Quick Tips for Staying Healthy and Fit</h1> <article> <h1>Quick Tips for Staying Healthy and Fit</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:02:41 +0000</p> <div style="float:right;"><center><a style="font-size:1.25em;line-height:2em;background-color:#f3f3f3;border-color:#bbb;padding:10px;" href="/get-fit-get-healthy-tips-for-staying-healthy">Get this book!</a></center><a href="/get-fit-get-healthy-tips-for-staying-healthy"></a></div> <p>Since I am constantly striving to improve myself I do a lot of reading. I want to share with you an ebook I found recently which I find to be very helpful. It has 101 quick and simple tips for staying healthy and fit. Some are simple, but most are quite informative and insightful. I thought my readers would be able to get something out of this book, so here are a couple examples of tips on how to stay fit:</p> <div style="padding:20px;background-color:#f3f3f3;border-color:#bbb;margin:5px;">A few tips from "Get Fit, Get Healthy!"...<br /> <h2>Learn relaxation techniques</h2> <p>It’s no secret that stress can contribute to weight gain and development of chronic diseases. By learning relaxation responses, you can stop the adverse effects that come with stress. Among the popular relaxation techniques include breathing exercises, journaling, visualization and laughter, among others. If you deal with serious amount of stress on a daily basis, teach your body how to best cope with it.</p> <h2>Maintain at least one hobby</h2> <p>Find an activity that you are passionate about that you probably won’t mind doing for hours, may it be photography, vising museums or spending hours in a bookstore. Pursue things that bring the greatest joy. Joy can lead to smiling which is GREAT exercise for your body, mind and soul.</p> <h2>Don’t confuse thirst with hunger</h2> <p>The human body has difficulty differentiating thirst from hunger. So when you are starting to feel hunger pangs, avoid indulging in food right away and instead drink a glass of water and check if you are still hungry.</p></div> <p>This book is straight-forward and to-the-point. Any reader of this blog will love this book because of it's simplicity and accuracy. You can start learning from this book in just seconds and implement life changes or small adjustments to your routine immediately. I guarantee you will love this book. It's got lots of things I hadn't thought of before and it's something that I flip through fairly often for more ideas on how to stay healthy and fit.</p> <p><strong><em>This book is normally sold at 17.95, but I worked out a deal with the distributor and I can offer it to you today for only 9.97!</em></strong></p> <p><center></center></p> <form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_s-xclick" /><br /> <input type="hidden" name="hosted_button_id" value="URV98S4ZMDSJG" /><br /> <input type="image" src="/images/GFGH_images/button-addtocart.jpg" border="0" name="submit" alt="Buy now with PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" /><br /> <center></center><br /> </form> <p><a style="font-size:1.8em;line-height:2em;background-color:#f3f3f3;border-color:#bbb;padding:10px;" href="/get-fit-get-healthy-tips-for-staying-healthy">Learn more about this book!</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bh0ohdYrI6I:5-Zz2CzypDU:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bh0ohdYrI6I:5-Zz2CzypDU:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bh0ohdYrI6I:5-Zz2CzypDU:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bh0ohdYrI6I:5-Zz2CzypDU:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bh0ohdYrI6I:5-Zz2CzypDU:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bh0ohdYrI6I:5-Zz2CzypDU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bh0ohdYrI6I:5-Zz2CzypDU:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bh0ohdYrI6I:5-Zz2CzypDU:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The Power of the Choice to be Happy</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:59:35 +0000</p> <p></p> <p>Living a happy, resilient and optimistic life is wonderful, and is also good for your health. Being happy actually protects you from the stresses of life. Stress is linked to top causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke. </p> <p>One of the better things ever said is - 'The only thing in life that will always remain the same is change', and in our life we have the power to make the necessary changes if we want to. Even if we find ourselves in an unbearable situation we can always find solace in the knowledge that it too will change. </p> <p>Social networks or relationships are essential to happiness. People are different, accept people for who or what they are, avoid clashes, constant arguments, and let go of all kinds of resentments. If arguments seem unavoidable still try and make an effort to understand the situation and you might just get along with well with </p> <p>Happiness is actually found in everyone, increasing it is a way to make a life more wonderful and also more healthy.</p> <p>To be happy is relatively easy, just decide to be a happy person. Abraham Lincoln observed that most people for most of the time can choose how happy or stressed, how relaxed or troubled, how bright or dull their outlook to be. The choice is simple really, choose to be happy. </p> <p>There are several ways by which you can do this.</p> <p>Being grateful is a great attitude. We have so much to be thankful for. Thank the taxi driver for bringing you home safely, thank the cook for a wonderful dinner and thank the guy who cleans your windows. Also thank the mailman for bringing you your mails, thank the policeman for making your place safe and thank God for being alive.</p> <p>News is stressful. Get less of it. Some people just can't start their day without their daily dose of news. Try and think about it, 99% of the news we hear or read is bad news. Starting the day with bad news does not seem to be a sensible thing to do.</p> <p>A religious connection is also recommended. Being part of a religious group with its singing, sacraments, chanting, prayers and meditations foster inner peace. </p> <p>Manage your time. Time is invaluable and too important to waste. Time management can be viewed as a list of rules that involves scheduling, setting goals, planning, creating lists of things to do and prioritizing. These are the core basics of time management that should be understood to develop an efficient personal time management skill. These basic skills can be fine tuned further to include the finer points of each skill that can give you that extra reserve to make the results you desire. </p> <p>Laugh and laugh heartily everyday. Heard a good joke? Tell your friends or family about it. As they also say -'Laughter is the best medicine'.</p> <p>Express your feelings, affections, friendship and passion to people around you. They will most likely reciprocate your actions. Try not to keep pent up anger of frustrations, this is bad for your health. Instead find ways of expressing them in a way that will not cause more injury or hurt to anyone.</p> <p>Working hard brings tremendous personal satisfaction. It gives a feeling of being competent in finishing our tasks. Accomplishments are necessary for all of us, they give us a sense of value. Work on things that you feel worthy of your time.</p> <p>Learning is a joyful exercise. Try and learn something new everyday. Learning also makes us expand and broaden our horizons. And could also give us more opportunities in the future. </p> <p>Run, jog, walk and do other things that your body was made for. Feel alive.</p> <p>Avoid exposure to negative elements like loud noises, toxins and hazardous places.</p> <p>These are the few simple things you can do everyday to be happy. </p> <p>And always remember the quote from Abraham Lincoln, he says that, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ti_h8-r8oWE:Bv1n_ep-IC8:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ti_h8-r8oWE:Bv1n_ep-IC8:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ti_h8-r8oWE:Bv1n_ep-IC8:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ti_h8-r8oWE:Bv1n_ep-IC8:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ti_h8-r8oWE:Bv1n_ep-IC8:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ti_h8-r8oWE:Bv1n_ep-IC8:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ti_h8-r8oWE:Bv1n_ep-IC8:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ti_h8-r8oWE:Bv1n_ep-IC8:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>8 Tips for Living an Innovative Life</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:57:21 +0000</p> <p><br /> It's a talent that everyone has, yet they think they don't. The power of innovation. If you've ever marvelled at somebody's creative prowess, guess what, you can create and innovate too. It just takes time. Everyone is born creative. The box of crayons in kindergarten were not limited to those who possessed potential; because the truth is, everybody has potential.</p> <p>You know how long it took to learn to ride a bike or drive or to never commit the same mistake again? It's the same with innovation. It takes a bit of practice and a lot of time before this mind function comes easily when called. This article will teach you a few tips on how to bring innovation into your life.</p> <p>1. Don't listen to what other people say. Follow the beat of your own drum. Allowing for the input of other people will only bring cacophony to the music you are trying to make. If you have an original idea, don't waste your time and effort trying to make people understand. They won't. And the help you will probably get comes in the form of negative feedback. If all those geniuses listened to their peers, we would probably still be living in the middle ages.</p> <p>2. Spend time on it. I cannot stress that enough, although, please do not mistake this tip to tell you to quit your day job entirely. Do not. This involves some tricky time management but with a little discipline you'll be able to squeeze both in. </p> <p>3. Exercise. Take a walk. Run a mile or two. Send all those endorphins coursing through your veins. Exercising certainly clears and relaxes your mind and allows for anything to pop up. </p> <p>4. Record your dreams. Aren't some of them just the craziest things that your conscious mind would never have thought of? If you've had these dreams before, and I'm sure have, this only shows you the untapped innovative power you have lying within. So jot down those notes. Those dreams may just create an innovative spark in you.</p> <p>5. Find your own style. You can always tell a Van Gogh from a Matisse. You'll know Hemingway wrote something by the choice of words on the paper. So it is the same with you. People will appreciate your innovation more because it is uniquely yours and that no one else would have thought of what you were thinking. That will let people see how valuable an asset you are. </p> <p>6. Don't hide behind nifty gadgets or tools. You don't need the most expensive set of paints to produce a masterpiece. The same way with writing. You don't need some expensive fountain pen and really smooth paper for a bestseller. In fact, J.K. Rowling wrote the first book of the Harry Potter Series on bits of tissue. So what if you've got an expensive SLR camera if you're a crappy photographer? Who cares if you've got a blinging laptop if you can't write at all? The artist actually reduces the number of tools he has as he gets better at his craft: he knows what works and what doesn't. </p> <p>7. Nothing will work without passion. What wakes you up in the mornings? What keeps the flame burning? What is the one thing that you'll die if you don't do? Sometimes people with talent are overtaken by the people who want it more. Think the hare and the tortoise. Ellen Degeneres once said that if you're not doing something that you want to do, then you don't really want to do it. And that's true. Sometimes you just want something so bad you become a virtual unstoppable. And that is passion. Passion will keep you going. </p> <p>8. Don't worry about inspiration. You can't force it; inspiration hits when you least expect it to, for those unpredictable yet inevitable moments you should prepare. An idea could strike you on the subway, yet alas, you poor unfortunate soul; you have no sheet of paper to scribble down a thought that could change the world. Avoid these disasters. Have a pen and paper within your arm's reach at all times.</p> <p>I hope this article has helped you bring more innovation into your life. Keep in mind that you're doing these things for your own satisfaction and not anybody else's. But soon enough they will notice, and everything should snowball from there.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ttuDkN4qDOY:FbuwERlgda0:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ttuDkN4qDOY:FbuwERlgda0:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ttuDkN4qDOY:FbuwERlgda0:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ttuDkN4qDOY:FbuwERlgda0:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ttuDkN4qDOY:FbuwERlgda0:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ttuDkN4qDOY:FbuwERlgda0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ttuDkN4qDOY:FbuwERlgda0:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ttuDkN4qDOY:FbuwERlgda0:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Use crowd sourcing to fund your new project this year</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:37:22 +0000</p> <p style="margin: 0pt;"><span> 2012 is the year of the Dragon! Do you have an idea for a product that you've been dying to create? Something you know people would love but you don't have the know-how or the capital to even dream about beginning? Well... guess what? You live in the 21st century so you don't need know-how OR money! One of the latest methods of raising private money for your projects is a concept called "crowd-sourcing". Basically, if the idea is a good one you can create a summary of your idea, with a video, put it out there for the world to see and offer people rewards (that you will give them in the future) or allow them to pre-order a product before it's made in order to raise enough money to make the product come to life. One of the most popular websites out there that supports this type of fund raising is <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/" target="_blank">www.kickstarter.com</a>. They have developed a platform that allows people to create "campaigns" for any sort of artistic project or product with any monetary goal for whatever it is you need money for, and people can become "backers" for your idea. They put up a little bit of money and are allowed to pre-order something or they get some other sort of kick-back from becoming a sponsor.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt;"><span> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt;"><span> I have recently created a campaign for a <a href="http://www.thelanguagebear.com/bosley" target="_blank">dual-language children's book</a> that I am writing and I am offering it on Kickstarter. The books are not printed, but as soon as I reach my goal (of $2400 for publishing) the books will be printed and shipped to all of my backers. Other rewards include things like a kids' puzzle with some of the illustrations on it, a printed book tote bag, a mousepad with the book character on it, etc. </span> <span>But if I don't reach the $2400 goal, all the money is returned to the backers and I don't get to print the book!~ Take a look at this video I made and if you know anyone who might be interested, PLEASE forward it along to them! </span> <span>The campaign has been on the website for about a week and a half now, and I have already raised over $700 toward my goal. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt;"><span> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt;"><span>So if you have a project that you've been wanting to get underway, I would strongly encourage you to check out this website for your own benefit. Take a look at what is on the site now, get a feel for the things that are being successfully funded, and try to figure out how your product could succeed in this type of campaign. There are also other crowd-sourcing websites out there like: <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/" target="_blank">www.indiegogo.com</a> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt;"><span> </span></p><p><span>Good luck! <br /></span></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=c--zLi2H3gA:v9owUIdEX64:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=c--zLi2H3gA:v9owUIdEX64:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=c--zLi2H3gA:v9owUIdEX64:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=c--zLi2H3gA:v9owUIdEX64:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=c--zLi2H3gA:v9owUIdEX64:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=c--zLi2H3gA:v9owUIdEX64:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=c--zLi2H3gA:v9owUIdEX64:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=c--zLi2H3gA:v9owUIdEX64:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Each Day That Passes, Improve Everything That You Do</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:23:55 +0000</p> <p>I studied <a href="http://www.maLineage.com/styles/capoeira">Capoeira</a> for some time and before and after every class we would repeat in unison, this phrase in Portuguese:</p><p style="text-align: center;">"Cada dia que pasa, estou melhor em tudo que faso."</p><p style="text-align: center;">It translates to: "Each day that passes, I am improving everything that I do."</p><p>So simply put that it leaves no more to be said. In every facet of your life, if you live by this mantra, you have no option but to succeed. It doesn't matter who you are, what your goals are or where you are in life. If you are alive, you have daily actions that you do to survive, and if you strive to do them better, you will be improving who you are in increments that are perfectly suitable and attainable by you. Whether you are a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnastics" target="_blank">gymnast</a>, a pirate, a <a href="http://www.foxybingo.com/" target="_blank">bingo</a> caller, a business owner or a rockstar, this phrase is relevant to you and you can immediately apply it to improve your life and improve your health.</p><p>How are you sitting right now? Is your posture correct? </p><p>How much time have you spent in front of the computer today? Too much?</p><p>What is your typing speed? Think you can make it faster?</p><p>Who was the last person you hurt? What it necessary or could you have used a better tactic?</p><p>What did you do for your health yesterday? Have you done it better today?</p><p>These are just a few of the questions you can apply to your actions to push you toward becoming the best human being you can be. I've mentioned "being all you can be" several times in this blog, and I've never served in the Army, but I believe that the fact that we're here on Earth is an amazing gift and we should all be making the best of it. Fundamentally speaking, if we want to make the best of our lives, we should first be the best person we can be.</p><p>Another interesting benefit of applying this mantra to your daily life is the fact that in order to successfully apply it, we first have to be <a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/content/how-bring-awareness-back-simple-tasks" target="_blank">AWARE</a>. We need an awareness of our <a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/content/always-challenge-your-limits">personal limits</a> and we need to fundamentally understand what it will take to improve those limits. </p><p>Everyday, I try to workout a little bit harder than I did the day before, give more of myself, <a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/content/never-stop-learning-find-appreciation-through-understanding">learn something new </a>that I can apply to my life goals, or understand a new concept or strategy relevent to my current project.</p><p>What will be the next step to improving your daily life?</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zds67yLra28:YdfHMzmCOZE:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zds67yLra28:YdfHMzmCOZE:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zds67yLra28:YdfHMzmCOZE:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zds67yLra28:YdfHMzmCOZE:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zds67yLra28:YdfHMzmCOZE:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zds67yLra28:YdfHMzmCOZE:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zds67yLra28:YdfHMzmCOZE:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zds67yLra28:YdfHMzmCOZE:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Put Yourself in Someone Else's Shoes to Understand Yourself</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:08:00 +0000</p> <blockquote>Our greatest instrument for understanding the world—introspection . . . . The best way of knowing the inwardness of our neighbor is to know ourselves. Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)</blockquote><p>So you go about your daily life and might not think too much about your every action. In martial arts we say that "He who conquers others is strong, but he who conquers himself is mighty." In order to really understand the world around you and make it work for you, you must first understand - and conquer - yourself. Conquer your fears, answer your own questions, find truths that are critical to your existence and understand them.</p><p>Easier said than done? Indubitably.</p><p>In my last post I suggested that you "question everything". And didn't really explain it. Sorry about that. What I mean is:</p><ul><li><strong>Question the answers you're given</strong> even if it is from a "reputable source". No one is perfect and if the world is to be <em>your </em>oyster, you must be the one to understand the answers. If that requires that you create your own answers then that is the best way.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Question your own capabilities.</strong> At first this will lead to <strong>doubt </strong>--> then <strong>understanding </strong>--> then <strong>confidence</strong>.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Question your own solutions to problems. </strong> How did you come up with that solution? How were you influenced?</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Question your own subconscious actions.</strong> Why do you sit in a certain place at your dinner table?</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Get out of your routine.</strong> Take a different route to work. Read something that you would normally be put out by.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Keep an objective attitude.</strong> Don't be put out by anything. Don't fall back on reactions you would normally use. Treat each moment as if it is entirely new and create responses to situations as if you had never experienced them before.</li></ul><ul><li><strong>Put yourself in someone else's shoes.</strong> Erase all of your notions of someone you interact with and create entirely new notions as if you were THEM observing YOURSELF. Watch yourself objectively as you proceed to live your life. Notice the details of your movements, your thoughts, your reactions.</li></ul><blockquote>Question yourself like you question others. Forgive others like you forgive youself.</blockquote> <p>It's only when you understand why you do the things you do that you will start to see better ways. Be open minded and take influences for problem solutions from anywhere you can. Don't let pride get in your way - immediately admit when you are wrong, or when you start to question yourself. No one is perfect, so learn from your surroundings.