101 Handy Tips | 101 Life Tips
Best Tips and Advice for a Better Life
Get more done, avoid common pitfalls, get out of a jam, save money, get on better with people it's all here in 101 life tips.
It's better to learn from other people's mistakes and failures than through your own. If you've watched those survival programs on Television you'll know people save their lives by remembering tips they've seen or read about . Tips can be life-savers, money-savers, money-earners, heath-improvers, relationship savers there is no end to their utility.
I've made many mistakes, read many tips and advice books I list the best here, you may laugh at some or even disagree but if you've got your own tips lease leave them in the comments section below.
101 Life Tips - If you found just one tip useful!
Some may make you laugh!
- Interviews Skills
You will get better/slicker with each job interview, so diary your important interviews at the end.
- Practice Interviews
Get friends to give you dummy interviews. Do you know someone who runs a business who is used to giving Interviews
- Telephone Callers
A telephone caller will reveal his real purpose with the third item
- Never Drink Alcohol when you are Thirsty : Avoiding Hangovers
Never drink alcoholic drinks when you are thirsty/hungry the alcohol will go straight into your bloodstream. Drink water or a cola.
- Never touch or clean a Camera Lens
Camera lenses are easily scratched, usually it costs too much to replace the lens so you camera is ruined. Camera shops sell special cleaning kits.
- Rehearse People's Name before entering the room
Before a business meeting or a party, go through the names of everyone you will be meeting, this avoids the embarrassment of forgetting people's names.
- Sports Bag/Overnight Bag
You never know when youmight need to stopover, always carry an overnight bag in your car with toiletries etc. A Sports Bag can double as both. Make a list of your minimum requirements.
- Carry a LED or Wind-up Flashlight in your car
An essential part of your car's emergency kit should be flashlights
- Everything must have a place, an exact place
Your possessions must have an exact storage place, not just on the shelf but in exact place on the shelf.
- If you can't find something, tidy up instead
Sometimes you cannot see for looking, try tidying up and you will surely find your mislaid object.
- When drinking alcohol drink a soft drink every now and again
This will stop the alcohol taking over and break its spell on you.
- Emergency cash and coins
Hide a few coins, a few low value dollar bills somewhere slightly awkward in your car. you will be very glad of these one day.
- Never buy cheap tools
Only buy quality tools. They will last you a lifetime. Poor quality tools risk damaging the thing you are trying to repair
- Always eat a good breakfast
If you skip breakfast you will get hungrier as the day proceeds and end up eating more.
- Big Day Out
Forget get your diet on say a wedding day or leaving on vacation day or interview day and have a proper breakfast it may be the only real meal you get. You don't want to start losing energy on an important day out.
- Spelling/Grammar Does Count!
When I'm reading a CV from a job applicant and the spelling is poor, I think a) he may be poorly educated, b) he is careless, c) he can't use or can't be bothered to use a spell-checker whatever the reason I get a very bad impression.
- When checking out of your hotel room
Always go back in check behind doors and in draws you are bound to have left something behind.
- Business: Business Skill Set
Running your own business requires a different skill set to that required to be a successful employee
- The Age of Self Motivation
In the past managers could see exactly how much work you were doing, how many widgets you produced and keep you at it. Today many of us are desk workers if we don't get our work done sooner or later we'll be in trouble but now we have to self-motivate we have to structure own schedules. The trouble is the education system does not yet prepare us for the self-motivated world we have to do train ourselves.
- Knacks
AKA mechanical skills. Lots of day-to-day tasks require knacks from opening packaging to replacing the ink-cartridge in your printer. Never allow yourself to think that it's impossible or that you'll never master it. The http://www.ehow.com/ website is absolutely excellent with step-by-step help YouTube often has a How-to Video.
- Ring Pull Cans
Press down hard on the center pin of the ring-pull and it will lift a little making it easier to pull up.
- Choosing a Life Partner
Probably the single most important factor in determining whether you have a happy life. Take finding and choosing a partner very seriously.
- Choosing a Life Partner
Women generally give this a very high importance in their lives, men generally only realize the importance of this too late.
- Boring/Tedious Task
You have to discover and create a mental game to get yourself through. When bringing in the winter logs I concentrate on splitting the huge heap into two.
- Paper Forms
When filling out a complex form where mistakes are not allowed, get an extra form which you can fill out without paying too much attention to neatness or errors, when you've got all the details filled in as best you can, transcribe the information on to the second form. Keep the first form as a reference.
