Brand, thing, behavior, method, advice, mantra, etc.
I swear by Blackwing pencils.
Also, the ‘two minute rule’, which has really improved my life: “if it takes two minutes or less to do, just do it now; if it takes longer, schedule it.” I’ve got untreated attention issues and it’s very easy for me to notice something needing done, and overlook or procrastinate it because it seems inconvenient in the moment. Having a totally painless rule that forces me to acknowledge that thing I should pick up, that trash bag I should change, etc, or, to at least put on my calendar anything I mustn’t forget in the long run has been great for me.
uBlock Origin forever and always. I’ve recently reinstalled Windows within the last 30 days and thus have a fresh installation of my browser and uBlock Origin – I have already blocked 609,521 ads, wild.
https://ublockorigin.com/ (Platform links at the bottom)
Make sure you use it with Firefox. It works better.
Don’t skimp on anything that separates you from the ground: shoes, tires, mattress, etc. Your body will thank you later
Random list but I am told I am a unpaid ambassador for:
- Vitamix
- Zero inbox for work
- Stoic mindfulness / negative visualizations / Momento Mori
- Birkenstocks , even if they went a bit downhill
- Star Trek
- Chimes peanut butter ginger candy
- Tea…in general
- Merino wool socks
- Lemmy
I see your blackwings and I raise you my mechanical contestant - the uniball kuru toga. The rotating lead gimmick actually works pretty well and the elite has just such a nice weight to it because the barrel is this nice knurled metal thing (I think the advance upgrade is also metal, but I don’t have that one to compare)
Speaking of uniball, while I’m normally a fountain pen adherent, my go to non-fountain pen is the uniball eye. Such a surprisingly nice pen for the price, and while it’s not exactly the same, because it’s a liquid ink roller ball it’s still much nicer to write with because you don’t have to apply pressure to make it write.
Oh I’ve been curious about mechanical pencils with rotating lead! The rotation mechanism activates whenever you lift the tip up off the page right? Do you think it would still benefit folks who mostly write in cursive?
They’re neat (I’ve only tried Uni’s), though imho I prefer the manual control of a regular mech/pencil when writing in cursive, because then I can choose when to rotate the lead (ie by rotating the entire pencils).
If you’re used to writing with pencils you don’t even think about it anymore. It’s as natural as dotting an
i.It behaves closer to a regular mechanical pencil for cursive, but there is some difference. Ngl I use mine for maths and numbers and diagrammes so I don’t run into that issue a lot
Fountain pens, good inks, and good paper.
The cost difference is so small, and the output is significantly better than anything I’ve ever written with a ballpoint.
Not to mention the enjoyment around the rituals and processes that go with.
It’s also better for your hands if you do a lot of writing! You’re not constantly applying pressure like you are with a ballpoint so your hands don’t get as tired
Sugar alternatives like allulose and monkfruit have been making my life so much better recently. A little more pricey than sugar, but so much better for you and allows me to keep enjoying a sweet cup of tea in the morning without any of the downsides
I too like fancy pencils. Mitsubishi’s range are my faves.
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Zebra F-301 Pink Barrel / Black Ink 0.7mm
I had been using the regular F-301 pen since my early twenties. A year ago, I found a seller on Amazon that was selling the pink barrel / black ink F-301’s for what works out to be $2.10 a piece. My pens tend to go missing from time to time at work, so I bought a bunch.
Worth it.
Try leave everyone and everything better than you find it.
When it comes to food: Try everything once. You never know if you like it if you never try it.
I’m not talking get a whole plate of the food, but just try a small bite.
I had an ex who wouldn’t try anything, it was infuriating. I asked him once whether he liked a vegetable, he said no, I asked how it had been cooked when he had it as maybe he’d like it if it was done a different way, and he said he’d never tried it. The only vegetable he’d eat was broccoli. He got upset when I said he had the eating habits of a toddler but I stand by that.
For a moment I was wondering whether the “two minute rule” was a lower hygiene standard for the acceptable time in which you can eat things after dropping them on the floor.
The only thing I’ve found in life that I find super helpful or swear by is using dated lists to organise what needs doing in my life.
The dated lists I find helpful as well - I’ve been doing this daily for the past few months just to keep track of work tasks and personal tasks that I really shouldn’t forget about.
Don’t buy cheap daily use items.
Shoes Mattress Car TV Computer
That doesn’t mean buy the most expensive thing. if you rely on this thing to get you through the day, get yourself something of quality. Do your research. Often times, buying the more expensive thing now, can be cheaper in the long run.
Secondly: Use mental health professionals. Go to a therapist, psychologist, or anyone else trained to help people mentally. For years I advocated for my employees to seek help. I built work schedules around their appointments. I could tell that it help or productivity as a team. I did this for years. Finally, this year, I went to see a therapist myself. I’ve been having depression problems for a while but I never took my own advice. Now, just 4 months later I’m doing way better. Not perfect, but I can tell I’ve made very good progress.
I disagree about the TV. Unless you are flush with cash a $300 LCD TV is perfectly good in 2023, you won’t lose any life satisfaction from not having the new $3000 OLED TV.
Why are there so many writing utensil suggestions in this thread? I haven’t written anything down physically in years, I don’t even know why you’d need a pencil or paper anymore.
because I can write something down, right now, without trying to boot up a device, find an app, open a word processor, or anything.
and it stays, exactly as is. interuptions dont risk losing it. power outages wont make it disappear. dead batteries wont render it inaccessable. Software update wont render it corrupt.
Musicians need pencils and erasers to work with sheet music. The music itself is printed, but you still need to write down fingering, dynamics markings, tempo markings, highlight ideas/themes/passages, etc…
Three is a certain quality to writing things down. It is a nice break from screens, makes you contemplate and elaborate on your thoughts. It works that way for me.
Also, writing things down physically has become almost painful for me. I do have atrocious handwriting, which probably contributes to this feeling.
Have you tried fountain pens?
I try to avoid purchases of tools to accommodate activities that I don’t do
Yeah, that’s fair. I suggest them only because they’re a bit easier on the hands