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qX72kI3Y57A:XqwPg5h-a1U:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qX72kI3Y57A:XqwPg5h-a1U:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qX72kI3Y57A:XqwPg5h-a1U:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qX72kI3Y57A:XqwPg5h-a1U:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qX72kI3Y57A:XqwPg5h-a1U:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qX72kI3Y57A:XqwPg5h-a1U:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qX72kI3Y57A:XqwPg5h-a1U:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qX72kI3Y57A:XqwPg5h-a1U:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Finding the Errors of our Ways - Is Mankind Lost?</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:38:51 +0000</p> <p>Man has come a long, long, long way over the process of evolution and development of our kind.<span> </span>From communication to simple tools to building large structures, creating and adhering to political infrastructure, creating currency, creating and supporting new businesses, venturing into outerspace, etc etc…<span> </span>Through all of this, it would be pleasing to think that mankind, by nature, has “good” intentions overall with respect to life and the universe on a broad scope.<span> </span>What that means exactly, I’m not sure, but I’m fairly certain that it’s false.<span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Over the course of evolution in any species, beings tend toward actions and behavior that best contributes to their individual survival or the survival of their family, loved ones or species.<span> </span>Currently, the speed of our technological development (otherwise known as “physical impact and modification to life and the universe”) is increasing very rapidly.<span> </span>Currently we are at a very volatile juncture in our development.<span> </span>We are at the “knee” in the curve, or the turning point where population, technology, knowledge and impact will be increasing far more rapidly than ever before.<span> </span>If we can see the errors of our ways and look beyond our own personal prosperity and look beyond the prosperity of our species, we will be able to identify a better way to live life that is less impactful to the universe and will make us a stronger more intelligent species in the long run.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Developments have been made over the millennia that, if gone unchecked, could mean the downfall or worse yet, the corruption or our species.<span> </span>Below, I’ve listed some of these developments and ways that you can address them in your life in order to take control of your part of the universe and the development of your offspring.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Blind faith in technology.</strong><span> </span>Don’t use or support a product until you know everything about what it does and how it works.<span> </span>This includes how it was made, who will be impacted by its use, who was impacted by its development and construction, negative impacts to yourself when using the product.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>Reliance on others. </strong>Due diligence means finding your own solutions to problems and personally making sure that all of the details have been covered in a manner that is satisfactory.<span> </span>Relying on others’ choices, products, opinions means that you have made the assumption that you agree with all of their beliefs.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>Question everything.</strong></li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>Find your own answers to every question. </strong>Don’t be satisfied with an answer you’ve been given even from a trustworthy source.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>Write down the elements of humanity that are important to you. </strong>Writing them will solidify them in your mind and they will emerge in your actions.<span> <br /></span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>Keep yourself physically and mentally healthy</strong> in order to be able to make clear decisions and also be able to act on them.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>Acknowledge a major personal flaw.</strong> There's got to be ONE! Personality traits, over-eating, violence, lying, cheating, sub-optimal performance, etc... Acknowledging a flaw is an absolutely critical step to take in fixing it. Once you have acknowledged it, you will find it immensely easier to make realizations on how to fix it.</li> <li><strong>Never take anything for granted.</strong></li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>Whatever you do, act as if the whole world was watching.</strong></li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>Always aim for improvement</strong></li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><strong>Double check all actions against your ethical beliefs. </strong> You may be in the habit of doing something that is contrary to your ethics, and not even realize it. Double check your every move and you'll most likely find things about you or your actions that you would just as soon change.</li> </ul><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xYQ7XlOOu-4:FMq-zh7T4m4:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xYQ7XlOOu-4:FMq-zh7T4m4:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xYQ7XlOOu-4:FMq-zh7T4m4:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xYQ7XlOOu-4:FMq-zh7T4m4:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xYQ7XlOOu-4:FMq-zh7T4m4:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xYQ7XlOOu-4:FMq-zh7T4m4:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xYQ7XlOOu-4:FMq-zh7T4m4:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xYQ7XlOOu-4:FMq-zh7T4m4:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Make the choice to be content right now.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 11:30:06 +0000</p> <p>Everyone has the choice to enjoy every single day as it comes.<span> </span>No matter how you’re feeling or what your circumstances are; no matter what has happened or what is happening in the immediate future or immediate past, as a human being, you have the privilege to make the choice to appreciate the present moment.</p> <p>When I was about 16 years old, I realized that I could make a choice at any given moment that would determine whether I was content or unhappy.<span> </span>If I made the right choice, I would be absolutely content with myself and my surroundings no matter what.<span> </span>If I made the wrong choice, each moment of anger and misfortune would be compounded on one another as the day went on.<span> </span>I would be more prone to hurting myself, breaking things, making mistakes, etc.<span> </span>I never really knew what the “choice” was, or how to define it but, with practice, I knew that it was as easy as flipping a switch.</p> <p>I stood in the parking lot this morning stretching in the cool morning mist, as I like to do after the commute to the office, and as I took a nice long breath of fresh air, a van came careening into the parking lot and pulled into a spot right beside me.<span> </span>Even thought there was no one else in the parking lot, the van still missed the spot and had to pull out and pull back in.<span> </span>Then I listened as the front bumper crunched up onto the curb and was dragged off when the driver pulled back.</p> <p >He got out of the car and shook his head, saying to me “It’s gonna be one of those days, isn’t it?”<span> </span>Then proceeded to walk quickly toward the building with his briefcase in hand and head down at the sidewalk.<span> </span>He walked past this:<span> </span></p> <p></p> <p >and this:<span> </span></p> <p></p> <p >and this:</p> <p></p> <p >Had he not noticed what a gorgeous morning it was?<span> </span>What was he thinking about so hard that took his attention so far away from his surroundings (not to mention his driving…)?<span> </span>Always thinking about the previous mishap, misfortune, or feeling, he was never present enough to prevent the next.<span> </span>I can imagine what kind of a day he is having today (although I’d rather not).</p> <p>To this day, I continue to practice flipping this switch.<span> </span>It doesn’t always work perfectly, but it comes more easily every day.<span> </span>And I can often see this turning point in others’ days as well.<span> </span>A point at which, if they closed their eyes, wiped the chalkboard clean of all the past misfortune and anguish, took out a fresh piece of chalk and opened their eyes, that they would be able to start fresh from this moment on.<span> </span></p> <p>It is man’s natural state to be content, it requires only attentiveness.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zllaXQp1e8w:s1Rm2IgYj_E:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zllaXQp1e8w:s1Rm2IgYj_E:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zllaXQp1e8w:s1Rm2IgYj_E:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zllaXQp1e8w:s1Rm2IgYj_E:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zllaXQp1e8w:s1Rm2IgYj_E:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zllaXQp1e8w:s1Rm2IgYj_E:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zllaXQp1e8w:s1Rm2IgYj_E:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=zllaXQp1e8w:s1Rm2IgYj_E:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>10 Benefits of Discomfort</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:56:50 +0000</p> <p>There will always be discomfort in your life. On some level, in some facet, either physical, mental, social or otherwise, discomfort will always be a part of our lives. Is discomfort uncomfortable? By definition... yes. Does it have to be all bad? No. Here is a list of items that will hopefully help you to keep your eyes open and see some of the benefits that your discomfort can provide you.</p> <p><strong>1. <a title="Never stop learning" href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/content/never-stop-learning-find-appreciation-through-understanding">Learn </a>about the world around you. </strong><br />Where does it come from? When did it begin? What are all of its constituents? Can you learn anything on the basis of observation alone?</p> <p><strong>2. Ponder interconnectedness.</strong><br /> What is the direct and indirect impacts of this discomfort on you? What is its impact on others? Is this discomfort caused by others? Is it caused by you?</p> <p> <strong>3. Realize how your accommodations can improve. </strong><br />Look around. Are there other methods or strategies that could be implemented that would not require the problem to be solved, but rather would render the situation non-existent?</p> <p><strong>4. Practice <a title="Bring Awareness back to Simple Tasks" href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/content/how-bring-awareness-back-simple-tasks">awareness</a>. </strong><br />Practice bringing attention to the situation in order to really understand it before trying to rectify it. Bringing your attention to a particular sensation and avoiding other thought patterns can help you to isolate the problem. The sensation of having a rock in your shoe is far different than the thoughts of "Why do I <em>always</em> get rocks in my shoe?" or "I really can't afford a better pair of shoes".</p> <p><strong>5. Understand your tolerance for pain. </strong><br />This can apply physically or mentally. Ask yourself. "Okay, how much is this <em>really</em> bothering me?" See <a title="Pain is only what you make it - Mind over matter" href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/the-pain-is-only-what-you-make-it-mind-over-matter">Pain is Only What You Make It.</a></p> <p><strong>6. Increase your tolerance for pain. </strong><br />While pain is a signal to your brain that your body is in danger of being damaged, it often overcompensates. After understanding what your pain tolerance is, make it a personal challenge to ride that line and accept it as a simple <a title="Pain is only what you make it" href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/content/pain-only-what-you-make-it-original-tale"> indicator to your brain</a>.</p> <p><strong>7. Brainstorm a solution. </strong><br />What can you build/make/modify, to rectify the situation? Think about the items at your disposal. Try to challenge yourself to come up with an inventive and unique solution. By patching the problem with a carelessly thought-out solution or something that won't quite work, you're only giving yourself something to complain about and fix again later.</p> <p><strong>8. Practice "creative experimentation" </strong><br />Example: There's a painful wart on my foot. How can I change my stance, foot placement, stride, etc to ease the pain? Are there other objects nearby that I could be supporting some weight on to take it off of my foot? How many helium balloons do I have to hold to alleviate the pain? This will help you with creativity, as well as take your mind off the situation and it may also provide a reasonable solution.</p> <p><strong>9. Practice acceptance</strong><br />Harboring "The serenity to accept the things you cannot change" is a very powerful skill. You may need to find something, a phrase or thought, to constantly remind yourself of the goal of being more accepting to avoid getting frustrated with the practice.</p> <p><strong>10. Harbor compassion</strong><br />Somewhere out there, there is someone with the same discomfort as you. Somewhere else, there is someone far worse off than you.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LHXhwQrM1JI:Gqp0gYSfsXA:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LHXhwQrM1JI:Gqp0gYSfsXA:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LHXhwQrM1JI:Gqp0gYSfsXA:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LHXhwQrM1JI:Gqp0gYSfsXA:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LHXhwQrM1JI:Gqp0gYSfsXA:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LHXhwQrM1JI:Gqp0gYSfsXA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LHXhwQrM1JI:Gqp0gYSfsXA:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LHXhwQrM1JI:Gqp0gYSfsXA:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>You Have 30 Seconds To Live.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:04:20 +0000</p> <p></p> <p>Commonly, people pose the question: "What would I do if I had only 1 day left to live?" Answers are generally comprised of places they would go, things they would accomplish, and people they would visit. This is a good way to help you understand the <em>things </em>and <em>people</em> that are really important to you.</p> <p>Imagine now, that I told you that you have only <strong>30 seconds</strong> left to live...</p> <table cellpadding="5"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #bbbbbb; font-size: 40pt; font-weight: bold;">30</span></td> <td> <p>I'd like you to actually put yourself in this situation now. You're sitting right where you're sitting now and wearing whatever you're wearing when you read this. And you're all alone; at least more than 30 seconds away from any other human being. Savor this moment.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #bbbbbb; font-size: 40pt; font-weight: bold;">25</span></td> <td> <p>What do you do with your last <strong>25 seconds</strong> on earth?.... Do you make one last phone call? How do you decide who to call? And by the time you decide, is it worth calling? What do you say, and will you be gone before you can say it? Savor this moment.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #bbbbbb; font-size: 40pt; font-weight: bold;">20</span></td> <td> <p>How many things can you actually do in <strong>20 seconds</strong> of life? Do you retrieve a favorite memory or look ahead at your unfound goals? Which memories / goals to you choose to relish? Savor this moment.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #bbbbbb; font-size: 40pt; font-weight: bold;">15</span></td> <td> <p>You only have <strong>15 seconds</strong> left now. Do you panic in fear of the actual sensation of death or do you revel in the glory that was your life? Savor this moment.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #bbbbbb; font-size: 40pt; font-weight: bold;">10</span></td> <td> <p>Death is only <strong>10 seconds</strong> away and what have you done with the last 20 seconds? Have you made the best possible use of them? If only you had more time to decide what to do... Take a look around. Use your eyes. Use your ears. Look at your hands. Savor this moment.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #bbbbbb; font-size: 40pt; font-weight: bold;">5</span></td> <td> <p>Take a deep breath of fresh air, you have <strong>5 seconds</strong> to live. Do you realize your own human impermanence? Does all of the worry and dischord in your life seem distant? None of it means anything anymore. What does it feel like to be wearing this skin you've been wearing for so many years? Savor this moment.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #bbbbbb; font-size: 40pt; font-weight: bold;">1</span></td> <td> <p>You have <strong>one second</strong> to live. What does being alive <em>feel</em> like? Savor this moment.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> <p style="text-align: center;">...The End.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p> </p> <p>Wait, you're still alive! Keep reading!</p> <p>In Bushido, the philosophy of the Samurai, death is always imminent. They lived their lives as if each moment could be the last, savoring every step of the journey and always putting their best foot forward, whether it be on the battlefield or training ground, or playing with their children or drinking tea. Death is held in the highest regard and is never forgotten by the Samurai. All the moments in our lives lead up to it.</p> <p>This exercise can help you gain a better understanding of the intrinsic nature of your human being-ness. Not really having enough time to prepare for imminence, every moment must be lived completely. What would change about your life if every 30 seconds was your last?</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=diojrcmGkiE:4sdT0-9kt24:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=diojrcmGkiE:4sdT0-9kt24:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=diojrcmGkiE:4sdT0-9kt24:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=diojrcmGkiE:4sdT0-9kt24:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=diojrcmGkiE:4sdT0-9kt24:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=diojrcmGkiE:4sdT0-9kt24:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=diojrcmGkiE:4sdT0-9kt24:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=diojrcmGkiE:4sdT0-9kt24:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Take a Detour, Get a New Perspective</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:05:42 +0000</p> <p></p> <p>Do you commute to and from work every day listening to the radio or spacing off thinking about useless things? I was on my way home from work the other day and I approached a turn trying to guess how many times I had made the turn. It was far more than I wanted to admit, so I shut off my blinker and kept going straight. It was a road I hadn't travelled before; I'd never had a reason to. And as soon as I strayed from my normal route my eyes and ears awoke to new sights and sounds that weren't necessarily awe-inspiring, but they were new and different. And the turns I made were new as well; they weren't a part of my muscle memory. I instantly starting paying more attention to my driving and became more aware of the things around me.</p> <p>I saw some kids playing by the road whom I'd never seen before, and I drove by an old barn that looked like it would make a great martial arts school for when I am ready to open my school. This got me thinking about what the school will be like, and all of the details that I love to daydream about anyway.</p> <p>I only drove a couple miles down the road, turned around in a driveway and headed back home, but it made such an impact in my commute to have discovered a new part of the world, and also to have triggered new thought patterns about my future martial arts school plans.</p> <p>The point is: Do something different. If you've become complacent with anything in your life, mix it up a bit. Give your mind something new to think about. A new perspective can awaken new thought patterns and stir up mental and physical energy in a very healthy way.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vjVz3iaCIlc:YbPkW3AZzSg:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vjVz3iaCIlc:YbPkW3AZzSg:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vjVz3iaCIlc:YbPkW3AZzSg:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vjVz3iaCIlc:YbPkW3AZzSg:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vjVz3iaCIlc:YbPkW3AZzSg:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vjVz3iaCIlc:YbPkW3AZzSg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vjVz3iaCIlc:YbPkW3AZzSg:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vjVz3iaCIlc:YbPkW3AZzSg:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Mind Mapping for a Better Life</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:37:22 +0000</p> <h2 class="MsoNormal">What is Mind Mapping? </h2> <p class="MsoNormal">Mind mapping is a method for organizing thoughts that can be used to improve the way you think about your life, tasks, workflow and even how you relax. It helps categorize and associate different thoughts with one another and makes it easier to memorize and recall complex thought structures. Mind mapping in some form was originally conceived and used by Leonardo DaVinci but is commonly used by thousands of people today. I was introduced to it from the book <a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/reading">How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci</a> by Michael Gelb. From a very broad level, mind mapping starts with one thought or concept and allows you to create a physical map of other associated thoughts. Very little structure is given to how the actual mind map is formed giving your mind creative freedom, and it is encouraged to let your mind wander within reason and record how it wanders.</p> <h2 class="MsoNormal"><a title="Vacation Mind Map" href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/sites/default/files/mind-map-vacation-sm.jpg"></a></h2> <h2 class="MsoNormal">How can Mind Mapping Help Me Live a Better Life? </h2> <p class="MsoNormal">By organizing your thoughts in a mind map you are able to gain a better understanding of how your mind works and look at the big picture of:</p> <ol> <li><em>how</em> certain things in your life effect other things, <em></em></li> <li><em>why</em> certain thought patterns may arise, <em></em></li> <li>what to do to <em>short-circuit</em> thought patterns, </li> <li>how to <em>memorize </em>different associations between thoughts </li> <li>how to <em>anticipate thoughts </em>before they arise by understanding how your brain works. </li> </ol> <p class="MsoNormal">All of the above are very powerful big-picture tools to use in every facet of your life. Other benefits of mind mapping, that will help you live a better life on a more detailed level are:</p> <ol> <li>realizing different methods of achieving short-term goals, </li> <li>laying out the direct and indirect benefits of performing certain tasks, </li> <li>visualizing the interconnections of many thoughts and ideas, </li> <li>creating representative imagery that will be easy to associate with later, </li> <li>realizing how you can accomplish multiple goals with one activity or at least how you can combine short-term goals.</li> </ol> <h2 class="MsoNormal">Why is Mind Mapping so Effective? </h2> <p class="MsoNormal">Mind mapping combines thinking strategies of both right-brained and left-brained thinkers. This makes mind mapping easy to conceptualize for both types of thinkers, but more importantly, by combining these right and left-brained strategies we’re able to unleash our mind’s full creative and conceptual potential.