book called micro-habits that was about this concept.
  • akprasad 5y ago
    This is a wonderful one. I'm doing something similar by blogging every day, and the discipline and accountability from it have been really powerful so far. How long have you been writing a tweet a day for?
• black_13 5y ago
• 999900000999 5y ago
  Understanding no one cares about how I live my life . Far from being a bad thing, this means I can just live without constantly worrying about how others might perceive me. As long as your not hurting anyone else , just live. We're here for a very short time. Don't waste it on people who never cared
  • kossTKR 5y ago
    That's a great realisation that especially came to me in my thirties through various crisis happening to people around me and myself. Being there when other people have real challenges makes you realise how small status anxiety really is compared, and how much more meaning there is in just enjoying time with good people instead of skating around on the brittle surface.
  • the_only_law 5y ago
    > Understanding no one cares about how I live my life . I don’t think no one cares. In fact, I think there are many people who care too much. However I agree, that is not something you should worry about. Even if I still struggle with it myself often, it’s been freeing to enjoy myself without putting too much weight in what strangers will think of me.
  • supperburg 5y ago
    I don’t agree with this. I think on an intellectual level almost nobody really cares about that kind of thing. But your body decides to feel bad when you believe others are judging you. You can’t control your body and so I would say that the only rational response is to avoid situations that cause you emotional stress and when your body is making itself experience stress because of the perceived judgement of others, just accept that you can’t change it and try to focus on something else.
  • 0x008 5y ago
    Also realizing that not everyone has anxiety. Yes lots of people do, but some people don’t. It is something you can live without. It’s not impossible.
  • nikolqy 5y ago
• mriet 5y ago
  It's hard to understand the impact that meditation and mindfulness/practiced awareness of your mental state can have on your life before you start doing either regularly. I saw an unbelievable increase in my focus and peace of mind after meditating for 5 minutes everyday - but it took between 2 - 3 months to get there. And I rely on being aware of how I'm feeling (and what I might be projecting) roughly 5-10 times a day. In general, however much I think I'm projecting, I'm probably doing even more than I think I am (often in subtle ways). In short, I base my understanding of others on my understanding of myself. Increasing the former has improved the latter.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• akprasad 5y ago
  - Block most social media, including Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube (!). I can always unblock them if I need to, but having them be "default blocked" means I'm more intentional about when and how I use them. - Do one hour of exercise a day, preferably in the morning. Even if it's a light morning walk. I find it sets a healthy tone for the rest of the day. - Actively reach out to friends and family. Even if it's small updates about my day. - Create something every day. For me it's my blog, and I haven't been at it for long, but it's been powerful for clarifying what I'm thinking about and why. Part of the appeal that each post is low-commitment, i.e. it's not a multi-day saga, so I can be playful with it, e.g. https://arunkprasad.com/log/how-does-ssh-work/ https://arunkprasad.com/log/how-does-ssh-work/
  • amohajerani 5y ago
    I bookmarked your blog so I can read it in free time (I am going to start by reading how SSH works!). Keep up the good work.
    • akprasad 5y ago
      Thank you! Happy to have a reader. The topics meander a bit (as they should, since it's a personal blog), but I hope you find something you enjoy.
• mooreds 5y ago
  Leaving the phone out of the bedroom. Turning off notifications. Exercising daily (or, if I'm honest, trying to). Getting out into the wilderness regularly (even if it is for a short hike).
• vmurthy 5y ago
  1. Intermittent fasting which led to an awareness that my "mood" most days is essentially a function of my body behaving differently to various foods. Strangely, controlling when I eat led to controlling what I eat, too. 2. Breathing exercise (~5 minutes) before going to bed. Generally keeps me really light and energetic the next day. 3. Spending dedicated time with my son. Can't describe this but generally makes me appreciate things better.
  • vagrantJin 5y ago
    > my "mood" most days is essentially a function of my body behaving differently to various foods. Funny thing is our elders and forebears knew this but it is completely lost on the most people these days. My grandmother forbade us eating cheese until 10-12 years old. Her reason was that we will become moody and have nightmares at night. She was right ofcourse. Hard to digest foods affect our ability to sleep properly. Is there such a thing as foodhacking?
    • kwertyoowiyop 5y ago
      Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend!
    • vmurthy 5y ago
      > Is there such a thing as foodhacking? There should be! I've noticed that my energy levels / moods are really good the morning after I eat a salad only dinner (I'm a vegetarian anyway but it will surprise you the kind of veg things that can still screw up your health). I wonder what other stuff have such impact..