- Write your Problem Down
Writing down a problem is often enough to help find a solution. There is something about the rigor of having to put your problem into words that helps clarify enough so that you can resolve the problem yourself.
- Morgue Papers Box/File
It is often difficult to decide whether you should throw out a letter, document etc, may be you'll need it. Have a special box or draw which you can use for these papers. When it's full you can review which ones can be thrown out -- the oldest ones. I call my box a paper mill.
- Learn in Your Car
I find I can concentrate better in my car on long and short journeys. I download MP3 files onto a USB stick which I plug into my car radio. Many are How-to Videos from YouTube which I convert to an MP3 via one of the many websites that provide this service.
- Don't go on Vacation with Work Colleagues
Yes you get on great in work but really you don't know them or how they behave in private. Keep work and private life separate.
- Vacation List
Keep a list on your PC of everything you need to remember for your vacation. It is so easy to forget the recharger for your phone or camera, or an item of clothing.
- Scratching a Spot,Bite,Itch
If you scratch these you will make them worse. However if you scratch NEXT to or AROUND the spot your brain will not be able to tell the difference!
- Bullet List before writing a Document
Before writing a letter, essay, article, document or speech bullet list the main points. It will help you clarify your thoughts and help stop you getting halfway through before realizing you going down the wrong track.
- List your Tasks for Tomorrow
Before you finish up at the end of the day jot down a short to do list to start the next day
- Only Buy Black Biros
Nearly all forms specify that you use a black biro (the forms are scanned), play safe only buy black ones not blue.
- Photograph Something you are about to Dismantle
When you are reassembling something you have repaired you may find it hard to remember what it looked like before. Take a few photos beforehand with your cellphone or camera.
- Become More Observant
When you park your car in a strange town, take several references on its location, the street name, distinctive building or shop name.
- Reminders
When your brain reminds you that you should say remember to put your sports bag in your car for tomorrow, you MUST take an action immediately. Best of course is to put the bag in your car, but if that's not possible or convenient, write a Post-It note or put a reminder in your cellphone. Often your brain will only give you one reminder , act on it!
- Camping
Before going camping practice putting up the tent, blowing up the inflatable beds, setting up the equipment in your back garden. It's a lot easier to learn how everything fits together and rectify problems that way than it will be on a dark rainy night when you arrive after a long tiring drive at your campsite.
- Finding a Wasp's Nest
At dusk throw flour over one or more wasps you should then be able to follow their flight back to their nest.
- When you are a Stranger somewhere : don't tell other people
A taxi-driver might casually ask you if it is your first visit to the area, town, country although that might be an innocent question it could also be to find out if he can drive you the long way round, and much worse.
- Don't ever put 'temporarily' something on the roof of your car
Never 'temporarily' put your briefcase etc on the roof of your car it is much to easy to forget it, if you must put it on the hood in front of the steering wheel where you can at least see it if you pull away!
- Traveling and Dehydration
Remember to hydrate (water is best) frequently when traveling by air or otherwise. Dehydration leads to fatigue and poor decision-making.
- Wasting Food
Eating food you don't need is wasting it just as much as throwing it in the bin.
- Volunteering
When helping is unavoidable, volunteer early that way you earn brownie points for not waiting to be asked and secondly you usually get to choose which task you have to do.
- Ask Questions Neutrally
Always ask a question neutrally, ie never imply an answer. eg ask which country is the biggest coffee producer, NOT is Brazil the biggest coffee producer because people who don't know the answer will tend to play safe and simply agree with your suggestion.
- How to be Punctual
Add at least 20 minutes contingency time to any journey. I imagine I will arrive early enough to stop in a coffee shop. If I do this I will never get my coffee but I will be on time.
- New Job
In the first days of a new job try not to tell colleagues how everything the company does or produces is wrong at best they will think you a fool at worse you will make enemies.
- Avoid being the bearer of bad news
Others will gladly volunteer for this job, only do it if it is your direct responsibility. You don't want to associated with the bad event.
- Always reserve a table at a restaurant
Even if it's midweek and you know there will be plenty of space. Reason one , the restaurant will treat you better, they are always anxious that they get business and you took the trouble to book. Reason two : every now and again restaurants do get fully booked. Reason three it helps them to get to know you.
- Help Others Study
Crafty students throughout the ages have learned that if they help fellow students with their studies, essays and problems then that is the best and most interesting way for them to learn the subject as well, it also exposes them to the difficulties of the problem.