</p> <h2 class="MsoNormal">How to Create a Mind Map</h2> <h3 class="MsoNormal">Getting Started</h3> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s best to create a mind map with a pen or pencil on a large piece of paper. Start with one word that represents a thought, goal, idea, problem, etc. If you need more than one word that’s okay, but try to keep it VERY simple. Write this word in the middle of the paper and create a quick doodle or symbolic graphic that represents your central word. It’s great to use colors and be as creative and vivid as you can, this will help with recollection later, and will also help to unleash the creative prowess not generally used when planning or organizing. Next, write down associated words around the center word and connect them to create appropriate associations. Continue using color and creating symbolic graphics for each word. Outside of those words create more words and associate them appropriately. Soon, you will see a complex network of associations all related to your central word.</p> <h3 class="MsoNormal">Expanding the Map</h3> <p class="MsoNormal">This network of relationships is your mind map for this particular topic. You can expand on it infinitely so be careful not to stray too far from the intended relevancy. Once you have added a good deal of content to your map take a step back and look at the big picture. Look at all of the tiers you have most likely created. Try to look at each word on its own and determine whether it can be associated with anything else on the map. Create lines between all associated content, and if lines are not practical, use graphical indicators or numbers to indicate a connection between two things. Eliminating the need for tiers of information that only have one “parent” is one of the main principles of the mind map.</p> <h3 class="MsoNormal">Direction</h3> <p class="MsoNormal">Don’t focus on one word at a time when you are making the map. Keep looking at the big picture and come up with any word that is associated with any other word in the map. Jumping around from place to place will keep all of the words fresh in your mind and will make associations easier. If you see your mind map taking on a different direction, think about taking one of the words from your map and creating a new map with that word as the base word. This can be done for any word.</p> <h3 class="MsoNormal">Conclusions</h3> <p class="MsoNormal">Look at the mind map and try to determine the various paths through which any two things are related. How are they related? Which other items do the relationships pass through? Are there multiple thought processes, ideas or tasks that lead to the same outcome? Is one path shorter than the other? Is one path more important than the other? Does one path address more elements than the other?</p> <h2 class="MsoNormal">Examples of Mind Mapping for a Better Life</h2> <h3 class="MsoNormal">Vacation Mind Map</h3> <p class="MsoNormal">Create a mind map about all things related to a day off, or a vacation. This can help you prioritize your next vacation plans. It can also give you insight into how you can accomplish multiple things at one time thereby making your vacation time more effective.</p> <h3 class="MsoNormal">House Work Mind Map</h3> <p class="MsoNormal">This mind map will most likely start with items like “Cleaning”, “Maintenance”, “Organization”, “Projects” etc.. this map will help you realize how these things are interconnected (ie. Cleaning & maintenance might have many interconnections) and will help you to better optimize your efforts around the house.</p> <h3 class="MsoNormal">Shopping Mind Map</h3> <p class="MsoNormal">Creating a shopping mind map may be a little bit large, so it might be better to start with “clothes shopping” or “consumables”. Organize these mind maps, not by individual item, to avoid over-complication, but by category or other properties. For instance, consumables could be interconnected by timeframes like “daily”, “weekly”, “annually”, or by importance like “critical”, “needs”, and “wants”.</p> <h3 class="MsoNormal">Health Mind Map</h3> <p class="MsoNormal">A health-oriented mind map could help to align and associate different critical elements of your health, such as diet, exercise, anxiety level, enrichment, etc.</p> <h3 class="MsoNormal">Work-Life Balance Mind Map</h3> <p class="MsoNormal">Create a “work-life balance mind map” that helps you to organize your short term and long term goals, your time, and other important criteria between your work life and your social life. By creating these interconnections between these two large facets of your life you will start to realize how, or <em>if</em>, your goals are in line with both of these areas. You will also be able to visually see how compartmentalized your life may be in these different areas, what is contributing to its compartmentalization, and new methods of improving the effectiveness of your pursuit of happiness in any faculty.</p> <h3 class="MsoNormal">Problem Statement Mind Map</h3> <p class="MsoNormal">If you have an obstacle you’re struggling to overcome, put a very simple problem statement in the center of a mind map and write down all associated items. Other similar problems, similar solutions, tools that might be helpful, methods of solving problems… etc. Get creative. These associations will inevitably lead to a new solution.</p> <h2 class="MsoNormal">My “Vacation” Mind-Map Example</h2> <p>Above is an example of a mind map that I created the other day when sitting at the lake. I didn't have a large peice of paper or colored pencils so it's not as extravagant as it could be, but it gets the job done. If you read through it, starting with "Vacation" in the middle, you can see that I've used "Play" "Accomplish" and "Explore" as some of my subcategories. If I were to re-draw it, I would probably lump "Beach" and "Sun" into one "Relax" subcategory. </p> <p>As I drew the map, the evolution surprised me more than once, in that the ends of the branches linked up to one another, creating a "bridge" of sorts between two subcategories. It was interesting to look at these "bridging" elements from both different perspectives. For example, the branch: "Accomplish > Housework > Improve > Landscaping" leads to the same place as "Sun(Relax) > Outside > Landscaping". This tells me a few things... </p> <ol> <li>First, it means I must enjoy landscaping. </li> <li>Second, if I find myself landscaping, I can be aware of the fact that I am both, accomplishing housework, as well as relaxing.</li> <li>Also, if it is Saturday afternoon and I know I <em>should</em> be doing housework, but I'd really rather be relaxing, this is something I could consider doing in order to cover both bases.</li> </ol> <p>These bridging elements occured in several places on my mind map and are indicated by a number in a square. Some other bridges are:</p> <ol> <li>"Play > Kung-Fu > Practice > Workout > Dynamic > Games" and "Sun(Relax) > Frisbee"</li> <li>"Explore" and "Sun(Relax) > Outside"</li> <li>"Explore > Nature > Swimming / Kayaking" and "Play > Kung-Fu > Practice > Workout > Dynamic > Swim/Kayak"</li> </ol> <p>Imagine if the mind map had been any bigger! And this exercise probably took about 30 minutes to complete with all the doodles. Not very long, and creating the mind map in itself was quite relaxing as well. (doodling has always been relaxing to me)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For me, creating a mind map was very eye-opening and I’m excited to explore more maps to re-create the important parts of my mental structure in a form that I can see and comprehend. I also plan to use mind maps as a tool at work or around the house for organizing workflow and chores. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Give it a try and let me know what you think! Is this a tool you can see yourself using?</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=r1iOGdUi_Hc:UqWg4sG6FG4:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=r1iOGdUi_Hc:UqWg4sG6FG4:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=r1iOGdUi_Hc:UqWg4sG6FG4:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=r1iOGdUi_Hc:UqWg4sG6FG4:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=r1iOGdUi_Hc:UqWg4sG6FG4:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=r1iOGdUi_Hc:UqWg4sG6FG4:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=r1iOGdUi_Hc:UqWg4sG6FG4:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=r1iOGdUi_Hc:UqWg4sG6FG4:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>How to Bring Awareness Back to Simple Tasks</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:36:08 +0000</p> <p>Life is an incredible platform for existence. Every day we meander through our lives at slower or faster paces performing hundreds, even thousands, of tasks that are completely second nature to us and require no conscious thought. This is an incredible capacity and should be wholly appreciated.</p> <p>People who teach meditation and life improving techniques often discuss awareness. Practitioners are encouraged to meditate on their breathing, their sitting, their walking, their immediate physical surroundings, etc. These awareness meditations can have a profound mental, physical and spiritual effect on a practitioner. However, it can be difficult to comprehend the intention of these exercises. It’s a foreign, ambiguous concept for most people to “be fully aware” and I think it is often misunderstood or misconstrued.</p> <h3>Reduce the learned simplicity of tasks</h3> <p>Here’s a different method to raise your awareness in a more physical, understandable way. Take for example talking on the phone, flipping a light switch, handing someone money, drinking tea, using utensils… etc. These are tasks that you’re probably not very well aware of because you learned to do them at such a young age and have become complacent in doing them.</p> <p>Today try performing all of these simple tasks with your left hand. Performing these tasks with the left hand will bring you back to the time of your youth when you were still learning coordination and everything was a new experience. Things like dialing the phone, eating, and using a computer mouse took more concentration on the task at hand and, therefore, gave you more awareness of what you were doing. Try this and let me know how it feels!</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PECb19p-YBc:tKGVDWyUuDM:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PECb19p-YBc:tKGVDWyUuDM:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PECb19p-YBc:tKGVDWyUuDM:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PECb19p-YBc:tKGVDWyUuDM:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PECb19p-YBc:tKGVDWyUuDM:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PECb19p-YBc:tKGVDWyUuDM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PECb19p-YBc:tKGVDWyUuDM:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PECb19p-YBc:tKGVDWyUuDM:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Wording Questions Differently to Avoid Complacent Responses</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:20:53 +0000</p> <blockquote><p>How was your day? <br />What did you do today? <br />What was your favorite part of today? <br />Were time and life both pleasant in their passing today? <br />How exciting were the events in your life today? <br />Was your day as awesome as mine was?</p></blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal">Asking the above questions all basically have the same intention, it's an inquiry about someone's day. But they elicit completely different answers and more critical thinking on the part of the responder. “How was your day?” is such a commonplace question that not much thought really goes into answering it, and there’s a good likelihood that you will get a pretty quick, pretty generic answer. Whereas if you were to offer a more thought provoking question, the answer might take a few more seconds and might be a bit more pensive. Trust me, you will get some strange looks from time to time, but someone having been asked a question will generally try to give an answer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Another benefit of asking generally unasked questions is that you can come across as asking about someone’s day while implying that something positive should be included in the answer. For instance, “Was your day as good as mine?” is infinitely more positive and healthy to ask than “Did your day suck as much as mine?” Essentially it is the same question, but the implication is very different. Each question exudes a feeling of positivity or negativity, respectively and gets the answering party thinking in one direction or another. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">This is also a great way to test your vocabulary and grammar skills. By conjugating sentences that are carefully crafted to elicit certain responses, the questioner must be more diligent about wording.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">What are some questions you can use to replace the commonplace everyday questions you might use now?</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bB8mHvrDlxs:NlC9hCNzfmk:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bB8mHvrDlxs:NlC9hCNzfmk:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bB8mHvrDlxs:NlC9hCNzfmk:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bB8mHvrDlxs:NlC9hCNzfmk:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bB8mHvrDlxs:NlC9hCNzfmk:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bB8mHvrDlxs:NlC9hCNzfmk:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bB8mHvrDlxs:NlC9hCNzfmk:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bB8mHvrDlxs:NlC9hCNzfmk:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Hobbies that Increase Physical and Mental Awareness</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 12:31:56 +0000</p> <p>Have you ever noticed that people who have active or adventurous hobbies that require a high level of physical awareness are generally more pleasant or have a good outlook on life?<br /> Namely things like rock climbing, dancing, martial arts, yoga, skateboarding, etc? Activities that require you to pay attention to your body parts and learn how to move them in certain and precise ways.</p> <p> The huge amount of coordination and physical awareness necessary for these sports is so healthy for the mind and and contributes largely to the broad picture of awareness such that these types of people are more closely in tune with the world around them and the people around them. This allows them to interact with others in the most optimal way, having established a better understanding of the present moment and situation at hand.</p> <h3>What is the broad picture of awareness?</h3> <p>Conventional wisdom, the natural human life cycle, and common logic all agree that there is an optimal progression to developing conscious awareness as follows.</p> <ol> <li> <h3>Physical Awareness</h3> </li> <li> <h3>Mental Awareness</h3> </li> <li> <h3>Spiritual Awareness</h3> </li> </ol> <p>Increasing your physical awareness will very much help you to become better in tune with your life both mentally and spiritually. </p> <p> The moral of the story is, go find a new cragg to climb, learn a new dance step, or check out a class at your local martial arts school; it could be the beginning of something good.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ag4px9EpfX0:Z4cJZpoQLzc:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ag4px9EpfX0:Z4cJZpoQLzc:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ag4px9EpfX0:Z4cJZpoQLzc:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ag4px9EpfX0:Z4cJZpoQLzc:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ag4px9EpfX0:Z4cJZpoQLzc:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ag4px9EpfX0:Z4cJZpoQLzc:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ag4px9EpfX0:Z4cJZpoQLzc:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ag4px9EpfX0:Z4cJZpoQLzc:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Never Stop Learning. Find Appreciation Through Understanding</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 27 May 2010 01:36:28 +0000</p> <blockquote>Great love is born of a deep understanding of the thing loved. - <em>Leonardo DaVinci</em><br /></blockquote> <p>Learning new information, new skills, new tricks, is something that is so highly reverred and encouraged among our young, but our lifestyles generally tend to steer us away from learning as we grow older. Other priorities and responsibilities become too abundant to avoid, and we are gradually weened from the intrinsic desire (and even <em>instinct</em>) to learn.</p> <p>In today's wonderful world, humanity and the technology industry is brining so many new and useful tools into your home to make it easy to pick up where you left off and keep learning. Podcasts, video classes, free encyclopedias, and a myriad of other sources of knowledge is only seconds away from you right now.</p> <p>You can find free math and physics classes online at <a href="http://www.academicearth.org" target="_blank">http://www.academicearth.org</a> These classes are actual videos of a full semester course at the top academic institutes in the country: Harvard, Yale, MIT, etc. </p> <p>USC Berkely now has tons of podcasts online for free at <a href="http://webcast.berkeley.edu/courses.php" target="_blank">http://webcast.berkeley.edu/courses.php</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.learnoutloud.com/" target="_blank">Learn out loud</a> also specializes in podcasts and other media designed to teach you new and interesting things.</p> <h1>What is the Importance of Learning?</h1> <p>Learning (anything) offers a great opportunity to increase your appreciation for a certain subject, or life in general. If you have ever had an appreciation for something - and I'm certain that you have - you will inevitably by knowledgable on the subject, at least to some extent. This can work in both directions, if you find that you're depressed, or stuck at your job, or can't find the happiness that you'd like, try picking up some new knowledge on a subject.</p> <p>For instance, I recently took a course through <a href="http://www.teach12.com" target="_blank">The Teaching Company</a>, on Ancient Egypt. And having no prior knowledge on the subject, I was clueless as to what I would take away from it. The course was 24 lectures, each 45-60 mins, and I learned all about the pharaohs Normer, Hatshepsut, Ramises and all the way through Alexander the Great. It was a great lesson and now that I'm finished, I have a great appreciation for life in 2000 BC and the struggles that people faced. </p> <p>No matter what you learn there will always be something that will give you some sort of appreciation. </p> <p>Leave a comment about something you're learning now, or something you'd like to learn about.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=QzIfzZkSyPc:-TGDwyJgXHg:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=QzIfzZkSyPc:-TGDwyJgXHg:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=QzIfzZkSyPc:-TGDwyJgXHg:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=QzIfzZkSyPc:-TGDwyJgXHg:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=QzIfzZkSyPc:-TGDwyJgXHg:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=QzIfzZkSyPc:-TGDwyJgXHg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=QzIfzZkSyPc:-TGDwyJgXHg:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=QzIfzZkSyPc:-TGDwyJgXHg:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>10 Questions to Get to Know Yourself</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:01:41 +0000</p> <p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/magical-weave-mirror.jpg"></a>Getting to know yourself is a major turning point on the way to truly enjoying your life. In order to understand the world around you, you must first understand yourself and how you react to stimuli in any given situation. Physical awareness is the very first step to take on the road to full awareness of mind and body. Mental and spiritual awareness would follow, but for now let's just focus on the body. This helps us to realize what we can and can't do and also how others perceive us. Here is a short list of 10 questions that will, if you take the time to honestly consider them, will help you to better understand yourself and become more physically aware.</p> <ol> <li>What is the distance from the tip of my thumb to the tip of my little finger when my hand is outstretched? (This can be very useful when taking quick measurements of objects around the house.)</li> <li>What does my normal sitting posture look like? What would I need to do to improve it?</li> <li>What is my average reflex time? (Take <a href="http://www.prelovac.com/vladimir/reflex-tester">this online test</a>) Is it above or below average?</li> <li>What is the speed of my resting heartbeat?</li> <li>What is the duration of one full breath? How does it change depending on my mood or activity?</li> <li>How much weight can I lift without injuring myself?</li> <li>When standing or sitting, is my center of gravity perfectly centered over my feet or chair? Is my weight naturally shifted? This could mean issues with your posture.</li> <li>How high can I jump? How far can I jump? (See <a title="Always Challenge your Limits" href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/content/always-challenge-your-limits">Always Challenge your Limits</a>)</li> <li>How long is my normal walking stride? This will increase accuracy when pacing off distances.</li> <li>What volume of food is comfortable for me to eat and not be stuffed, or left hungry? (See <a title="Avoid Over-eating" href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/content/avoid-over-eating-8-questions-ask-yourself-when-cravings-hit">10 questions to avoid over-eating</a>)</li> </ol> <p>Feel free to add your own questions to the comments.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=9VKUIv0dqB0:smnMIhJ_cjA:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=9VKUIv0dqB0:smnMIhJ_cjA:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=9VKUIv0dqB0:smnMIhJ_cjA:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=9VKUIv0dqB0:smnMIhJ_cjA:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=9VKUIv0dqB0:smnMIhJ_cjA:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=9VKUIv0dqB0:smnMIhJ_cjA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=9VKUIv0dqB0:smnMIhJ_cjA:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=9VKUIv0dqB0:smnMIhJ_cjA:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Improve your Eyesight Natrually with Simple Shaolin Exercises</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:56:00 +0000</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/36076654@N05/3890517827"></a>In ancient China, <a class="zem_slink" title="Shaolin Monastery" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaolin_Monastery">Shaolin</a> monks developed a fighting style based on the physical characteristics and iconic elements of the personality of the Tiger. They called this <a class="zem_slink" title="Black Tiger Kung Fu" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tiger_Kung_Fu">Tiger style</a> Kung-Fu. Since a Tiger has very keen eyesight, the monks developed methods of exercising their eyes to improve thier eyesight. These would have been exercises that they trained and developed from a very young age. They would have been performed by eveyone training in the Tiger style regardless of whether they had so-called "<a class="zem_slink" title="Visual acuity" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_acuity">20/20 vision</a>". No matter how good you are at something, you can aways become better with more training.<br /><br />I have been recently practicing the following exercises and have noticed an improvement in my eyesight over just the past couple months.