Edit: many sources in this but here is one that just came up - https://www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/science-backed-reasons-you-shouldnt-share-your-goals

The key is consistent practice. 10-20 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week. Following a structured routine or plan helps a lot too. Most skills are just stamina and muscle memory, with a little technique thrown in.

What does "reasonably proficient" mean? Better than average, basically.

With an instrument, it's enough to be able to have a small catalogue of songs you can play for people and they'll be glad you did.

With a sport, it means you'll be good enough to be a steady player on your local amateur team, or in competition to place in the top 50% of people your age.

With any skill, it'll be enough to impress others who don't have that skill.

Just six months. Start today and by Xmas you'll be a whole new person with a whole new skill that you'll never lose.

Maybe it's my age, but six months is no time at all.

YSK, chat and email customer service agents often have response metrics to meet in order to keep their jobs. For example, they may have 2 minutes (or 2 hours or 2 days) to respond to a communication you sent to them, otherwise they are automatically penalized via their metrics. It doesn't hurt them at all if it takes you a long time to respond.

You can use this to your advantage by responding to every message they send, even with only a "thank you" or an "okay".

For example they might say, "I will look into it." If you respond with anything they will have to reply to you within a set time. If you don't respond then they can take their sweet time.

Your reply puts them on the clock to respond, whereas if you don't reply they can take as much time as they want. This keeps them from ignoring your requests for extended timeframes and incentives them to actually work to solve the problem.

Edit: I would like to add, as many have mentioned, that good companies with empowered customer service departments don't need or use metrics like these. So, this tip wouldn't apply to them. Sadly, such companies are becoming more scarce as time goes on.

Context: I work in an office in a semi-private cubicle. People walking past is about the only time people can glance at what you're doing.

It's a fairly relaxed atmosphere, other coworkers who've been here for 15-20 years are doing all manner of things when they're not working on work: looking for new houses, listening to podcasts, etc. I can have headphones in and I have total access to my phone, on my wireless network, not WiFi, but that doesn't really matter honestly.

I want to make better use of my time besides twiddling my thumbs or looking at news articles.

What sorts of things can I do to earn a little supplemental income. I was honestly thinking of trying stock trading, but I know nothing about it so it would be a slow learning process.

It would have to be a drop-in-drop-out kind of activity, something you can put down at a moments notice in case I need to respond to customers/emails, my actual job comes first after all.

I'm not at all concerned with my current income, I make enough to live on comfortably with plenty extra to save and spend on fun, I just want to be more efficient with my time, you know?

PSA: don't bother with "talk to your boss about what other responsibilities you can take on with this extra time to impress them etc." Just don't bother.

Depending on your lifestyle, twice a month may be enough to keep your living space clean enough. This can offload chore burden as well as the resentment burden in many relationships. A cleaning session can run between $80-$150 depending on the size of space. Completely worth it in the long term.

Brushing your teeth for 10 seconds is better than not brushing. Exercising for 5 minutes is better than not exercising. Handing in homework with some wrong answers is better than getting a 0 for not handing anything in. Paying off some of your credit debt reduces the interest you'll accrue if you can't pay it all off. Making a honey sandwich for breakfast is better than not eating. The list goes on and on. If you can't do it right, half-ass it instead. It's better than doing nothing! And sometimes you might look back and realize you accomplished more than you thought you could.

It doesn’t matter how small, simple, complicated, or easy it is. Let me in on your god-tier tips!

Edit: This is literally the first time i’ve posted a question since joining Reddit a year ago and i’m very grateful to everyone who upvoted and commented (and to those who are still commenting!) on this thread.

This was a big help not only for me but also for those who want to improve their lives in any way they can so thanks again everyone! Can’t wait to try as much of them out!