      • eddyfromtheblok 5y ago
        you may be interested in the documentary "The Gut: Our Second Brain" on MagellanTV / Amazon. they talk about how personalities can change based on the food we eat.
    • rekabis 5y ago
      There is such a thing as food hacking, however it is massively complicated by two issues, in descending order of effects: 1. The makeup of your gut bacteria, which massively influences how your body takes up nutrients and glucose 2. Your genetic makeup, which can influence how you handle nutrients and glucose that you have taken in Essentially, what works for one person can be functionally opposite for another person.
• brudgers 5y ago
  Travel.
• Mountain_Skies 5y ago
  Not exactly a lifehack but I swapped out the plastic casters on my desk chair with a set of polyurethane wheels. Even many high end office chairs come with low quality casters. Replacing them with a nice polyurethane set makes those hundreds of small shifts in body weight we do in the chair each day unnoticeable. And when you need to move more than that, it's completely effortless. No dragging at all.
  • digianarchist 5y ago
    I did this after seeing it recommend by Wes Bos. Great tip. Even the Herman Miller casters aren’t that good.
• naruhodo 5y ago
  Better living through chemistry! My doctor checked my vitamin D levels and they were very low. I started taking the recommended daily intake of 1000 IU. After reading that the analysis setting the RDI for vitamin D was faulty, I went on double the RDI, 2000 IU. That has made a marked improvement in my mood and helped with the stability of my sleep cycle. As a bonus, my vitamin D levels are now spot on, and it offers some protection against the worst effects of COVID-19. Also, I take Vitamin B for focus.
• snaek 5y ago
  The most impactful change in my life ("life hack" if you will) was when I stopped reading/watching/listening to news entirely, and I soon after deactivated my Facebook account. Significantly reduced my stress almost immediately. The truly important news still reach me through friends and colleagues or random chance. The rest, all the useless or depressing stuff is filtered out.
  • leros 5y ago
    Switching to reading a weekly physical paper news source has been really nice. It limits my time reading the news while still allowing me to be up to date on big stories. Plus a physical paper encourages me to read outside my usual areas.
  • 0x008 5y ago
    It is stunning how 100% of all news is just clickbait with doomsday vibes trying to get you to engage. Even the most reputed news outlets.
  • nbst 5y ago
    Ah yes, the "ignorance is bliss" approach.
    • 0x008 5y ago
      According to news the world was constantly going to end from the 70s onwards through today. I don’t think anyone would’ve missed much by ignoring the news.
• sergiotapia 5y ago
  Cutting out dairy from my life. I drank a lot of milk as a kid and teen, and never really had any intolerance. I noticed that when I consume dairy I get slow and bloated, and just generally feel a "-30% debuff" so to speak. I've cut out all dairy and drink almond milk with cereal or protein shakes, and it's made a clear improvement to my health. Give it a month and see what you get back.
  • mkbkn 5y ago
    Ditto. Only difference is that I haven't resorted to any other types of milk like almond or cashew. These days I feel energetic all day and no bloating. The only hard part was to convince my spouse. She thinks milk is some sort of elixir.
• porknubbins 5y ago
  Closest thing to a “hack” which hasn’t actually changed my life but works super well for me was 4-8-7 breathing. Try it when you want to sleep, I rarely get through two or three rounds before drifting off.
  • aitchnyu 5y ago
    I clench my fist and breathe through index finger gap. Its the only way I can do a slow breathing pace. I calm down after a few breaths.
• idanman 5y ago
  Brazilian JiuJitsu. After trying and failing for many years to exercise, this sport keeps me coming back. I feel the difference from before: better posture, strength, and flexibility. I also feel happier.