<br /><br /><strong>One exercise</strong> was to count the leaves on a far away tree. With meditative patience they would focus in and count hundreds of leaves at a time. (This is a good one to practice in the fall since the leaves are changing colors and you may be staring at leaves quite a bit anyway.) Start up close with some leaves that are easy to make out and count 50 of them. With patience, slowly pick trees that are farther away from you and then slowly increase the number of leaves you count. Work your way up to 200 which will give you a good amount of time with your eyes focused at a distance. Do this once daily.<br /><br /><strong>Another exercise</strong> is to focus on an object very close to your face. I usually choose my hand. Get it as close to your eyes as you can while retaining a good focus on it. Look at it for about 2-3 seconds after you've fully adjusted your focus on it, and then pick another object that is more than 20 feet away. I generally pick a leaf on a tree or something else that has some fine detail that will allow me to really focus on finer and finer detail. If you pick a flatt wall or something that doesn't have much texture or detail it will be hard to focus on. Again, look at the object for 2-3 seconds after you have achieved a good focus. Go back and forth between these two objects about 20 times and do this exercise daily.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"> <script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=DehK3OSK1zo:wOBhbPWn39o:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=DehK3OSK1zo:wOBhbPWn39o:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=DehK3OSK1zo:wOBhbPWn39o:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=DehK3OSK1zo:wOBhbPWn39o:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=DehK3OSK1zo:wOBhbPWn39o:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=DehK3OSK1zo:wOBhbPWn39o:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=DehK3OSK1zo:wOBhbPWn39o:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=DehK3OSK1zo:wOBhbPWn39o:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Pain is Only What you Make It - The Original Tale</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:16:00 +0000</p> <p>Reference previous post: <a href="http://minilifehacks.blogspot.com/2008/01/pain-is-only-what-you-make-it-mind-over.html">The Pain is Only What you Make It - Mind over Matter</a><br /><br />With every impact, blood seeped out of my aching knuckles as I struck the wall-mounted training pad over …and over …and over again. Right, left, right left, right, left… My senior instructor, in his naturally menacing manner bellowed, “Punch harder!! I better feel the building shake! The pain is only what you make it.” as he walked out of the dojo and went upstairs to eat his lunch…<br /><br />There were two of us testing for our black belts that day and we both took a healthy breath, focused in a little closer to our targets …and we punched harder. As our fists throbbed and knuckles stung, his words resounded in ears, and we persevered. My mind sunk into contemplation and became detached from my current situation. After many years of martial arts training, I knew the capabilities of my body, and I knew how it would react to certain types of damage. “They’re only knuckles. They’ll lose their skin and bleed. Since I’m human I know they’ll heal.”</p> <blockquote>“If the pain is only what I make it, then the fact that I’m stuck in this situation is unimportant.” <br /></blockquote> <p>Physical pain is only a response to outside stimuli, and it tells a brain that there may be damage occurring at a certain location on the body. Essentially, it’s an electrical memo sent from your nerve endings to your brain and can be thought of as merely a form of communication. Well, if you are already aware of what is happening with your body, then you have no reason to read the memo. You have the option to disregard the memo in order to more effectively get your task done. Of course, the same philosophy can be applied to more than just the physical sort of pain or suffering.</p> <blockquote>“I know that I am in pain now, but I know that some time in the future I will no longer be in pain.”<br /></blockquote> <p>Knowing that pain is temporary is also helpful. When you begin to realize that the climate of life is always changing, then you will always be prepared to embrace the approaching climate, be it painful or joyful. If this is the case, what difference does it make that there is pain now?</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=iMPk2VJ4MJo:s9Lh60Cho1s:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=iMPk2VJ4MJo:s9Lh60Cho1s:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=iMPk2VJ4MJo:s9Lh60Cho1s:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=iMPk2VJ4MJo:s9Lh60Cho1s:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=iMPk2VJ4MJo:s9Lh60Cho1s:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=iMPk2VJ4MJo:s9Lh60Cho1s:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=iMPk2VJ4MJo:s9Lh60Cho1s:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=iMPk2VJ4MJo:s9Lh60Cho1s:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>One Second Meditation Practice. A Moment of Clarity.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:37:00 +0000</p> <p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 169px; font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25678284@N03/3370606387"></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25678284@N03/3370606387">KayVee.INC</a> via Flickr</span></span></p> <p>One-hour meditation too much to handle? 20 minutes? 5 minutes got you beat? Here's a new approach to meditation with one very westernized quality about it. It's <em>very </em>fast.</p> <p><span>This method is less focused on meditation, but more about trying to sit peacefully and achieve a brief moment of clarity, or clarity of presence. This way of thinking comes from Zen philosophy. The idea here is to create an instantaneous state of mind, or state of being wherein your awareness or understanding of your immediate surroundings or situation is increased. Try not to exert effort when attempting this. It will inevitably lead to failure and regret. Failure to do something that you didn’t “try” to do, is not really a failure. If you want it to be a sunny day and it turns out rainy, you did not fail. If it rains, it rains; if it’s sunny, it’s sunny.</span></p> <p><span>Hints to help you achieve a moment of clarity:</span></p> <ol> <li><span>Focus on your heartbeat until you can feel it pushing the blood throughout all of your arteries.</span></li> <li><span>Create a phrase or sentence that describes what it feels like to be alive.</span></li> <li><span>Look at your hand and try to understand that no matter what happens in this life, all that's sure is that you will have this body.</span></li> <li><span>Picture yourself from a bird's eye view. Visualize whatever you're doing at the moment and zoom out little by little to picture the room, building, trees, street, town, state, country, continent, planet, galaxy, and all of the cosmos.</span></li> <li><span>Imagine you have just been born and are seeing all of the things around you for the first time. </span></li> <li><span>Do not concentrate, just pay attention.</span></li> <li><span>Do something you absolutely love doing. Something that engages your mind and body 100%.</span></li> <li><span>Rise to a challenge that is slightly more than you think you are capable of.</span></li> <li><span>Breathe silently and listen to the other sounds your body may be making.</span></li> <li><span>Focus on your skin until it begins to tingle.</span></li> </ol> <p><span> Have a nice day!</span></p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px; font-family: georgia;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"> <script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=7T4zAZb_q84:vGTlvpsx4_k:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=7T4zAZb_q84:vGTlvpsx4_k:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=7T4zAZb_q84:vGTlvpsx4_k:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=7T4zAZb_q84:vGTlvpsx4_k:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=7T4zAZb_q84:vGTlvpsx4_k:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=7T4zAZb_q84:vGTlvpsx4_k:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=7T4zAZb_q84:vGTlvpsx4_k:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=7T4zAZb_q84:vGTlvpsx4_k:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>How to Prioritize when Prioritizing is not a Priority</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:12:00 +0000</p> <p><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SkthiRZUSqI/AAAAAAAACr0/dJXHfWGTv2o/s1600-h/dscn0600.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>Everyone has something that they want to accomplish or get better at or do more often, and no matter how much we think about it, it just keeps slipping by. Another opportunity to eat healthier or practice a certain piano piece, etc. is trumped by other priorities, other obligations.</p> <p><strong>Accept that this will happen.</strong></p> <p>You have priorities. Everyone does, and always will, that’s just part of <a class="zem_slink" title="Human nature" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_nature">human nature</a>. Priorities that are higher on the list get done before those that are lower. Sometimes you have control over the priorities list and sometimes you don’t. Priorities come bundled with an inherent level of importance depending on your lifestyle and the elements you cherish.</p> <p><strong>Increasing the importance of a priority.</strong></p> <p>If you have something in mind that you have wanted to undertake, but have not been able to find the time for it, there <em>is </em> a way to increase the importance. Generally speaking the items that are a "bigger" part of your life get more attention - the house, kids, job, etc. So with this <a class="zem_slink" title="Philosophy" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy">philosophy</a>, if you make something a larger part of your life, it will inherently become more of a priority.</p> <p><strong>Make your priorities a <em><a class="zem_slink" title="Hobby" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby">hobby</a>!</em> </strong></p> <p>If you make something a <em>hobby</em> it will become more important to you because of the fact that it has become a larger part of your life. My wife recently became fascinated with eating healthy. She fed that fascination by learning about food from the bottom up. She studied hundreds of healthy foods, read books, blogs, labels and talked to other people with similar minds. She became immersed in this knowledge and has gained an invaluable understanding of what is healthy and <em>why</em> . She made this lower-level priority into a hobby that expanded and consumed spare moments that would otherwise have been used doing other things. Her other priorities didn’t necessarily have to wane to make room for it, but they were simply rearranged to accomodate for it.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"> <script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-jKccPZChqQ:F9VPDhdTqCk:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-jKccPZChqQ:F9VPDhdTqCk:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-jKccPZChqQ:F9VPDhdTqCk:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-jKccPZChqQ:F9VPDhdTqCk:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-jKccPZChqQ:F9VPDhdTqCk:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-jKccPZChqQ:F9VPDhdTqCk:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-jKccPZChqQ:F9VPDhdTqCk:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-jKccPZChqQ:F9VPDhdTqCk:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Let Today be Forever Known as the "Inspiration Age"</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:46:00 +0000</p> <p></p> <p><br />I woke up this morning and the words "Inspiration Age" were ringing in my head. Not sure why, but when I got to thinking about it, akin to the industrial revolution of the 18th & 19th centuries or the Space Age which began in the 50's, it does stand to reason that the first part of the 2000's will forever be remembered as the "Inspiration Age".</p> <p>Our world is on an extremely fast and volatile evolutionary path, and wherever we end up 50 years from now, what we do TODAY will have been the inspiration that crafted it.</p> <p>In this article I've listed what I believe to be the major contributors to today's inspiration.</p> <h2>"Go Green"</h2> <p>Of course today's buzzword is "Green". This is getting engineers optimizing existing products and creating new technologies across the board as well as take a closer look at the entire Earth, its processes and their interrelations as a system. But this inspiration is not just limited to engineers, everyone conscientious enough is taking a fresh look at their daily life and coming up with new ways to optimize it that would have less of an environmental impact.</p> <h2>Budding New Technologies</h2> <p>So many technologies are in their infancy right now and there is much more research and learning being done than actual development or commercialization in the fields of cloning, consumer space flight, nano-technology, thought controlled devices and many more.</p> <p>Revolutions in personal communication devices present an interesting topic for inspiration as well. New developments in everyday devices are revolutionizing how we go about our lives. What this means to me is the combination of all of our cool new gadgets into one tiny little device: Phone, Camera, PDA, Music player, and any other form of communication available “out there”. This has been on the horizon and greatly anticipated ever since cell phones started taking pictures and on the forefront of this effort is the iPhone which has been the first to really nail this. (it sounds to me like everything else pales in comparison – sorry Blackberry users). All of you people (myself included) who have been expecting this product for some time now, have provided a great deal of inspiration and motivation for product development engineers. Thanks everyone! From all of us.</p> <p>These devices allow creative minds to focus on creativity, drawing inspiration and creating inspiration rather than organization of thoughts or communication.</p> <h2>Life Hackers</h2> <p>There seems to be a large presence of people out there who have become very interested in optimizing every facet of life. Relationships, chores, work, parenting, making money… or just day-to-day tasks - hence the creation of this blog. ☺ I think this is a fascinating concept and, like the convenient devices discussed above, the idea is that if you can optimize certain tasks so that you don’t need to spend as much doing them, you have more time to spend focusing on the more enjoyable things in life. Enjoyable things inherently offer more inspiration to people because you can generally allow yourself to contribute 100% of your focus to these things. If you are attempting to enjoy something against your natural instinct you most likely won’t allow yourself to be completely immersed in it.</p> <p>Another benefit to "life hacking" is that it offers an entirely new subject to scrutinize – The optimization of life itself. This is completely new and very creative in itself. It provides inspiration for the scrutinization of a vast number of other subjects that we currently take for granted or accept for what they are.</p> <h2>"Millennials"</h2> <p>Otherwise known as the Net Generation, Generation Y, Echo Boomers, and iGeneration, Millenials are basically the generation following the baby boomers. Many business owners are afraid of Millennials because they are known to expect too much of the work place and they have the desire to shape their lives according to their own personal schedule and goals as opposed to committing to a life and goals dictated by a company's progress. I can understand why this would be frightening to an employer, unless of course the employer is, themselves, a part of the millennial generation or at least understands them.</p> <p>This leads to an exciting evolution of all businesses adapting this millennial mindset and being able to happily accommodate a world that moves faster than ever. Daily market changes, trends and expectations will be accommodated much easier and with greater success.</p> <h2>Recession</h2> <p>Life is extremely tenacious, we’ve been reminded of this throughout 300 million years of evolution. When life struggles it pulls out the heavy artillery. When the going gets tough, the tough get going, if you will… In our current economic state there are a lot of business tactics that are being used to ensure a company’s success through this hazardous economic environment. There is creativity being used everywhere in business right now to build stronger practices and keep companies alive. This will undoubtedly contribute revelations on heartier methods to the western industrial world that can be used in the future that will better accommodate a more diverse economic environment.</p> <h2>A New Awakening</h2> <p>This is along the same lines as the life hackers and millennials. Overall, it seems like today's society is becoming more aware of the intricacies of daily life and is making "living happily" more of a priority. I recently read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452289963?ie=UTF8&tag=ti00-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0452289963" target="_blank"><span class="zem_slink">A New Earth</span> – Awakening to your Life’s Purpose</a> by Eckhart Tolle. It is an amazing book about the new spiritual revolution of today’s world. It coincides directly with the rise of eastern religion in the west and life hackers, and living happily. As stated above, when we are enjoying what we’re doing and living contently overall, it is easy to become completely immersed in all that we do. This then makes it easier to draw inspiration and create inspiration for all others.</p> <h2>Sharing of Ideas</h2> <p>Digital mediums such as blogs, e-books, networks, social groups, etc, make sharing ideas and knowledge a snap. This is pretty simple, the more ideas, the more inspiration available.</p> <p>Cheers, to the inspiration age! It's a lot of hard work that we've got to do now to create a better future for everyone.</p> <p>What do you think? Is this possible? 50 years from now, what will you be calling today's years?</p> <p>Read this article at <a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/03/let-today-be-forever-known-as-the-inspiration-age/">MiniLifeHacks.com</a></p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"> <script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JZ56ArXnV9Y:7Tbu7-6Q8Es:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JZ56ArXnV9Y:7Tbu7-6Q8Es:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JZ56ArXnV9Y:7Tbu7-6Q8Es:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JZ56ArXnV9Y:7Tbu7-6Q8Es:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JZ56ArXnV9Y:7Tbu7-6Q8Es:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JZ56ArXnV9Y:7Tbu7-6Q8Es:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JZ56ArXnV9Y:7Tbu7-6Q8Es:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JZ56ArXnV9Y:7Tbu7-6Q8Es:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>How to Eat your Snack Slowly and Make it Last</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:47:00 +0000</p> <p><br />Too many times I take out the 10am snack only to find that it has disappeared by 10:05 and I can't even place exactly what it tasted like.. This has happened to you, no doubt? Here's a list of tips to help you slow down, enjoy, appreciate, and actually make your snacks last. Eating one snack more slowly will help you avoid or at least <em>postpone </em> your cravings. (See <a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/02/avoid-over-eating-8-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-cravings-hit/" target="_self">questions to ask yourself when cravings hit</a> )</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>1. Reward yourself </strong> - Use food only as a reward for being productive or accomplishing something. Don't go crazy though, you don't deserve a reward for <em>everything</em> , you know..</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>2. Keep busy</strong> - If you're simply busier, hypothetically, you won't have as much time to be snacking. Read my post on <a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/02/stay-motivated-at-work/" target="_self">how to stay motivated and on task at work</a> .</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>3. Clean out your mouth</strong> - Between each bite make sure your mouth is clean. Get all the extra goodies out from between your teeth and from all of the little places where food gets stuck. Take a sip of water if you want.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>4. Portion control</strong> - Bring only as much food as you think you need to eat. Only buy the small bag of chips this time; only pack one handful of pretzels instead of three. Note that this is probably less that you would <em>want </em> to eat, but not more than you <em>need</em> to eat to stay content.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>5. Bring a variety</strong> - Something like trail mix (it's good for you!) And eat only one thing at a time. One peanut, one raisin.. Take your time deciding which piece it will be next. Consult your taste buds and consider all of your options before making the BIG DECISION! Too much of the same thing can make you complacent and your appreciation for each bite will be reduced.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>6. Exploit your own discomfort</strong> - Put your snack just out of your reach so that you are required to lean over or get out of your chair or otherwise inconvenience yourself in order to grab a bite.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>7. Appreciation</strong> - Notice how much different a peanut tastes when you eat one (or one half) at a time as opposed to a handful. How many different flavors do you notice? What do you notice from the shape? How is one peanut different from another? How does the flavor change as you slowly eat your way through the peanut?</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>8. Include all senses</strong> - Smell your snack or look at it closely before putting a piece in your mouth. This goes along with appreciation. Chinese and Tibetan monks have even been known to listen to their food before consuming it. The idea here is that it makes each bite feel larger and more important.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>9. No one can eat just one?</strong> - Take the challenge.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>10. Set a timer</strong> - Say you want your one little bag of peanuts to last for 3 hours. Estimate how many peanuts are in the bag, divide that number by two. Divide 3 hours by the previous number you got, and that means at that interval you are allowing yourself to eat 2 peanuts. IE, if I had 24 peanuts (a handful) I could eat 2 of them every 5 minutes and they would last for an hour. Use a timer on your watch, phone, computer, etc.</p> <p>As I wrote this list I made a couple handfuls of trailmix last for an excess of 3 hours. And I can still taste every bite! It was great. I challenge you to give it a try. And let me know how it went!