It's really important for me to get as much sleep as possible but i sometimes spend hours trying to make myself even tired at night. any ideas would be very welcome

I think i actually found out how to do it. I put my phone with the alarm on the other side of the room. I taped a note above my bed frame that says "If you're going back to bed, you are going back to sleep". After the whole day of seeing that note and constantly reading it, it really got stuck into my mind. At least in my case, i would always trick myself into "just laying in bed for a minute or two, not actually going to sleep" (but ofc i would just fall asleep again). But, finally, this morning i woke up, got out of bed to stop the alarm and then i automatically started saying to myself "If you're going back to bed, you are going back to sleep If you're going back to bed, you are going back to sleep If you're going back to bed, you are going back to sleep" and just stood there, looking out the window for a few moments, knowing that going back to bed, actually means going back to sleep and just laying in bed doesn't exist. It was just really easy. Can't wait to wake up early in the morning again.

I don't think this is talked about often (for obvious reasons) but it really should

It seems like nowadays people are really into technology and I was wondering if there are free resources that we can learn from to build a new skill. To get better opportunities for a job or advance in your career path.

I know, for many hobbies buying stuff for it is a lot of the fun, but save yourself money, storage space, and regrets by pacing yourself.

This also give you incentive not to just blow all your enthusiasm out right in the beginning so you lose interest before you get good enough for it become a longterm interest.

EDIT: Just to add, I say "relatively cheap" deliberately. Don't necessarily go for complete crap, just don't shoot the moon right away.

I need some tips on how to let out my frustrations in a calm and mature manner

When you’re younger you might feel like constant stress is manageable, but as you get older that can catch up to you in unexpected ways. Like anxiety issues or physiological problems like inflammation. Once that damage is done it’s really hard to undo.

Edit: It has helped me personally to read these comments and know there are other people going through the same thing as I am. I’m sure it’s helped so many other people to read these comments, too. Good luck to everyone who has had a rude awakening to what chronic stress does long term and those who are in recovery. 💜 Thank you.

I’m a very disciplined person in every area of my life besides sleep. I usually stay up til 12:30 because the people in my house do, and I guess it’s some weird FOMO of going to sleep before other people do. And then I wake up between 10-11am. I set my alarm for 8am and then i just keep snoozing it all the way til 10-11. I just feel so comfy and even when I tell myself “you gotta start acting like a normal adult and wake up early” I’m powerless when the morning comes! Im 25 and work at a PM only restaurant which is why I can sleep in late. But I don’t think it’s an attractive quality to sleep late and I love mornings when I actually manage to get up. And I want more time in my day before I go to work!

Any tips on how you started waking up early???

Before you take the time to even take your mower blades off to sharpen them, or replace for the first mow of the season, mow once to go over everything. This includes the sticks you may have missed from falling between the winter months, or mole mounds you didn’t see to push down. Doing that with already dull or bad blades will help your sharpened blades, or new blades last longer throughout summer giving you a fresh cleaner finish.

After developing a horrible habit of checking my phone as soon as i opened my eyes in the morning, I switched to a physical, analog alarm clock and it made all the difference. Especially since i moved it far from my bed so i have to get up to turn it off. How about you guys?

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Edit: Just checked my account today and wow! Thanks for the upvotes and ideas guys!

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I'm currently working on eliminating toxic habits from my life. I've already identified a few, such as procrastination, limiting time on social media, not drinking enough water, and not getting enough sleep. However, there might be other toxic habits/tasks that I haven't yet recognized. I would greatly appreciate your insights and recommendations.

I think a lot of people feel guilty having someone come in and clean their house, like it's hiring a slave.

But cleaning houses is no different than most other jobs people do - we do them because we have the time, experience, and skills other people don't. This is how things work in a state-level society. There is no reason a housecleaner cannot take pride in their work and be professional.

You don't need to get someone every week or even every two weeks to make a big difference.

What helped me get over the hump of feeling ashamed to hire someone one was to be sure to hire people from reputable companies that I know give their employees salaries and benefits. This costs quite a bit more than the person who gets a few bucks under the table, but for me it's worth it. I am also confident I am interacting with a skilled professional. The company I work with has low turnover and great people who like and trust, so I think it's good people.

I know someone getting a few bucks under the table like "needs" the work more, but it just makes me uncomfortable to work that way.

Your device should be able to generate one for you. If not, there are countless QR sites and apps that can do it.

Simply print your GUEST WIFI info, stick on fridge, done!

Like tools, tissues, screwdrivers, etc. What do you guys personally put in your car