  • swah 5y ago
    Also just doing something "physical" with other people must feel very "grounding" in these home-office-and-zoom-meeting times? (I regret being nerdy and avoiding soccer because its the easiest "physical play time" that grown ass man have around here)
• veidr 5y ago
  Last year, I started meditating daily (usually only 10-20 minutes, sometimes twice). 3-4 months into the practice, I am still a n00b but have honestly told a couple friends already that this was one of the most life-transformative things I have intentionally done, except maybe for moving to Japan at age 19 (where I ended up mostly sticking, for decades now). I really think YMMV on this one. I personally had one of those personality types (or more accurately, set of personality traits) where meditation probably has relatively major impact. Like, I was never not thinking about stuff. Usually, interesting problems in software engineering, for work or for hobby. But also home upgrades, DIY contraptions, am I doing well as a parent, should I get my kids a pet, how can I learn cooking/photography/piano/video-editing/martial arts/horticulture/etc on top of the stuff I am currently doing, etc. And if I wasn't thinking about something, it felt terrible, like a true waste of time, the most precious resource any of us has! Probably not coincidentally, I fucking HATED meditation whenever I had tried it previously (usually at the behest of some friend who advocated for it). And I initially thought I was "failing" and "couldn't do it". I mean to say, I felt like I couldn't achieve meditation. I was just sitting there, doing nothing, having my usual nonstop thoughts about quasi-random shit. I couldn't "focus on my breath" (the usual beginner object of attention, before moving on to other sensations, thought and feelings, or aspects of the current environment) for more than like 2 seconds, literally. After 3 weeks or so, though, I learned more and realized yeah that is part of it, just keep practicing and you'll get it. And you do still keep getting lost in thought, that's OK and normal, its the practice of noticing those thoughts arising, and returning attention to _____ that is a major part of the point. After a few weeks it is obvious that paying attention (aka "being mindful") is a trainable skill, and practice yields improvement. The TL;DR thing about it, the `n00b gainz` part that I think anybody can get, unless they already naturally have it, is: most of the thoughts you have that feel like "you" aren't, really. They are largely just thoughts. You feel like you are having them, thinking them, but generally that's not the case. Pay close attention and you can see the gap clearly between almost all thoughts that arise and "you". It is then much easier to respond to thoughts and feelings in the way you actually want to, rather than in some reflexive way that is not actually they way you would like to respond. The good thing about meditation is that you can just run your own n=1 experiment and try it. I chose the Waking Up app as my coaching tool (a real human teacher might be better, if you found the right one, but any of the apps will probably work fine I think) because it started with that premise: don't take our word for it, try this yourself and check the result for yourself. I did so, and the results have been pretty subjectively fantastic. I'm more present with my children. I am less reactive to (and therefore significantly less irritated by) dumbasses at work and in general life. And it feels way, way easier to stick to every mundane goal (running every morning before kids wake up, going to bed on time, adhering to my physical trainer's diet, and any and all other shit like that). After doing sitting meditation practice for a few months, I added walking meditation, which is fucking fantastic. This experience has made me want to try fasting, which I have never tried but other people recommend a lot, including in this very thread. Like meditation, it isn't something you have to take anybody's word for. You can just try it yourself, and see what the results are.
• rex_lupi 5y ago
  - A todo list - journaling - practicing smalltalk with strangers - spending time in nature, preferably alone - quietly sitting in a room with eyes closed for 15-20 mins everyday and introspecting and reflecting on Life, Universe and everything (not sure if that can be called proper meditation) - a balanced diet and exercise - Traveling whenever possible - keeping in touch with family/friends and also not ignoring the people who you think are 'not-so-important'. You never know when they will be. -exposing yourself to challenges. (work/physical/psychological/intellectual)
• nicbou 5y ago
  The SelfControl app on MacOS completely and irrevocably blocks domains for a defined period. It lets me use my computer as a tool but makes it incredibly boring to use once my task is complete. For a while it reduced my screen time by a few hours a day. Not having any way to kill time forces me to sit there and actually think about what I want to do. It might get me to leave the house and do exercise, or to work on more rewarding things.
  • gnatman 5y ago
    Just downloaded. I like how once the block has started, there's nothing you can do to remove it until the time it up!
    • nicbou 5y ago
      I didn't dig deep, but this block has been really effective for me. On my phone, I use uBlock to block roughly the same sites (plus many distracting elements on other sites). It's trivial to turn off, but it gives me some time to reconsider.
• tsol 5y ago
  Cold showers. There's a bit of a learning curve, but man is it great. Makes me more focused and awake, I can keep going all day even when I'm tired. At the same time, it also makes me really relaxed-- it's like it turns down the anxious part of my brain. Sleep comes a little easier too, not completely game changing there but there's a definite improvement. The cold is annoying in the beginning but at this point it isn't really even unpleasant honestly. All around amazing tool
  • hshdbdbdkxbxb 5y ago
    Do you shower at night or in the morning?
    • givemeethekeys 5y ago
      Can't speak for OP, but morning cold showers do the following: - at first shock you into being very alert and awake - then after a couple of minutes as your body acclimates, there's a rush of calmness. Overall, you end up feeling calm and alert. No coffee needed =).