</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=U1CGhMx8lsg:5Hr0dCsQoGQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=U1CGhMx8lsg:5Hr0dCsQoGQ:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=U1CGhMx8lsg:5Hr0dCsQoGQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=U1CGhMx8lsg:5Hr0dCsQoGQ:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=U1CGhMx8lsg:5Hr0dCsQoGQ:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=U1CGhMx8lsg:5Hr0dCsQoGQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=U1CGhMx8lsg:5Hr0dCsQoGQ:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=U1CGhMx8lsg:5Hr0dCsQoGQ:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>10 Tips on How to Stay Motivated at Work</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:22:00 +0000</p> <p style="text-align: center;"></p> <p>You've had the "oh-man, I-don't-feel-like-I'm-doing-anything-meaningful-at-work-and-can't-bring-myself-to-stay-on-task-for-the-life-of-me" blues. I know, so have I.</p> <p>No matter what your job is, it is most likely important that you have it, if not for the community or the planet, at least for the survival of you and your family. So whether or not you actually find the immediate task at hand entertaining or otherwise captivating, you must convince yourself that it is worth the battle if not for the sole purpose of your own survival.</p> <p>Oh yeah, and if you really <em>don't </em> like your job and think you could do better, have more fun, contribute more to society at another job, by all means, QUIT and get another job! But that's a topic for another post...</p> <p>If you do, in fact, enjoy your job (as I do) and feel that it is the right place for you to be right now, but sometimes have trouble staying on task or motivating yourself, I've come up with a list of little tricks I've tried to keep up a good work flow and avoid the bosses raised eyebrow that says: "Really, what is your purpose here?"</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>1. Make a to-do list.</strong> Write all of your tasks down on a piece of PAPER; not on the computer or in your PDA. Something that will remain right in front of your face no matter what you are doing.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>2. Listen to music. </strong> But not just any music, and certainly not your favorite music (that can be distracting) find the <em>right</em> music to motivate you. I find that I work best to fast music with no lyrics. I also find Japanese drums to be invigorating, and there's always the old stand-by: Iron Maiden. Great for productivity.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>3. Play games with yourself. </strong> Get in touch with your inner child and make believe that it is your duty to save the world and the only way to do it is to press a button at the bottom of your stack of papers (or something else relevant to your tasks).</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>4. Compete with peers.</strong> Maybe not outwardly, not if it would be awkward, but play a game where at the weekly meeting you have 2 more things to report than everyone else in the room. Or maybe you have assembled more product, or stocked more boxes than anyone else.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>5. Stretch. </strong> Take a few minutes a few times a day and do some stretching. Feeling relaxed and avoiding fatigue is critical to getting good work done. Read this article on <a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/sick-of-staring-at-the-monitor-try-eye-exercises/" target="_self">Eye Exercises</a> that can be done at your desk. And <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Exercise-While-Sitting-at-Your-Computer" target="_blank">here </a> is a link to some stretching you can do without leaving your desk. (and <a href="http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/16/how-to-exercise-while-youre-stuck-at-your-desk/" target="_blank">here</a> )</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>6. Try standing up. </strong> Stand up at your desk for a new perspective and a better posture. Read <a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2008/10/try-standing-up-at-your-desk/" target="_self">Try Standing up at your Desk</a> for more info on how this can be beneficial.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>7. Include yourself</strong> in more tasks - Force yourself to partake. Take on a challenge and give people something to expect from you. If there are short term results that people are expecting, it will be much more difficult to slack off.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>8. Offer your services in other areas</strong> - Carry water jugs, refill the soap in the bathroom, fix someone else's computer, etc. IE: Take on some task that is not technically yours. This will give you a little variety and should make it easier to come back to your position with a new perspective.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>9. Take a "Dry Bath". </strong> This is a technique that originated in ancient Chinese Kung-Fu. Rub your hands together vigorously until the palms heat up. Immediately rub your arms, shoulders, head, torso and legs. This is said to be good for blood flow, metabolism and internal organs. I find that it is also useful in waking yourself up or bringing you into the present moment.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>10. Take a "Brain Bath". </strong> Also a concept from ancient China, a "brain bath" is removing yourself from an arduous environment and giving your senses something more soothing to experience. This can be listening to birds or a stream, looking at artwork or flowers, petting an animal or otherwise giving pleasure to your senses. This is good for invigorating the functions of the brain. Upon returning to work you may find that a portion of the dullness of your tasks has been eradicated.</p> <p>There may be another list a little later since this was kind of fun. But for now, let me know if you use any of these or if I missed any big ones for you.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=SzkipKohRiU:_ojom2OTLfU:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=SzkipKohRiU:_ojom2OTLfU:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=SzkipKohRiU:_ojom2OTLfU:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=SzkipKohRiU:_ojom2OTLfU:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=SzkipKohRiU:_ojom2OTLfU:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=SzkipKohRiU:_ojom2OTLfU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=SzkipKohRiU:_ojom2OTLfU:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=SzkipKohRiU:_ojom2OTLfU:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Avoid Over-Eating: 8 Questions to Ask Yourself When Cravings Hit</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:57:00 +0000</p> <p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 250px;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/38/98153008_7107a93b9a_m.jpg"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57058670@N00/98153008">hale_popoki</a> via Flickr</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 100%;">Try </span><span style="font-size: 100%;">asking yourself some of these questions next time you get those cravings for sweets or fatty foods. Asking questions of yourself in general, is a good way to ensure you're actually conscious of what you're doing<span style="font-weight: bold;">,</span> and not acting on impulse.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span></span>1. </span>Will it be more wasteful for me to drop this into the trash, or to store it in the fat cells in my body and then have to use my own energy to burn them up?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">2. </span>How does my stomach feel right now? Is it full?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">3. </span>If I could extract only the fat/calories in this food and put it in a cup, would I want to slurp it down?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">4. </span>Am I craving this because I actually </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">want </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">it, or because it is a physiological attraction of my senses to it? </span><span>(A physiological desire would be a natural occurrence of which only the senses are in control, whereas an actual </span><span style="font-style: italic;">wanting</span><span> is consciously controlled by rational thoughts in the brain. The rational thinking of the brain, despite popular belief, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">does</span><span> have the power to trump the senses.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">5. </span>How important is it that I eat this food? How important is it that I do not?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">6.</span> How different would my life be if I ate this junk food everyday, compared to if I did not eat this junk food at all?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">7. </span>Do my senses really have more control over my actions than my brain does?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">8.</span> How will I benefit from eating this, or will I?</span><br /><br /><br />Leave a comment and add to the list.<br />What do you ask yourself when cravings hit? What helps you? What hurts you?<br /><br /></p> <fieldset class="zemanta-related"><legend class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles by Zemanta</legend> <ul class="zemanta-article-ul"> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/article.php?aid=615561&pid=6775764102">Fat Loss the Easy Way</a> (articlesbase.com)</li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/article.php?aid=644125&pid=6775764102">2 Immediate Weight Loss Tips</a> (articlesbase.com)</li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://attachmentparenting.org/blog/2008/11/05/food-and-healthy-eating/">Food and healthy eating</a> (attachmentparenting.org)</li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.fitsugar.com/2656019">Healthy Eating Tip: When to Buy Groceries</a> (fitsugar.com)</li> </ul> </fieldset> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Zemified by Zemanta" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/abfc0642-89df-4f97-900c-46c493a5e0d9/"></a></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ed6JFSmbdU4:glv_fUBRj7g:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ed6JFSmbdU4:glv_fUBRj7g:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ed6JFSmbdU4:glv_fUBRj7g:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ed6JFSmbdU4:glv_fUBRj7g:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ed6JFSmbdU4:glv_fUBRj7g:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ed6JFSmbdU4:glv_fUBRj7g:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ed6JFSmbdU4:glv_fUBRj7g:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ed6JFSmbdU4:glv_fUBRj7g:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Did You Know? #8: Human Cell Replacement.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:51:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SYMVIFvjq1I/AAAAAAAACmQ/xfY-P_fZ_oc/s1600-h/DidYouKnow_sm.jpg"></a><br />Every hour one billion cells in the body must be replaced.<p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/did-you-know-8-human-cell-replacement" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G6oA_tyP3Q8:sfaBYwekKlc:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G6oA_tyP3Q8:sfaBYwekKlc:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G6oA_tyP3Q8:sfaBYwekKlc:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G6oA_tyP3Q8:sfaBYwekKlc:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G6oA_tyP3Q8:sfaBYwekKlc:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G6oA_tyP3Q8:sfaBYwekKlc:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G6oA_tyP3Q8:sfaBYwekKlc:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G6oA_tyP3Q8:sfaBYwekKlc:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Did You Know? #7: Female Sense of Hearing</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:24:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SYJzVn-wVtI/AAAAAAAACmI/Fqu-n-FdiJk/s1600-h/DidYouKnow_sm.jpg"></a><p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/did-you-know-7-female-sense-of-hearing" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WPgMG0_91C0:r2lHBfwlD5g:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WPgMG0_91C0:r2lHBfwlD5g:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WPgMG0_91C0:r2lHBfwlD5g:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WPgMG0_91C0:r2lHBfwlD5g:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WPgMG0_91C0:r2lHBfwlD5g:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WPgMG0_91C0:r2lHBfwlD5g:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WPgMG0_91C0:r2lHBfwlD5g:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WPgMG0_91C0:r2lHBfwlD5g:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Did You Know? #6: The Human Head</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:15:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SYJjBoCwJEI/AAAAAAAACmA/Js7KQOwQdWs/s1600-h/DidYouKnow_sm.jpg"></a><br />The average human head weighs about 8 pounds.<p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/did-you-know-6-the-human-head" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=I7u_1d4TxWA:-zhtAOUtVyc:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=I7u_1d4TxWA:-zhtAOUtVyc:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=I7u_1d4TxWA:-zhtAOUtVyc:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=I7u_1d4TxWA:-zhtAOUtVyc:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=I7u_1d4TxWA:-zhtAOUtVyc:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=I7u_1d4TxWA:-zhtAOUtVyc:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=I7u_1d4TxWA:-zhtAOUtVyc:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=I7u_1d4TxWA:-zhtAOUtVyc:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Keep Tabs on President Obama with the Weekly Video Address</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:38:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SYIFmbw68GI/AAAAAAAACl4/tGR-60Ws2v0/s1600-h/Barack+Obama+Capitol.jpg"></a>With all this "change" in the air, and our new celebrity president, politics seems to be becoming more and more popular amongst the youth in<p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/keep-tabs-on-president-obama-with-the-weekly-video-address" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=_TmCYSuub4M:5UiaITLY9a0:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=_TmCYSuub4M:5UiaITLY9a0:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=_TmCYSuub4M:5UiaITLY9a0:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=_TmCYSuub4M:5UiaITLY9a0:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=_TmCYSuub4M:5UiaITLY9a0:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=_TmCYSuub4M:5UiaITLY9a0:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=_TmCYSuub4M:5UiaITLY9a0:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=_TmCYSuub4M:5UiaITLY9a0:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Understanding Basic Principles of Physics for a more Efficient Life</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:37:00 +0000</p> <p class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 212px;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:LeverSecondClass.svg"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:LeverSecondClass.svg"></a></span></span></p> <p>In order to fully understand what's going on around us and optimize our lives, I believe that it is essential to have a basic understanding of some principles of physics. Get to know how things <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> work. Instead of learning by trial and error, if you have some knowledge or understanding of how events <span style="font-style: italic;">might actually </span>turn out, you can probably make better decisions.<br /><br />I think I see the point.. but what exactly are you talking about? Let's say, for example, you bump into a lamp and it begins to topple over. Your tendency would be to grab it any way you can and save it from crashing to the floor. So you grab the lower portion of the lamp because that is the part that is moving the slowest. (assuming that it is simply falling over by pivoting about a point at the base of the lamp) But the lamp is too heavy and you don't can't generate enough torque in your wrist in time and you only end up lifting the base of the lamp from the table and hurting your wrist in the process.<br /><br />Had you been able to apply the simple principle of leverage at the moment you took action, you may have realized that a much smaller amount of force would be required to stop the lamp if you tried to catch it by a point further away from the pivot. The image above depicts a "second class lever" which means that essentially the closer you apply force to the pivot point, the more force is required; and the further away you are, the less is required.<br /><br />There are limitless of scenarios where you can observe the principles of leverage. IE: golf, faucet knobs, eating utensils, your forearm, pushups... etc.<br /><br />There is enough information on Levers and Leverage out there, that I don't need to get into an entire lesson, I just want to make you aware of how knowing and applying these principles can benefit your life. Do some research on your own at the links below.<br /><br />Wikipedia:<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leverage">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leverage</a><br />Hyperphysics:<br /><a href="http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/HFrame.html">http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/HFrame.html</a><br />This one is a white paper on leverage as it applies to biomechanics:<br /><a href="http://www.spinalfitness.com/Demo/effective%20lever%20arms.PDF">http://www.spinalfitness.com/Demo/effective%20lever%20arms.PDF</a><br /><br />Let me know if this makes sense; was it helpful? Is there a situation you can think of where you may have used physical leverage to your benefit in everyday life and not realized it? Is there a situation where, looking back, you <span style="font-style: italic;">could have</span> used leverage to your advantage, and didn't?</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bKRzbeZd7Us:I-3LftE36YI:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bKRzbeZd7Us:I-3LftE36YI:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bKRzbeZd7Us:I-3LftE36YI:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bKRzbeZd7Us:I-3LftE36YI:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bKRzbeZd7Us:I-3LftE36YI:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bKRzbeZd7Us:I-3LftE36YI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bKRzbeZd7Us:I-3LftE36YI:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=bKRzbeZd7Us:I-3LftE36YI:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>For the Evolution of Communication Between Motorists</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:18:00 +0000</p> <p>The evolution and eventual civilization of human-kind is greatly attributed to the presence of communication between beings. As our communication techniques improve, we become more civilized and able to appropriately deal with various situations and hardships through many forms of communication. Besides the number of words in any given language, there are multitudes of gestures, sounds and expressions that help us to communicate without speaking. In order to have a successful society, and for people to work together, there must be good communication.</p><p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/for-the-evolution-of-communication-between-motorists" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UppL4YFEHsk:_m4L_oV3TCg:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UppL4YFEHsk:_m4L_oV3TCg:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UppL4YFEHsk:_m4L_oV3TCg:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UppL4YFEHsk:_m4L_oV3TCg:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UppL4YFEHsk:_m4L_oV3TCg:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UppL4YFEHsk:_m4L_oV3TCg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UppL4YFEHsk:_m4L_oV3TCg:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UppL4YFEHsk:_m4L_oV3TCg:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The Best Invention Since Sliced Bread</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:19:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SX7t9zIwMpI/AAAAAAAAClw/SYfFMYROYIo/s1600-h/CIMG0562.JPG"></a>Last year my wife and I were given a bread maker. I thought to myself, "Cool, a bread maker". Little did I know...<br /><p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/the-best-invention-since-sliced-bread" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=kzeBYdMWRbE:3i4QzB_pa9M:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=kzeBYdMWRbE:3i4QzB_pa9M:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=kzeBYdMWRbE:3i4QzB_pa9M:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=kzeBYdMWRbE:3i4QzB_pa9M:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=kzeBYdMWRbE:3i4QzB_pa9M:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=kzeBYdMWRbE:3i4QzB_pa9M:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=kzeBYdMWRbE:3i4QzB_pa9M:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=kzeBYdMWRbE:3i4QzB_pa9M:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>A Good Way to Get Motivated - Just Do It</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 19:05:00 +0000</p> <p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SX36s41X6sI/AAAAAAAAClM/T2N0FO0-nzQ/s1600-h/DSC_0089.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SX36s41X6sI/AAAAAAAAClM/T2N0FO0-nzQ/s1600-h/DSC_0089.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>In addition to being an engineer, I'm also a musician. I've been writing songs for a few years now, but I've never played for anyone except immediate family and friends. I've been posturing myself and refining my tunes for a while to get them to a point where I'd be comfortable doing a show. I can't say that I'm quite to the "comfortable spot" yet, and playing the guitar doesn't really get top priority, always competing with work, martial arts, other side projects, blogging... etc.<br /><br />A friend of mine is a professional theatrical performer and he recently offered for me to open up for his new show in 6 weeks! Despite my apprehension and unpreparedness, I finally decided that I had to heed my father's advice, "Grab for all the Gusto" and just commit to the show.</p><blockquote>Grab for all the Gusto in life.</blockquote><p>By committing myself to doing this and basically backing myself into a corner, I'll be forcing my priorities. Playing a show is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and despite my uncertainty, now that I have a deadline to meet I will be focusing on this new task.<br /><br />I've used this technique before, I'll call it "over-commitment", with good success. When I was first getting into website development, in speaking with new clients I would commit myself to preparing things that were not part of my skill set. By committing this to clients, I was in fact committing to myself to learn whatever necessary skills were required.<br /><br />What is your experience with forcing yourself to learn something? Have you intentionally over-committed in order to expedite the natural learning curve?</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JyQFmWNNKn8:x66_XMiMgts:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JyQFmWNNKn8:x66_XMiMgts:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JyQFmWNNKn8:x66_XMiMgts:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JyQFmWNNKn8:x66_XMiMgts:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JyQFmWNNKn8:x66_XMiMgts:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JyQFmWNNKn8:x66_XMiMgts:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JyQFmWNNKn8:x66_XMiMgts:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=JyQFmWNNKn8:x66_XMiMgts:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Which came first: the Confidence or the Focus?