- WD 40 is a general purpose cleaner as well
Use WD 40 to remove sticky labels etc. (test the surface first with a tiny amount) apply the WD40 to a cloth rather than the surface directly
- Making Decisions
You have to learn to make the best decision you can using all the information you currently have, usually any decision is better than no decision.
- Reminder: Put your watch/bracelet on the wrong hand
When you have something you urgently need to remember to do put your watch on the wrong hand until you get it done.
- Refusing Alcohol
It is sometimes awkward to refuse an alcoholic drink from say a client even though you know you have more work to do or must drive. A useful white lie is to say you cannot drink alcohol because you are on medication.
- Pay attention when you put something down
Learn to always either put things back in their place or at least to remember where you put it down.
- Always deal with a misunderstanding immediately
When you realize that someone has misinterpreted one of your actions or something you said go to see them immediately and get it resolved. Problems may appear to go away but in fact may fester under the surface.
- Avoid breaking "unimportant" laws or regulations
Don't get into the habit of breaking trivial laws especially when driving, one day you might push your luck or give the police an excuse to stop you and check you over or your car.
- Keyhole Chances
Many life changing opportunities arrive totally by chance all you have to is take advantage of them. How you find a job or meet your life partner. Doesn't mean you don't have to make plans it just means take advantage of life's serendipity.
- Punctuality : The lost 10 minutes
This is the time from when you decide to set off for an appointment to the time you actually set out the door, it is gathering your papers, putting on your coat, telling your colleagues that you leaving, responding to their requests. You must therefore always leave Ten Minutes earlier than you think necessary.
- Kiss: Keep it Simple Stupid
If you can hardly explain to someone what it is you want or want them to do then it is unlikely that they will be able to comply with your wishes. Go back and find a simpler plan.
- Looking Back on Decisions
When looking back you will think why on earth did I make such and such a decision. What you forget is how much you didn't know at the time. It is largely a waste of time to worry or analyse these decisions. You can only take the best decision you can based on the information you available to you.
- Bullet Points
Before writing anything, an essay, a report or a letter, write down your bullet points, don't just start writing or you'll end up doing too many corrections.
- Keep your Gas Tank Nearly Full
When you are traveling late at night or are in a region you don't know well or it is off the beaten track or there is bad weather keep your gas tank near full.
- Working Extra Hours
When there is a big panic at work, or a rush order don't insist on leaving at the normal end of your working day unless of course you've got something unavoidable like picking up your kids.
- Be very careful what you put in emails
Many people have lost their jobs because of a "joke remark" they have put into an email that has accidentally gone to the wrong people. Remember emails tend to last forever and that what you might think is funny can be offensive to many. Just never do it, even to a friend.
- Have a separate email address for signing up to websites
I have several email addresses I have one which I use when I sign up to websites for a mailing list. I keep my main email address for friends and serious stuff.
- YouTube How to Videos
YouTube is full of how to videos. How to bake a cake, replace a fan belt on your car, repair your PC, repair a kitchen appliance. Somethings are much easier to learn if you can see it done.
- Ehow.com
Is full of advice on how to do practically anything.
- Exercize
A trip to the Gym will do you the most good when you least feel like going!
- No Gender Excuse
A man should know how to iron a shirt or sew on a button. A woman should know how to do basic car maintenance. It is no longer possible to hide behind gender excuses.
- Maximize every Journey
Whenever you go up or down stairs or just walk into another room think what could I bring with me, clear up. Getting things back to their proper place is a constant battle. Place things that need to go out to the car by the door , or place them at the bottom of the stairs for your next trip up.
- Getting Your Kids To Tidy Up
You need to develop strategies to deal with their apparent "deafness". Try this one: They leave their phones, remotes, cables everywhere so pick them up and take them to the farthest point in the house when you put them in say a draw. Now it is a battle of patience you have to keep doing this until they decide that it would be easier to clear their affairs away in the first place
- Ask For Help
Many of us pride ourselves on being self sufficient, but don't be. Ask for help, ask for advice don't try to do it all yourself. Successful people ask for help all the time.
- To Do List
I now maintain a single To Do List rather than have multiple ones for different categories. I keep it in DropBox.com so it is always available on my Tablet and other PCs
- Calendar Everything
Keep the same calendar/diary for everything, private and business, it is amazing how frequently events clash. I use Google Calendar and it is configured to send me text messages
- Save Money: Ring up your Electricity, Phone Supplier etc and say you want to leave
They will almost always offer you a discount or extra benefit to keep you as a customer. You save money without the trouble of actually changing your service.