    • tsol 5y ago
      Morning. It's nice to have the effect carry with me all day, I feel like it stays with me until I fall asleep for the night. Naps don't seem to ruin it, but a night of sleep will definitely lessen it
• popfastful 5y ago
  I want to use my name to build a brand.but i can't use my name as account to post on facebook,instagram,amazon,whatsapp,so i made some web apps that to build my consistent brand. https://www.alovez.com https://www.alovez.com alternative to facebook. https://www.snapfeel.com https://www.snapfeel.com alternative to instagram. my name as account: https://www.alovez.com/bing https://www.alovez.com/bing https://www.snapfeel.com/bing https://www.snapfeel.com/bing
  • kbrannigan 5y ago
    This is the most forward thinking process i've seen in a long time. I'm glad I got to see this in the wild. I've always thought about creating self hosted apps that replicate social media.
• bemmu 5y ago
  Turning off all phone notifications except for messages from close people. Having several in-progress books I’m reading at once. Didn’t read much before, now about two books a month. Moving from an apartment where my desk had a view of a parking lot, to a house with a river view. Thought it’d be nice only temporarily, but a year later I still feel happier and more motivated. Stopping ambien use. I realized it’s better to sleep when I’m actually sleepy and wake up late rather than wake up early but feel depressed and brain-foggy. Tracking my work hours but not pomodoro-style, but by setting tiny tasks and seeing how fast I can complete them. Aiming low with total time, defining spending 3 hours per day spent in actual deep concentrated work on the most important task a successful day.
• givemeethekeys 5y ago
  I probably have a lower food budget than most while living in a very expensive city. I mostly eat: - Nuts, seeds, vegetables. Some fruit. - Vitamin B12 and D3 supplements. - Water I save money by not needing chronic medication, feel very calm, have no trouble with my bowel movements, eat when I want to, and have lost body fat despite leading a mostly sedentary lifestyle. I also save more time than most in eating this way. I sometimes eat ice cream. When I do this, my heart rate picks up dramatically and makes me feel uncomfortable afterwards. But hey, I love ice cream. ---- Going on walks, and hill climbs with a weighted backpack seems to fix my back pain instantly. ---- I recently learned that I can take all the leftover vegetable ends and skins and boil them to make vegetable broth.
• WHA8m 5y ago
  The first time I see an ad on a YouTube video, I close the app. It's become a habit and I don't spend hours on the platform anymore.
• Pibarra 5y ago
  There are a couple to be honest. 1. Intermittent Fasting. I had gained a lot of weight after an accident. It helped me get back into shape. I was always a very active person. So I never had to watch what I eat but late twenties and my injury forced me to watch I eat. I'd often feel bloated, heavy, and tired. Fasting regularly for at least 18 hours was something I had to work on but it's just second nature to me now. Feel a lot more energetic and light :) 2.Picking hobbies that I'm serious about. I've always been one of those people that would pick up something and drop it after a couple of months after getting that initial sense of achievement. I didn't change this habit right away. Instead, I actively searched for something that would really, really click. Landed on drawing and downhill skating. I've been skating for 2 years straight now and drawing is catching up. I think around 6 months now. Having something you're really passionate about outside of work, man, it's like a different kind of medidation. Especially something as dangerous as downhill skating. I started it as a fat and out of shape, tech guy in his late-twenties. The improvement I could see was what kept me motivated through the scary novice times where I'd get injured frequently. Honestly it was really scary. But now, it's a great outlet where I can get into a hyper-focus state and just exist. Because if you don't do that, you might actually die, haha. 3. Not a hack but something I've noticed in many part of my life is that the more relaxed and loose you are, the more precise you can work. I had learnt this while learning to play the drums back in highschool but never thought about applying this to my daily life. The realization hit when I was learning to draw. But it works in almost anything.
  • tejisant01 5y ago
    This!!Right to the point. The only thing I can add is make use of a habbit track app, as I usually struggle to keep them. Most are simple hobbies I like to do. But one must be carefull not to fill up to much the daily life. A lot of discussion son HN about this.
• 0x008 5y ago
  - spending at least 90 minutes outside every day
• southerntofu 5y ago
  What changed my life? - Question authority, always ; when in doubt, don't work for client/boss - Steal from the rich: take all you can from the supermarkets, and redistribute it - Cook good stuff ; it's good for motivation - Take time away from computers to be human with other humans (i swear i'm not AI), but not just 24h, more like a few weeks - Acknowledge we're all fallible and deserve some slack: prepare for failure so you can build cool things without drama
  • muzani 5y ago
    https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BreadEggsMilkSquick https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BreadEggsMilkSqu...
• nickd2001 5y ago
  Working from home thus ditching commute and having more time to spend with family and doing hobbies
• peruvian 5y ago
  If you have to use Instagram and/or Twitter, a very liberal use of the mute setting.