</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:44:00 +0000</p> <p><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SX2h4_W4X3I/AAAAAAAACkk/_v1ceznTFz0/s1600-h/IMG_0620sm.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><a href="http://zenhabits.net/2009/01/the-power-of-less-tips-of-the<a onblur="></a> I am a big advocate of "effective focus", as it has been referred to at <a href="http://zenhabits.net/2009/01/the-power-of-less-tips-of-the-day/">ZenHabits.com</a>. I believe the difference between CAN and CAN'T is largely a factor of how much focus is effectively given to a certain task.</p><div class="Section1"><p class="MsoNormal">In high school some friends of mine had a band and were looking for a trombonist. A trombone conveniently came available through a friend and I was pretty excited about a potential opportunity for me to join the band, but I’d never touched a trombone before. “Have no fear!” I told myself. I took the trombone home and spent every spare minute learning about the instrument. Not just how to play it, but more.. I learned the construction of it, the adjustments available, how many different ways it could be held, where its center of gravity was.. etc. When learning to play it, I was in a private place (my back yard) with zero distractions, where I could listen to the sound of the instrument and feel it’s reactions to my breath and that was it.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Three weeks later I attended my first band practice, and after one more week I played my first show. I stayed with the band for another 6 years and had a lot of fun. I dedicate that to two things in particular: Confidence in myself, and the ability to focus.</p></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=o_8CNehyz9A:u5ADDtOX_Ec:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=o_8CNehyz9A:u5ADDtOX_Ec:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=o_8CNehyz9A:u5ADDtOX_Ec:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=o_8CNehyz9A:u5ADDtOX_Ec:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=o_8CNehyz9A:u5ADDtOX_Ec:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=o_8CNehyz9A:u5ADDtOX_Ec:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=o_8CNehyz9A:u5ADDtOX_Ec:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=o_8CNehyz9A:u5ADDtOX_Ec:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Tips for Safe Winter Driving - Build Confidence, Know Your Car</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:58:00 +0000</p> <p> </p><p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SXqY3AAFxoI/AAAAAAAACds/SsD6-O0apwc/s1600-h/Snow+Driving+05.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SXqY3AAFxoI/AAAAAAAACds/SsD6-O0apwc/s1600-h/Snow+Driving+05.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><br />Winter is now in full swing and, at least where I live, the ice torments the roads with its icy chaos. Drivers begin to slow down as they become less and less confident with their driving in these hazardous conditions and lack of confidence is not something that you should allow yourself to have; not ever.<br /><br />Confidence is the knowledge that you are fully able to do that which you attempt. The way I see it, lack of confidence can be overcome by knowing yourself. Know your limits and abilities and you will never see your confidence wane. If indeed you do notice yourself with a lack of confidence (driving a car in the snow or otherwise) learn from this and tell yourself, "I need to take this opportunity to learn my limits and abilities to increase my confidence during this task." This article is particularly about driving in the winter weather but can be applied across all disciplines.<br /><br />When I was learning to drive a car, growing up in Maine, my father would take me to an empty parking lot during a big snow storm and allow me to drive around and get a feel for the car. Understand that when driving in the winter, you WILL hit ice, and your tires WILL spin. Trying to avoid slipping the car or spinning the tires is pointless. You will slip and slide so in order to be confident while doing so, you must know how to do it.<br /><br />Allow yourself to discover how your car reacts in different situations. Learn how fast you can accelerate. Observe how much traction you get while braking. Spin the car out of control in an open parking lot, or any other controlled environment and then attempt to regain control. Use trial and error to figure out which way and how much to turn the wheel in order to regain control during any given amount of drift you may be experiencing.<br /><br />Other important bits of information are the physical extents of the body of your car. Know exactly how big your car is and test your limits until you are able to easily judge where your bumpers are from the driver's seat. This will help to avoid ambiguities like "I'm not sure if I'm going to brake in time to avoid that other car so I will tense up and close my eyes and hope for the best."<br /><br />If you'd like, feel free to share your winter driving story.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jyUYg2gNo3M:zb57fNMWdkU:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jyUYg2gNo3M:zb57fNMWdkU:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jyUYg2gNo3M:zb57fNMWdkU:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jyUYg2gNo3M:zb57fNMWdkU:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jyUYg2gNo3M:zb57fNMWdkU:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jyUYg2gNo3M:zb57fNMWdkU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jyUYg2gNo3M:zb57fNMWdkU:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jyUYg2gNo3M:zb57fNMWdkU:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Did You Know? #5: Eye Cones</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:25:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SXqePwEn09I/AAAAAAAACes/BJtef2B5YEk/s1600-h/DidYouKnow_sm.jpg"></a> If you look slightly to one side or the other of a dim star, you will be able to see it better. It will appear brighter.<p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/did-you-know-5-eye-cones" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=odVHJydR5yc:sCCehXuVhJQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=odVHJydR5yc:sCCehXuVhJQ:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=odVHJydR5yc:sCCehXuVhJQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=odVHJydR5yc:sCCehXuVhJQ:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=odVHJydR5yc:sCCehXuVhJQ:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=odVHJydR5yc:sCCehXuVhJQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=odVHJydR5yc:sCCehXuVhJQ:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=odVHJydR5yc:sCCehXuVhJQ:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Did You Know? #4: Nerve Density</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:44:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SXqeKnjiWjI/AAAAAAAACek/ORP5aR7cvoI/s1600-h/DidYouKnow_sm.jpg"></a> Nerves are closer (and therefore more sensitive) on some parts of the body, than they are on others.<p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/did-you-know-4-nerve-density" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=A3ObOoh4z-4:cisVG-DFmY4:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=A3ObOoh4z-4:cisVG-DFmY4:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=A3ObOoh4z-4:cisVG-DFmY4:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=A3ObOoh4z-4:cisVG-DFmY4:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=A3ObOoh4z-4:cisVG-DFmY4:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=A3ObOoh4z-4:cisVG-DFmY4:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=A3ObOoh4z-4:cisVG-DFmY4:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=A3ObOoh4z-4:cisVG-DFmY4:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Did You Know? #3: Magnetite Crystals</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:42:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SXqeB_cUFUI/AAAAAAAACec/XF_8klBx7Gw/s1600-h/DidYouKnow_sm.jpg"></a> Migratory birds, mammals, Salmon and other animals are known to have “Magnetite Crystals” incorporated into geometric patterns in their brains that may <p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/did-you-know-3-magnetite-crystals" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-MNM1HpFnGQ:cbutF6UUb6k:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-MNM1HpFnGQ:cbutF6UUb6k:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-MNM1HpFnGQ:cbutF6UUb6k:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-MNM1HpFnGQ:cbutF6UUb6k:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-MNM1HpFnGQ:cbutF6UUb6k:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-MNM1HpFnGQ:cbutF6UUb6k:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-MNM1HpFnGQ:cbutF6UUb6k:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-MNM1HpFnGQ:cbutF6UUb6k:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Did You Know? #2: Sick and Dizzy</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:20:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SXqd7SW-7TI/AAAAAAAACeU/p-PS-UX_u2o/s1600-h/DidYouKnow_sm.jpg"></a><p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/did-you-know-2-sick-and-dizzy" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G2-PQnI7xbk:zNnBnIBwhkI:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G2-PQnI7xbk:zNnBnIBwhkI:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G2-PQnI7xbk:zNnBnIBwhkI:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G2-PQnI7xbk:zNnBnIBwhkI:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G2-PQnI7xbk:zNnBnIBwhkI:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G2-PQnI7xbk:zNnBnIBwhkI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G2-PQnI7xbk:zNnBnIBwhkI:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=G2-PQnI7xbk:zNnBnIBwhkI:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Did You Know? #1: Sight Processing</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:15:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SXqdXZgQvPI/AAAAAAAACeE/DROM4TlsXmg/s1600-h/DidYouKnow_sm.jpg"></a><br /><div class="Section1"> <p class="MsoNormal">One third of the human brain is dedicated to processing sight information from the eyes.</p><p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/did-you-know-1-sight-processing" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Z0XgIAVo-uY:xlIO9k6cgcM:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Z0XgIAVo-uY:xlIO9k6cgcM:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Z0XgIAVo-uY:xlIO9k6cgcM:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Z0XgIAVo-uY:xlIO9k6cgcM:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Z0XgIAVo-uY:xlIO9k6cgcM:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Z0XgIAVo-uY:xlIO9k6cgcM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Z0XgIAVo-uY:xlIO9k6cgcM:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Z0XgIAVo-uY:xlIO9k6cgcM:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Did You Know?</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:49:00 +0000</p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SXqcn8XIrUI/AAAAAAAACd8/EDfsIoIcK8g/s1600-h/DidYouKnow.jpg"></a><p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/did-you-know" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=lzeJqWTZwKM:Ghc-JuOtsmM:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=lzeJqWTZwKM:Ghc-JuOtsmM:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=lzeJqWTZwKM:Ghc-JuOtsmM:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=lzeJqWTZwKM:Ghc-JuOtsmM:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=lzeJqWTZwKM:Ghc-JuOtsmM:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=lzeJqWTZwKM:Ghc-JuOtsmM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=lzeJqWTZwKM:Ghc-JuOtsmM:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=lzeJqWTZwKM:Ghc-JuOtsmM:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The Best Paper Towel in the Universe. Hands Down.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:46:00 +0000</p> Viva paper towels are, by far, one of the best products I have ever used. And no, they're not paying me to say that.<br /><br />I don't generally do product reviews, but I've just got to say something here.. These paper towels (and I use the word paper cautiously - it's more like magic material) are the most amazing things I've seen. They take a beating a keep on keepin' on. You can literally scrub the carpet with these, rinse them out, ring them dry and use them again. <br /><p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/the-best-paper-towel-in-the-universe-hands-down" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-eJ-jSQztjo:OzGD59YDeOs:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-eJ-jSQztjo:OzGD59YDeOs:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-eJ-jSQztjo:OzGD59YDeOs:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-eJ-jSQztjo:OzGD59YDeOs:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-eJ-jSQztjo:OzGD59YDeOs:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-eJ-jSQztjo:OzGD59YDeOs:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-eJ-jSQztjo:OzGD59YDeOs:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=-eJ-jSQztjo:OzGD59YDeOs:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Get Free Movies at RedBox</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:36:00 +0000</p> <p>This will be a quick one. If you get movies at Redbox (those big red machines at grocery stores and drug stores) you should know about how to get them for free :)<br />You can use the codes below when you check out the movie - just press "Enter Code". You still need a credit card but it will not be charged unless you keep the movie for more than one day. Each of these codes will only work once per credit card:<br /><br />BREAKROOM<br />DVDONME<br />DVD4ME<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.insideredbox.com/redbox-codes/">This </a>website has more codes, but the three above I have tried many times without fail. Enjoy!</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hUcwGB8GMEk:n_NN3ESF17Q:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hUcwGB8GMEk:n_NN3ESF17Q:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hUcwGB8GMEk:n_NN3ESF17Q:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hUcwGB8GMEk:n_NN3ESF17Q:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hUcwGB8GMEk:n_NN3ESF17Q:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hUcwGB8GMEk:n_NN3ESF17Q:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hUcwGB8GMEk:n_NN3ESF17Q:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hUcwGB8GMEk:n_NN3ESF17Q:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Sick of Staring at the Monitor? Try Eye Exercises!</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:06:00 +0000</p> <p><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 250px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34601587@N00/21121528"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34601587@N00/21121528">feastoffools</a> via Flick</span></span></span>It's a pain in the EYE to stare at a computer screen all day long. Trust me, I know... Eyes get fatigued and this can lead to discomfort, dry eyes, teary eyes, headaches etc.. Which can, in turn, lead to frustration, stress, unhappiness etc.. Which can, in turn, lead to depression, anxiety and other health issues... need I go on?<br /><br />Some sources refer to this as "Computer Vision Syndrome". Personally I hate the word "syndrome" because it is used to describe a<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>simple<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">condition </span>and in actuality, it has a cause and resolution just like everything else. The word syndrome invites people to exhibit undue concern... but enough on that for now.<br /><br />I started doing some simple eye exercises a while ago, and have found that they work great for:</p> <ul> <li>Relieving eye tension</li> <li>Taking your mind off of work for a minute</li> <li>Overall relaxation</li> <li>Rejuvenating the eyes for the remainder of the day.</li> </ul> <p>Try these quick exercises whenever you can. Once a day would be good, otherwise, just do them whenever you can. If you wait until you've already got a headache, the exercises probably won't get rid of the pain so try them occasionally throughout the day for the best results.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;">Exercise #1: Trace the screen.</span><br />Keep your head facing your monitor, keep your back and neck straight. Moving only your eyes, trace the frame of your monitor. When eyes move, they naturally "hop" from one spot to another, try to keep the movement as smooth as possible. One revolution around the frame of your monitor should take about 8-10 seconds to complete. Do this 5-6 times.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;">Exercise #2: Stretch your peripherals.</span><br />No, this doesn't mean yank on your mouse... Again, keeping your back and neck straight and your head facing forward, look UP with your eyes as far as you can. Hold this for 5 seconds and then look DOWN as far as you can; hold again for 5 seconds. Relax the eyes and close them for 5 seconds. Then look to the LEFT as far as you can for 5 seconds and then the RIGHT for 5 seconds. Again, relax the eyes and close them. Repeat this 5 times.<br /><br />Then roll your eyes all around in the widest circles you can. Try 10 circles in each direction.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;">Exercise #3: Blink more often.</span><br />Not really an exercise, just don't forget to blink! It's been proven that people blink 5-6 times less than normal when working on a computer, so make a conscious effort to blink more often which simply keeps your eyes moistened and prevents them from drying out.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;">Exercise #4: Look to the horizon.</span><br />Pick an object with a good amount of detail at least 20 feet away, or as far as you can get, (if you're near a window, you can look outside at tree leaves or something) and focus on that object. Take a couple seconds to establish your focus and then take a few more to refine your focus on smaller and smaller details of the object. Remain in this focus for a couple seconds. Then hold up your hand about 6 inches or less from your face and bring your focus to that. Again hold this focus for a few seconds. Repeat this 5-10 times, or until you can feel your eyes really working. Then repeat it a few more times for good measure.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Zemified by Zemanta" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/de829099-a2c1-4ea6-81bc-a00c3d5e172f/"></a></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UQHqrBTefjo:KGy3OyfBv3w:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UQHqrBTefjo:KGy3OyfBv3w:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UQHqrBTefjo:KGy3OyfBv3w:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UQHqrBTefjo:KGy3OyfBv3w:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UQHqrBTefjo:KGy3OyfBv3w:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UQHqrBTefjo:KGy3OyfBv3w:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UQHqrBTefjo:KGy3OyfBv3w:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=UQHqrBTefjo:KGy3OyfBv3w:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Watch TV Online to Save Time and Money.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:45:00 +0000</p> First of all, don't watch pointless crap television. It's not good for you. Watch a the news and one or two shows that you really like, and don't bother with the rest. It's of no value to you and the progression of your life.<br /><br />Secondly, if you pick the shows you want to watch and seek them out online you will be much more disciplined about not channel surfing. Most networks are broadcasting their shows online now and they are free to watch. Plus you miss out on lots of commercials. A one-hour show online is really only 40-50 minutes.<br /><p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/2009/01/watch-tv-online-to-save-time-and-money" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K64ZCWHMIvE:5VN-gAr71HI:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K64ZCWHMIvE:5VN-gAr71HI:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K64ZCWHMIvE:5VN-gAr71HI:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K64ZCWHMIvE:5VN-gAr71HI:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K64ZCWHMIvE:5VN-gAr71HI:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K64ZCWHMIvE:5VN-gAr71HI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K64ZCWHMIvE:5VN-gAr71HI:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K64ZCWHMIvE:5VN-gAr71HI:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Optimum Comfort while Sunning on the Beach</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:58:00 +0000</p> <p><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 250px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/43302776@N00/3122797723"></a></span></span>I just got back from the Bahamas where I had, yes, a beautiful vacation, but also time to I just got back from the Bahamas where I had, yes, a beautiful vacation, but also time to think and learn. While I was laying on my stomach on my towel in the miles and miles of white sand beach at <a class="zem_slink" title="Little San Salvador Island" rel="geolocation" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=24.55,-75.9833333333&spn=1.0,1.0&q=24.55,-75.9833333333%20%28Little%20San%20Salvador%20Island%29&t=h">Half Moon Cay</a> (right), I was turning my head back and forth to keep my neck from straining. I figured there's got to be a more comfortable, less strenuous way to lay in the sun... (sarcasm...)</p><p><br />Then I realized that sand, especially when covered by a towel, is amorphous and can be formed any way you like and it will remain in that shape at least for a short time. I punched a hole in the sand directly underneath my head and made two trenches, one on each side of the hole so that I would be able to breathe. After that my head rested nicely, top and bottom, (forehead and chin) on the soft white sand piles and I was able to enjoy a few more hours of sun with no strain from having my head turned to the side.<br /><br />Be safe, take care of your body, USE SUNSCREEN!</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TxUsrTSivc8:3DXCDjjO8Cs:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TxUsrTSivc8:3DXCDjjO8Cs:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TxUsrTSivc8:3DXCDjjO8Cs:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TxUsrTSivc8:3DXCDjjO8Cs:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TxUsrTSivc8:3DXCDjjO8Cs:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TxUsrTSivc8:3DXCDjjO8Cs:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TxUsrTSivc8:3DXCDjjO8Cs:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TxUsrTSivc8:3DXCDjjO8Cs:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>One More Thing Before the Bahamas</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:32:00 +0000</p> <p>If you <span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 212px;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:LocationBahamas.svg"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:LocationBahamas.svg">Wikipedia</a></span></span></span>If you need to get out of your driveway first thing in the morning to go on a cruise in the Bahamas, and you know it's going to snow, don't forget to park at the end of the driveway so that you only have to clear a small section behind your car....<br /><br />Gotta go!! Be back in a week.<br />Sunshine, here I come!!