- Traveling to a New Place? Study Your Map for 5 Minutes
When you are late the danger is that you rush off unprepared however 5 minutes checking your route, using Google Maps to discover the exact destination, will save you lots of time and panic.
- Enemies will often give you good advice
Friends are often too polite to tell you what you are doing wrong, enemies have no such compunction when you have got over the pain of the criticism learn any lessons.
- If you don't know if you need milk or bread etc, buy them
You can always use up too much milk one way or another!
- Why you can't find something
Your memory of what it looks like is incorrect.
- Why you can't find something
It is next to something that your automatically eyes jump to e.g. a photograph of your family, dog, sports car etc
- Dry Runs
Before going on a camping vacation you should practice putting up your tent in your back garden. This way you check that all the bits are there and how it all is put together. Much easier this way than going through the same learning curve but late at night in the pouring rain.
- Duct Tape/Gaffer Tape
Always have a roll of Duct Tape (Duck Tape) in your car and workshop. This strong waterproof sticky tape can be used for a whole string of temporary (get you home) repairs.
- Why You Should Eat a Starter in a Good Restaurant
A starter is designed to assuage your hunger while waiting for the main course. If you don't eat a starter the danger is that eat the meal too quickly without really appreciating it.
- Mental Hooks: A Simple Way to Remember a List of Items
One-Bun,Two-Shoe, Three-Tree, Four Door, Five Hive, Six Sticks, Seven Heaven, Nine Vine, Ten Hen.
Associate a bun with the first thing on your list in an exaggerated way. You've got post a letter, think of the letter stuck to the bun, Got to buy some oil think of a shoe overflowing with gunk. This method really works!
- Due Diligence
Due diligence is process of thoroughly checking out any business or investment you are considering. It takes time and effort but can help you avoid scams and hopeless ventures.
- Scams
If somebody you don't know approaches you with a surefire scheme to make money it is 99.99% certain it's a scam. All scams work the same way give them the money now and they will tell you a way to earn ten times that. If it was so certain they would say pay me when you've made your 1000% return. The other way to tell it's a scam is that you will feel that they are your best friend even though you've only just met them.
- Speak to the People you See Least Often
When you you go to a big family occasion or some other reunion it is very tempting and comfortable to speak to the people you see most often. Speak instead to the people you rarely see it is more polite and more rewarding.
- Learn to Listen to People
If you want people to like you then learn to listen to people, let them speak, don't impress/bore them with your brilliance!
- Elevator Speech
Imagine you bump into Donald Trump in an elevator and that you have the time it takes to rise a few floors to impress him with your business proposal well you have better have short "elevator" speech ready prepared. In a few sentences what the idea is and what you hope to achieve.
- Be Honorable
Behaving wrongly may bring short term gains but be careful people have long memories and today there are social networks which allow people to investigate your past.
- Get Rid of that Old Thing
We often keep a piece of equipment that is partly broken out of some kind of loyalty for all the years it worked. If it's holding you back get a new one!
- Rechargeable Batteries are Really Efficient
Modern rechargeable batteries are really efficient and long lasting in many ways they are more convenient than single-use batteries.
- Cheapest is not always Best
It is sensible to buy something at the lowest price but not necessarily the cheapest item, quality items will last longer and save money in the long term.
- Don't be Tempted by Free Trials
It is too easy to sign up for a free 3 or 12 month trial and then forget to cancel in time. You have so many things to remember to do already.
- Before Changing your Cellphone,Energy Supplier to Save Money
Before committing yourself to the new cheaper service, notify your current provider they will often offer you a discount or free upgrade if you stay. If so you save money without the hassle of changing provider! (Hey you can try this even if you have no intention of changing!)
- One Touching Correspondence
When you deal with correspondence avoid opening it and just putting it down, always either bin it, file it or reply to it there and then,
- Internet Passwords#
Don't use the password you use ay PayPal or Amazon on say a sports website. I have a reasonable password I use on general websites and really secure ones for financial websites.
- 5 Minutes More Rule
When you are about to give up, stop studying, stop working, stop training say to yourself I'll continue 5 minutes more then I can give up. At worst you get the benefit of the 5 minutes extra at best during those 5 minutes you get going again and manage to carry on until you complete your task.
- Flossing
Flossing can be frustrating using flossing string. I prefer to use flexible interdental toothpicks in fact I find it kind of fun, and have a set in my car for traffic holdups and in my office desk.
- Try New Things!
Try a different cuisine, sport, route home from work. New things challenge use, keep us learning and creating.