• Ftuuky 5y ago
  - Uninstalled Twitter and Instagram from the phone - Read everyday before going to bed - Walk outside everyday, catch some sun if possible - Going to bed always at the same time - Moved to a new country, new job, new everything (change of scenery and daily routine)
• jjice 5y ago
  Reduction of social media was a big one for me. When I was a freshman in college, I fell out of Twitter, which I was absolutely addicted to. I use Reddit less as well (and now my subreddits are very limited, mostly just interests where most people are positive). I'd like to reduce my Reddit and YouTube to zero (but leave a little room for HN since I feel like it's much easier to exhaust a single day's content). I notice how much more non-internet free time I have than my peers, and I can only imagine how that would be if I remove the last traces of Reddit and YouTube. I at the point though where I don't know what I'd do to replace that lost time. It's currently being wasted, but I don't know what to replace it with. Seems like I also have a lack of hobbies that needs to be addressed.
• msarrel 5y ago
  I'm not sure this qualifies as a life hack, but it has been really helpful to me. Now that all of my interactions with my co-workers are over zoom, I have adopted a technique where I simply imagine that I'm watching a funny show about a silicon valley startup. So now when other people are arrogant and disrespectful, it's just what the funny head on the TV show on zoom said. There's no one here manipulating and lying, it's just a funny TV show. This has really helped me eliminate those pesky feelings that go along with interaction and just focus on the work.
• andrei_says_ 5y ago
  Speak to a friend or family every day. Aim for honest meaningful deep conversations. Share what I’m struggling with, make space for them to do the same.
• softwaredoug 5y ago
  Focusing more on my inner life over the 'external'/Internet life, with many different life hacks: * Put phone away at night (that random curiosity less important for what I need to process) * Journaling * Mindfulness Lots of others (eating less, exercise, etc), but this is top of mind to me these days :)
• gadders 5y ago
  Strength Training.
• XCSme 5y ago
  Doing the small things ASAP instead of delaying them (eg. putting a plate in the dishwasher, putting my socks where they belong, responding to that email that I had to). Whenever I am in a room I check if there's anything that I can quickly fix/improve in under 30 seconds. Doing all those small things immediately helps train your will power and also reduces the amount of work you have to do later (which gives more spaces for other thoughts).
• hacklikedemons 5y ago
  Hi, these points work well for me: 1. Realize that the picture of good and bad, which we are used to and learn while growing up, doesn't make much sense in real life. What is good and what is bad? Who defines this? Think about it and come to your own conclusions. 2. Learn to read and write in English. It doesn't need to be perfect (look at me) but will open up a whole new world to you, in case you are no native speaker. 3. Learn how to talk to people and strangers. Realize that there are people, which aren't that smart, and others, which are way smarter than you. - Learn to deal with both groups. 4. Learn how to handle your ego and overcome it. 5. Take a cold shower in the morning. Start with warm water, then switch over to cold. Practice until you reach 3 minutes. But don't force the progress. 6. Do 100 push-up during the day. 7. Don't use your mobile phone while you're in the bathroom. 8. No mobile phone in your bedroom. 9. Figure out which time is best for you to drink a cup of coffee. 10. Learn how to efficiency take notes, develop a system and stick to it. I prefer the PARA method combined with Obsidian. 11. Realize that technology and so called 'smart devices' are just tools. You don't really need them and should invest too much time and money into it. 12. Save some money at the beginning of the month as fuck-you-money for hard times. 13. Try to walk at least 5.000 steps per day. Better 10.000 and more. 14. Regularly invest some time in something that is not digital. For me this is spending time with people I love and training martial arts. 15. Try the Wim Hof breathing method. If it works for you, stick to it. 16. Don't read the news. It's a waste of time and energy. I personally only read the economic news. 17. Don't use Twitter to stay up do date. Use accumulated news letters instead. 18. Read books before going to bed. I personally re-read books and take notes. 19. Challenge yourself to try out new things and to learn more. I'm doing this with multiple 30 day challenges during the year. 20. Learn to articulate your thoughts in a clear manner. 21. At the end of they year: write some kind of report or letter to yourself to summarize what happened during the year. 22. Treat others kindly and with respect, even if it's hard sometimes. Most of us are struggling threw life and most of us will feel better and more secure if our counterpart acts friendly and calm. 23. Don't take life too seriously. Just live and be thankful for everything that is good in your life. And one book recommendation for all of you: The Art of the Good Life: Clear Thinking for Business and a Better Life by Rolf Dobelli. The book is very straight to the point, full of great insights and written in short chapters. I hope that helps.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]