</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jvbJjVFkmGE:WwBK-lf6HFA:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jvbJjVFkmGE:WwBK-lf6HFA:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jvbJjVFkmGE:WwBK-lf6HFA:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jvbJjVFkmGE:WwBK-lf6HFA:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jvbJjVFkmGE:WwBK-lf6HFA:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jvbJjVFkmGE:WwBK-lf6HFA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jvbJjVFkmGE:WwBK-lf6HFA:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jvbJjVFkmGE:WwBK-lf6HFA:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>My Frying Pan Tilts off the Burner When I Try to Cook..</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:54:00 +0000</p> <p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SWk4kjdO0dI/AAAAAAAACU0/vDopnjLceSc/s1600-h/pan-tilt.PNG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>I was just frying up a pound of chicken for dinner and getting rather annoyed that whenever I cook the frying pan tilts off of the burner because the <span style="font-style: italic;">handle </span>is too heavy...<br /><br />It's important that the bottom of the pan and the burner be in direct contact if you want to effectively use your electricity, as well as get an even heat in the pan. Air is a great insulator and you will lose a lot of heat if they are not in contact.<br /><br />In the past I've tried to find a salt shaker or spice container of the perfect height to wedge under the handle and keep it flat, but that's annoying.. Today I got <span style="font-style: italic;">wicked smart</span> and just moved the chicken to the far side of the pan! The weight of the chicken keeps it flat and I don't have to deal with balancing the pan on the salt. Works great, but you might have to offset the pan so that the chicken pile is centered on the burner in order to get it cooked evenly.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=oW5H0Dnop4g:WWSb1tBoe6c:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=oW5H0Dnop4g:WWSb1tBoe6c:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=oW5H0Dnop4g:WWSb1tBoe6c:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=oW5H0Dnop4g:WWSb1tBoe6c:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=oW5H0Dnop4g:WWSb1tBoe6c:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=oW5H0Dnop4g:WWSb1tBoe6c:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=oW5H0Dnop4g:WWSb1tBoe6c:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=oW5H0Dnop4g:WWSb1tBoe6c:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>How Can I Make Money in this Crappy Recession??</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:45:00 +0000</p> <p><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 260px;"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/google"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 180%;">Beats me!!</span><br /><br />No but seriously... I don't know. Here's what I <span style="font-style: italic;">do </span>know, however. There's a whole lot of people out there scared of actually going to stores and spending their money. Those same people are coming home and spending time online looking for tips on saving money, self-help blogs to help with depression, political articles to keep up with how the media is portraying the recession... And they're frantically clicking all over the place to try to find peace of mind.<br /><br />What I'm getting at, is that you should all make a million dollars with Google Adsense.... okay.. easier said than done, trust me. But they do make a lot of sense this year. They appeal to a demographic that is not required to spend a penny and are just looking for help, which is exactly the kind of demographic that is rapidly spreading all over the U.S. and beyond. And I think it will be many moons before companies <span style="font-style: italic;">stop </span>advertising with Google, so we're pretty safe there.<br /><br />You probably have already done this, but if not, check out <a href="http://www.google.com/adsense" title="www.google.com/adsense">www.google.com/adsense</a> to start putting ads from all sorts of companies on your blog.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TjOWk_BJ6TY:Us0uikUY_eg:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TjOWk_BJ6TY:Us0uikUY_eg:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TjOWk_BJ6TY:Us0uikUY_eg:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TjOWk_BJ6TY:Us0uikUY_eg:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TjOWk_BJ6TY:Us0uikUY_eg:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TjOWk_BJ6TY:Us0uikUY_eg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TjOWk_BJ6TY:Us0uikUY_eg:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=TjOWk_BJ6TY:Us0uikUY_eg:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Don't tailgate, because you never know!!</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:30:00 +0000</p> <p><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 212px;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:I-80_Eastshore_Fwy.jpg"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:I-80_Eastshore_Fwy.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span></span>We all have the tendency to tailgate other cars when we're driving. Don't tell me you've never done it! First of all, it's not safe, that's obvious. And it's just rude, you're probably pissing someone off by doing it; you're "adding bad karma" to the universe, if you will.<br /><br />A good way I've found to stop myself from doing it is by looking at the back of the driver's head, and trying to picture someone I know (particularly, someone I don't hate) and imagine that it is them driving the car. Because no matter <span style="font-style: italic;">who </span>it actually is, they are a real person and have a real story just like the rest of us. It's amazing how much this little bit of consideration will change your attitude towards them and make you feel like you should be kindly backing off.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K97v1X_omUE:hnMtDqd9wcs:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K97v1X_omUE:hnMtDqd9wcs:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K97v1X_omUE:hnMtDqd9wcs:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K97v1X_omUE:hnMtDqd9wcs:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K97v1X_omUE:hnMtDqd9wcs:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K97v1X_omUE:hnMtDqd9wcs:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K97v1X_omUE:hnMtDqd9wcs:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=K97v1X_omUE:hnMtDqd9wcs:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Learn How to Get Amazingly Clean Teeth!</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:02:00 +0000</p> <p>In general, the world <span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 212px;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Toothbrush-20060209.JPG"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Toothbrush-20060209.JPG">Wikipedia</a></span></span></span>In general, the world is moving at a much faster rate today than it did a decade ago; things need to be accomplished quicker and people are more impatient than ever. Maybe, instead of impatience, I should say, we have a <span style="font-style: italic;">different level of patience</span> now than we did in the past. If we isolate the level of patience we have today and quantify it, there's no justification to refer to it as "impatient"; such is the evolution of man.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Um.. This article is about teeth, right?!?...</span> yeah....ok.<br /><br />My point is that when people have to continually do one task, especially as mundane as brushing your teeth for any amount of time, it can seem very BORING, and you will have the desire to be finished so that you can move on to other things.<br /><br />My advice: <span style="font-style: italic;">Do something else while you brush your teeth</span>. Read the mail, check your email, feed the cats, read the newspaper, or all of the above.<br /><br />Finding one-handed or no-handed tasks to do while you brush your teeth will make it feel much less like you are wasting your time in front of the mirror. If you're doing other things it should be easy to brush for an excess of 5 or even 10 minutes. And I guarantee you will notice that your teeth feel much cleaner if you double your brushing time. Granted, if you are preoccupied with something else, you will have a tendency to stop moving the brush, or get stuck brushing one section for a long time. Just be conscious of that and you'll get better at it with time!<br /><br />Happy brushing!</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=My4deRA8qKg:1E5hLw_-0JU:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=My4deRA8qKg:1E5hLw_-0JU:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=My4deRA8qKg:1E5hLw_-0JU:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=My4deRA8qKg:1E5hLw_-0JU:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=My4deRA8qKg:1E5hLw_-0JU:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=My4deRA8qKg:1E5hLw_-0JU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=My4deRA8qKg:1E5hLw_-0JU:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=My4deRA8qKg:1E5hLw_-0JU:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The Pain is Only what you Make It - Mind over Matter</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:00:00 +0000</p> <p><a href="/sites/default/files/images/369492660_28a0d619f6_m.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />During a serious test of physical endurance, a wise man once told me:</p> <blockquote>"The Pain is Only what you Make It"</blockquote> <p>I used that advice to my advantage that day and achieved a great victory that would reward me for the rest of my life.<br /><br />Physical pain is an interesting phenomenon described by the International Association for the Study of Pain as:</p> <blockquote>"an unpleasant sensory and emotional association with actual or <span style="font-style: italic;">potential</span> tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage"</blockquote> <p>Another widely used definition of pain from Margo McCaffery is:</p> <blockquote>"Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is, existing whenever he says it does"<br /></blockquote> <p>The thing I've learned about pain and the perception of it, is that the body, nervous system and brain overcompensate quite a bit with its warnings. In the first definition I've italicized <span style="font-style: italic;">'potential' </span>tissue damage. Even if the body is in no immediate danger of physical harm it still gives indications of pain to the brain as a warning. It's time we stop this tyrannical behavior of our own bodies and do our due diligence to learn exactly what they can handle and what they can't. The older we grow and the more we experience, the more pain we will naturally encounter and therefore, the more familiar we become with how our body reacts to different stimuli. That is, IF we are paying attention and learning as we go.<br /><br />Self-observation and getting to know your limits and what you are capable of, I am convinced is of great importance to leading a happy healthy life. (See post: "<a href="http://minilifehacks.blogspot.com/2008/10/always-challenge-yourself.html">Always Challenge Yourself</a>") If you know the exact moment when this false alarm called "pain" will turn into actual physical harm, you should convince yourself that it is okay to dance on this line. For example, often times when lifting heavy awkward objects it can be uncomfortable for many people and the object may cause pain in your hands and fingers. But if you are aware that this amount of pain is safe and will cause no physical harm you can easily endure it and rest assured that you will be able to shake your hands out when you are done this task and there will be no harm done. Do you see how this realization can increase your physical strength? You are now permitting yourself to lift 15 extra pounds than your body and pain threshold would otherwise allow.<br /><br />Furthermore, if you know the extent of physical harm that will be done by any given action, it may be acceptable to endure it depending on the task at hand. For example, you can probably commit to catching or breaking the fall of a falling dish if it means you may get some abrasions on your knuckles from the counter top, or a bruise from the falling dish. But you may not commit to that if it is not your dish, or if it is unimportant to you.<br /><br />The more you learn about yourself and your body the more control you will have over what you do with it, and you are able to take the control away from your tyrannical bodily instincts.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=yDghwB1qeTc:qkDBX72GpZ4:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=yDghwB1qeTc:qkDBX72GpZ4:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=yDghwB1qeTc:qkDBX72GpZ4:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=yDghwB1qeTc:qkDBX72GpZ4:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=yDghwB1qeTc:qkDBX72GpZ4:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=yDghwB1qeTc:qkDBX72GpZ4:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=yDghwB1qeTc:qkDBX72GpZ4:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=yDghwB1qeTc:qkDBX72GpZ4:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Energy Saving Tips - For the Window Blinds</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 13:30:00 +0000</p> <p>If you have the kind of venetian blinds with horiz<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 212px;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:L-Jalousie.png"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:L-Jalousie.png">Wikipedia</a></span></span></span>If you have the kind of venetian blinds with horizontal slats, like I do (like the one in the image) , there's a simple little trick you can use to help retain the heat.<br /><br />When you're closing up for the night, angle the blinds the opposite way you normally would. I mean, angle them so that to look out of them you would need to look <span style="font-style: italic;">downwards</span> through them and <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> upwards. Since heat rises and cool air falls, this will help to deflect some of the cool air (at or around the window panes) OUT, and the warm air (rising inside the room) IN.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SUxicZLHJpI/AAAAAAAACJc/_qn2JcMuWMQ/s1600-h/Warm-Cold-Blinds.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></p><div style="text-align: center;">It's not a huge savings, but every little bit helps!!</div> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8qJdee5GEKw:zliviKuqpCA:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8qJdee5GEKw:zliviKuqpCA:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8qJdee5GEKw:zliviKuqpCA:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8qJdee5GEKw:zliviKuqpCA:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8qJdee5GEKw:zliviKuqpCA:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8qJdee5GEKw:zliviKuqpCA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8qJdee5GEKw:zliviKuqpCA:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8qJdee5GEKw:zliviKuqpCA:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>How to KEEP your New Year's Resolution</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:08:00 +0000</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;">The number one New Year's resolution in the US is to lose weight.<span> </span>Especially after a big holiday season of fruit cakes and chocolates.<span> </span>So you resolve to lose weight, but didn’t you do that last year?<span> </span>And did it work?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;">We all have off-days, when we just don’t feel like working out.<span> </span>But what happens when that day falls on a day you’re scheduled to go to the gym? (oh yeah, you need a schedule too)<span> </span>Well here’s a simple trick to get yourself motivated to go to the gym when you really don’t feel like it:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"> </p><blockquote style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Just change into your gym clothes!</span></blockquote><p> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-style: italic;">And here’s why:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The clothes that we are wearing at any given time become part of our self-image.<span> </span>If you are wearing boots your feet will feel heavier, your gait will be different and your self-image will be different than if you are wearing sneakers.<span> </span>If you change into your sneakers or gym shoes, your feet will feel much lighter and you will inherently feel more agile and able to run, jump, exercise, etc..</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;">You’ll also guilt yourself into going to the gym because you’ll be sitting around the house in your gym clothes.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Zemified by Zemanta" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/0d6651e2-4e0c-41cf-b0cb-b50fad6bb32f/"></a></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8nA4COlhr_Q:cYr7bHqPAws:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8nA4COlhr_Q:cYr7bHqPAws:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8nA4COlhr_Q:cYr7bHqPAws:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8nA4COlhr_Q:cYr7bHqPAws:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8nA4COlhr_Q:cYr7bHqPAws:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8nA4COlhr_Q:cYr7bHqPAws:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8nA4COlhr_Q:cYr7bHqPAws:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=8nA4COlhr_Q:cYr7bHqPAws:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Leave your Comfort Zone - Get to Know Yourself</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:52:00 +0000</p> <p>A zen koan (short story) tells of a boy who was training under his father as a burglar:</p> <blockquote>The boy followed his father on a burglary one night and once inside the house, his father intentionally made a ruckus and fled the house. The boy darted to the nearest closet and his heart began to pound furiously as the home owners rose to see who was in their house. The boy had been given very little training, but the adrenaline of this moment was all he needed to be able to do anything he needed to do to prevent being caught. Eventually he made it out of the house undetected, and while he was not pleased with what his father had done, he had learned many lessons that night.<br /></blockquote> <p>Often times it is important to leave your comfort zone and throw yourself into new situations where, if you <span style="font-style: italic;">think</span> about it, you might not be entirely sure of yourself, but if you just <span style="font-style: italic;">do it</span> you will find a way to get through it. This doesn't necessarily have to involve adrenaline - it can apply to cooking a new meal, changing careers, taking up a new sport, or virtually anything else.<br /><br />Don't forget - this also offers a great way to observe yourself. Once you are thrown into a new situation, take a little time to observe your actions, your words and your feelings. You never know what you will learn about yourself.</p> <blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"Observe all men; thy self most." - Benjamin Franklin</span><br /></blockquote><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Egac4NFcRWg:gxMagsVu5iY:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Egac4NFcRWg:gxMagsVu5iY:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Egac4NFcRWg:gxMagsVu5iY:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Egac4NFcRWg:gxMagsVu5iY:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Egac4NFcRWg:gxMagsVu5iY:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Egac4NFcRWg:gxMagsVu5iY:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Egac4NFcRWg:gxMagsVu5iY:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Egac4NFcRWg:gxMagsVu5iY:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Last-Minute Christmas Gift Idea - Easy, Cheap, Great gift.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 04:34:00 +0000</p> <p>It's getting close to that time of year when people will be scrounging for gifts at the last minute, I know, I do it too.<span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 250px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18285284@N00/221034263"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18285284@N00/221034263">Longzero</a> via Flickr</span></span>It's getting close to that time of year when people will be scrounging for gifts at the last minute, I know, I do it too. One idea I often overlook is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/b?node=599858&tag=ti00-20&camp=15377&creative=331985&linkCode=ur1&adid=0201NGG6DAN50BG0XB6H&">magazine subscriptions</a>.<br /><br />Reasons that magazine subscriptions make great gifts, especially if you already subscribe to the magazine:</p><ol><li>Like-minded people tend to enjoy the same type of magazines.</li><li>If it is a subscription that you have now, chances are there will be 2-for-1 gift offers for renewing your subscription, so you can probably call that a $2-5 gift.</li><li>Also, if it's something you subscribe to you can just grab one of your back issues from the end table, throw a ribbon around it and call it good! You can even send in the subscription card AFTER Christmas if you do that.</li><li>They last for a whole year, sometimes two, so that's a good value.</li><li>Generally speaking, people can LEARN from magazines, which is more than can be said about most other Christmas presents.</li></ol><p>Happy shopping! Merry Christmas from Mini Life Hacks!<br /><br />If you have a great last-minute gift idea, leave a comment!</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=2jLzZhzKR7w:QLrzN2NzZ3w:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=2jLzZhzKR7w:QLrzN2NzZ3w:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=2jLzZhzKR7w:QLrzN2NzZ3w:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=2jLzZhzKR7w:QLrzN2NzZ3w:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=2jLzZhzKR7w:QLrzN2NzZ3w:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=2jLzZhzKR7w:QLrzN2NzZ3w:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=2jLzZhzKR7w:QLrzN2NzZ3w:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=2jLzZhzKR7w:QLrzN2NzZ3w:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>How to keep warm without electricity - Stones on the BBQ!</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:15:00 +0000</p> <p><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ice_storm.jpg"></a>The "<a class="zem_slink" title="Ice storm" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_storm">Ice Storm</a> of 2008" had wiped out power to over 1,000,000 homes and businesses. Over the past few days many people have been forced to leave their homes and seek refuge at nearby shelters. Other people have tried to stay in their houses and brave the cold. Others have tried to warm their houses by blasting their gas stoves or using un-vented kerosene heaters. These are BAD ideas. Don't try them at home.<br /><br />If you're one of those people who, like me, stubbornly wants to brave the cold and be independent, try this:</p><ol><li>Fire up your gas grill or charcoal grill. OUTSIDE!</li><li>Throw some big rocks (5-10 pounds each) on indirect high heat.</li><li>Cook for approximately 1 -2 hours with the cover closed.</li><li>Let them cool for about 20 minutes.</li><li>Check the temperature of the rocks carefully with your hand.</li><li>Wrap them in towels or blankets if you don't think they will burn the towels.</li><li>Enjoy the heat! It should stay very warm for around 8-10 hours.</li></ol><p>This is not fool proof.. obviously dealing with hot rocks is not the safest thing either, just be smart about it and don't come to me if you burn a hole through your mattress. Even if you let the rocks cool for quite a while they will still retain a lot of heat. The trick is to allow the outer layer to cool so that you can touch it easily, but the center of the rock will still be hot and it will emanate heat slowly over the course of the night.<br /><br />Bricks, patio blocks, or ceramic tiles will work too, although the bigger the object is, the longer it will retain it's heat. Similarly, it will take longer to bring a larger object up to temperature.<br /><br /></p><fieldset class="zemanta-related"><legend class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles by Zemanta</legend><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6447646">New England Storm Wreaks Icy Havoc</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.onlivingbylearning.com/2008/12/12/ice-storm-2008-from-my-room-with-a-view/">Ice Storm 2008 From My Room With A View</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.momblognetwork.com/content/holy-ice-storms-batman">Holy Ice Storms Batman!</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/12/13/ice-storm.html">U.S. ice storm outages to last several days</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/12/new-hampshire-ice-storm-hits-blogging.html">The New Hampshire ice storm hits, blogging will be slow</a></li></ul></fieldset><p><br /><br /></p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hvYIwGVP9iw:hKplO0u8HG4:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hvYIwGVP9iw:hKplO0u8HG4:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hvYIwGVP9iw:hKplO0u8HG4:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hvYIwGVP9iw:hKplO0u8HG4:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hvYIwGVP9iw:hKplO0u8HG4:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hvYIwGVP9iw:hKplO0u8HG4:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hvYIwGVP9iw:hKplO0u8HG4:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=hvYIwGVP9iw:hKplO0u8HG4:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Improve coordination by improving awareness - Understand the objects around you.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:07:00 +0000</p> <p> </p><div class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 371px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/88221857@N00/71485060"></a><p class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="font-size: 0.8em;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/88221857@N00/71485060">Amin Tabrizi</a> via Flickr</p></div><p>It’s aggravating to drop things you’re carrying or to spill your briefcase or book bag all over the floor because you were in a hurry. Do you think a samurai would ever drop his sword if he was in a hurry? Do you think a ninja would drop... anything... ever? The likelihood is that they would not. The trick here is that they have a <em>level of understanding</em> of these objects that allows them to know exactly how they will react under any given circumstance.<br /><br />For example, a Samurai would know the following about his Katana:</p><ol><li>How is it weighted?</li><li>What is the exact physical size in all three dimensions?</li><li>How much weight can it support?</li><li>How fast can he wield it with two hands? One hand?</li><li>What will it cut through and how easily will it cut?</li><li>Etc…</li></ol><p><span style="font-size: 130%;">Know your book bag / briefcase</span><br /><br />By understanding how your object (book bag or briefcase in this example) will react to certain circumstances will help to give you a fundamental understanding of what you will, or will not be able to do with it. For example:</p><ol><li>What happens when you hold it in a different place? Different handle? From the side? From a hanging strap? Does everything fall out? Will it break or tear when you hold it this way? Are there any other dangers you should know about if you’re holding it funny? Sharp edges, etc?</li><li>How many fingers are required to hold its weight?</li><li>Is there any way you can hold it with something else, like your elbow, or your foot?</li><li>How much friction is there between your hand and the material it is made from?</li></ol><p>Ask these questions, and ask any other question you can dream to ask. Ask these questions about any object you may encounter.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 130%;">Be Prepared. Know all your utilities.</span><br /><br />Make observations about your cell phone, wallet, pen, keychain, etc..<br />Your awareness for things around you will increase as will your fundamental understanding for these things with respect to how they function and react in this world. You will slowly be able to piece together the results from the physical tests and be able to infer other bits of useful information. You will probably be surprised at how you can use this information and how much it can benefit you.<br /><br /><br /><br /></p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ySOv-9Yrz3A:Ra8rQcLWfBY:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ySOv-9Yrz3A:Ra8rQcLWfBY:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ySOv-9Yrz3A:Ra8rQcLWfBY:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ySOv-9Yrz3A:Ra8rQcLWfBY:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ySOv-9Yrz3A:Ra8rQcLWfBY:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ySOv-9Yrz3A:Ra8rQcLWfBY:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ySOv-9Yrz3A:Ra8rQcLWfBY:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ySOv-9Yrz3A:Ra8rQcLWfBY:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Over-indulgence tip: The first bite tastes the same as the last.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:30:00 +0000</p> <p><a href="/sites/default/files/images/1557.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>Food is good. There aren’t too many people that don’t appreciate certain foods. During this season it’s especially easy to happen upon some decadence and improperly indulge.<br /><br />I think it’s important to appreciate this privilege and accept indulgence once in a while, but one thing to keep in mind while doing so, which may change the amount you eat, is that: The first bite tastes the same as the last.<br /><br />What I mean to say is that if you take time and adequately appreciate whatever food you’re eating (sourdough bread & spinach dip for example…) you’ll notice that this appreciation can be taken away from only one bite. All subsequent bites of the same thing will taste remarkably similar and you’ll begin to realize that it is not necessary to continue eating once you have gotten what you were after: An appreciation of the taste of the food. So make it a good bite, take it very slowly, move it around in your mouth, try to concentrate on every atom in the food and ENJOY IT!<br /><br />This concept pulls influence from an ancient Buddhist meditation called the “Raisin meditation”. Buddhist monks were known to concentrate on a raisin, study it, smell it, feel it, listen to it, and fully appreciate its entire existence to the point that they got so much sincere appreciation and substance out of the raisin that it could sustain them for an entire day.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.yogateacher.com/text/meditation/on-line/eating.html">More about the raisin meditation</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qLGnQOmeGzM:lA7A5YGOfCA:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qLGnQOmeGzM:lA7A5YGOfCA:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qLGnQOmeGzM:lA7A5YGOfCA:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qLGnQOmeGzM:lA7A5YGOfCA:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qLGnQOmeGzM:lA7A5YGOfCA:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qLGnQOmeGzM:lA7A5YGOfCA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qLGnQOmeGzM:lA7A5YGOfCA:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=qLGnQOmeGzM:lA7A5YGOfCA:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Cross Shifting: A new driving technique to free up your right hand.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:54:00 +0000</p> <p><span style="font-size: 78%;"> </span>So I'm driving down the road, and I've got a tasty snapple in my hand and my cup holder is chock full of yesterday's snapple bottle, but I've got to shift from first to second gear. How do I do it?<br /><br />I've perfected a technique that comes in very handy for this scenario:</p><ol><li>Steering with your left hand, position your hand so that it is somewhere between 3 & 6 o'clock on the wheel.</li><li>Release your grip from the wheel, but keep the back of your forearm against the wheel. You'll now be steering using friction between your forearm / elbow and the steering wheel.</li><li>Slide your arm against the wheel and reach down to the shift knob to change gears.</li></ol><p>This technique requires a bit of coordination and focus. I find that shifting from first to second is the easiest, because it is the closest move to the steering wheel, but that all other gears are reachable, at least in my '04 Honda Civic. This may be difficult for some at first, but with practice it can be fine tuned and actually obtain a good level of comfort. I have used this many times when I'm also making a fairly sharp turn.<br /><br />C.Y.A. NOTE: The above is not <span style="font-style: italic;">actually</span> recommended, for safety and liability reasons. Try this exercise at your own risk.</p> <p> </p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WW1hEJ6n7n8:_9azU9RJhxQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WW1hEJ6n7n8:_9azU9RJhxQ:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WW1hEJ6n7n8:_9azU9RJhxQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WW1hEJ6n7n8:_9azU9RJhxQ:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WW1hEJ6n7n8:_9azU9RJhxQ:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WW1hEJ6n7n8:_9azU9RJhxQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WW1hEJ6n7n8:_9azU9RJhxQ:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WW1hEJ6n7n8:_9azU9RJhxQ:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Follow your gut. Get to know yourself.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:11:00 +0000</p> <p> </p><p><a href="http://www.milanozine.it/upgallery/be_yourself_picture20080412093501.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><br /><a href="/sites/default/files/images/be_yourself_picture20080412093501.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>The first instinct is very often the best action.<br /><br />When you act on your gut reaction without hesitation or inhibition, this is to truly be yourself. The little things you do that come into this world directly from your thoughts is a way of showing the world, but more importantly <span style="font-style: italic;">youself</span> who you really are.<br /><br />The more you come to obey these gut reactions the better you will begin to know yourself. The better you know yourself, the more honestly and effectively you will contribute to those around you.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sS2HB-y-pa0:tvR9cjcM84k:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sS2HB-y-pa0:tvR9cjcM84k:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sS2HB-y-pa0:tvR9cjcM84k:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sS2HB-y-pa0:tvR9cjcM84k:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sS2HB-y-pa0:tvR9cjcM84k:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sS2HB-y-pa0:tvR9cjcM84k:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sS2HB-y-pa0:tvR9cjcM84k:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sS2HB-y-pa0:tvR9cjcM84k:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>My Spidey Senses are Tingling</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:04:00 +0000</p> <p><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"> </span><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Daredevil100.jpg"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin: 1em 0pt 0pt; display: block; font-size: 78%;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Daredevil100.jpg">Wikipedia</a> </span></span>Try closing you eyes and walking through your house or around you office. It's hard but it's good for your senses and kind of fun (as long as no one gets hurt).</p><p>Now switch from trying to use your eyes, and turn your ear sensitivity to 11. Listen carefully to your footsteps or the sound of your clothes swishing against each other and you can actually start to hear sound patterns as this noise bounces off nearby objects and start to recognize telephone poles, buildings, and even doors from their sound patterns. These sound patterns are just simple changes in the reverberant qualities around you that are inherent to the immediate environment.</p><p>It's the same as when you drive by fence posts or telephone poles in your car; you can hear them whoosh by, but they're really not making any sound, it's just the sound of the car that you hear reflecting off of them.</p><p>This is a great way to increase your awareness of the things around you as well as your own sensory perception. And yes, it's kind of like a primitive form of radar, just like what bats use. But it's only primitive because we never learned to use it!</p><p>Take a look at my new blog on my meandering experience in <a href="http://learnecholocation.blogspot.com/">learning echolocation</a></p><p> </p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Zemified by Zemanta" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/533d0adf-553a-4a97-9bee-2a17777294fa/"></a></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Kh9gf1c-Wng:PzLkGNtcwYI:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Kh9gf1c-Wng:PzLkGNtcwYI:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Kh9gf1c-Wng:PzLkGNtcwYI:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Kh9gf1c-Wng:PzLkGNtcwYI:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Kh9gf1c-Wng:PzLkGNtcwYI:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Kh9gf1c-Wng:PzLkGNtcwYI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Kh9gf1c-Wng:PzLkGNtcwYI:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Kh9gf1c-Wng:PzLkGNtcwYI:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The Truth About Meditation - Do I really have to just sit?</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:40:00 +0000</p> <p><a class="zem_slink" title="Meditation" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation">Meditation</a> has been used for thousands of years by many different cultures and religions. It is being introduced into the U.S. now, but it's still portrayed as something that might be a bit intimidating for some. There are many reasons people might meditate, but I think one of the main reasons is just as a tool to ease the mind and take your thoughts away from the everyday details of life and get some intrinsic relaxation.<br /><br />If this is the goal, classical "meditation" can do the trick, but if you don't have the desire to understand it or the time to sit with yourself, there are other ways of clearing your mind and becoming relaxed and at peace with yourself. Any time you are doing something just for <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> and it is something you enjoy doing and you can be <span style="font-style: italic;">yourself</span> doing it; in my opinion, this is a form of meditation.</p> <ul> <li>If you play a musical instrument and can lose yourself in a song or focus on the notes that you are playing so hard that you don't notice anything going on around you, this is meditation.</li> <li>If you play basketball and can get a good game of 1-on-zero going, and all of your attention is on the ball, or the hoop, this is meditation.</li> <li>If you practice martial arts and can focus your mind on every atom in your body and the control you have over them, this is meditation.</li> <li>If you lift weights and can be aware of the physics of your muscles, and concentrate on which muscle fibers are doing what, this is meditation.</li> </ul> <p>If you can do anything at all, generally by yourself, that requires a great deal of attention and does not allow your mind to wander to other things, this will be very healthy for you and you will come to understand yourself better and better over time. Many of the same benefits from meditation will be gained from doing things like this.<br /><br /></p> <fieldset class="zemanta-related"><legend class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles by Zemanta</legend> <ul class="zemanta-article-ul"> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/article.php?aid=530050&pid=6775764102">Chi: A Martial Arts Technique Of Masters</a></li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/article.php?aid=485655&pid=6775764102">Meditation Exercises - the Best Way to an Empowered Mind</a></li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://findmeacure.com/2008/07/19/how-meditation-changes-your-brain/">How Meditation Changes Your Brain</a></li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://secondprinciple.com/blog/ways-to-meditate/">Ways to Meditate</a></li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/article.php?aid=539394&pid=6775764102">Meditation Tips for Mind Relaxation</a></li> </ul> </fieldset> <div class="zemanta-pixie"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"> <script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script> </span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WvlsNUcqD44:w7nDs6phx0Q:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WvlsNUcqD44:w7nDs6phx0Q:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WvlsNUcqD44:w7nDs6phx0Q:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WvlsNUcqD44:w7nDs6phx0Q:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WvlsNUcqD44:w7nDs6phx0Q:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WvlsNUcqD44:w7nDs6phx0Q:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WvlsNUcqD44:w7nDs6phx0Q:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=WvlsNUcqD44:w7nDs6phx0Q:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Only make lunch every other day</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:49:00 +0000</p> <p><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:NCI_Visuals_Food_Meal_Lunch.jpg"></a><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:NCI_Visuals_Food_Meal_Lunch.jpg"></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"></span></span>Making your own lunch to bring with you to work is a great way to save some money when compared to buying a lunch every day. Buying even a cheap lunch everyday can add up to $2000 a year. Whereas if you make a lunch, it's pretty easy to keep it as low as $600 a year.<br /><br />The only trouble is that you've got to make a sandwich or bag some carrots, and carry it around with you. To avoid having to make lunch every day, try making <span style="font-style: italic;">two </span>lunches one day and then leaving one in the fridge at work so that the next day you're all set and don't have to make lunch. It won't take you twice as long to make two lunches since most of the lunch-making-time is spent taking things out of the fridge or cupboard and putting them away.<br /><br />Also, if you eat a granola bar every day, or a yogurt, why not just take a whole weeks worth with you on Monday so that you have a stockpile at work and don't have to keep toting them one by one every day. </span></span></p> <div class="zemanta-pixie"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=BjbdhVvIGc4:vit1QEazDRY:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=BjbdhVvIGc4:vit1QEazDRY:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=BjbdhVvIGc4:vit1QEazDRY:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=BjbdhVvIGc4:vit1QEazDRY:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=BjbdhVvIGc4:vit1QEazDRY:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=BjbdhVvIGc4:vit1QEazDRY:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=BjbdhVvIGc4:vit1QEazDRY:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=BjbdhVvIGc4:vit1QEazDRY:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Wake up on the right side of the bed</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:32:00 +0000</p> <p><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Digital-clock-radio-basic.jpg"><br /></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Digital-clock-radio-basic.jpg"></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"></span></span>The first few seconds of your day, as you probably know, are of the utmost importance to setting your mood. Whether you wake up to a jack-hammer or to something more peaceful like chirping birds, or the voice of a loved one will make a big difference in the ambition you have to get started.<br /><br />I would encourage you to use a music alarm clock where you can control the songs played. Wake up to something you like. Whether that is soothing meditation music, chimes, or something like Dragonforce or Billy Joel. As long as it's something that makes you happy and makes you eager to get our of bed and start your day.<br /> </span></span></p> <div class="zemanta-pixie"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=i_By7Mkea2U:KiLEQqH7aXg:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=i_By7Mkea2U:KiLEQqH7aXg:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=i_By7Mkea2U:KiLEQqH7aXg:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=i_By7Mkea2U:KiLEQqH7aXg:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=i_By7Mkea2U:KiLEQqH7aXg:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=i_By7Mkea2U:KiLEQqH7aXg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=i_By7Mkea2U:KiLEQqH7aXg:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=i_By7Mkea2U:KiLEQqH7aXg:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Energy Saving Tips - At the Stove</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:48:00 +0000</p> <p><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gas_stove.jpg"></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gas_stove.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span></span>When cooking a meal in your oven, it will have a vent in order to give the hot air a place to go when it expands. On my stove, this vent is right underneath one of the electric range burners.<br /><br />Use this excess heat to keep food warm well after the oven has been turned off.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sE1teOX2kDA:KWG-N39DdoU:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sE1teOX2kDA:KWG-N39DdoU:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sE1teOX2kDA:KWG-N39DdoU:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sE1teOX2kDA:KWG-N39DdoU:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sE1teOX2kDA:KWG-N39DdoU:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sE1teOX2kDA:KWG-N39DdoU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sE1teOX2kDA:KWG-N39DdoU:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=sE1teOX2kDA:KWG-N39DdoU:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Energy Saving Tips - In the shower</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:37:00 +0000</p> <p>Your shower has a certain maximum "volumetric flow rate".<span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Showerhead.JPG"></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Showerhead.JPG">Wikipedia</a></span></span></span>Your shower has a certain maximum "volumetric flow rate". This is the speed at which the water comes out of the shower head in Gallons per Minute (GPM). Usually this is between 3-5 GPM. If you use a hot/cold ratio of 90/10 and your shower head has a max of 3 GPM then you're using 2.7 GPM of hot water.</p><p>It is easy to turn on the water and max out the flow rate, however, if you dial it back so that the shower head is <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> running to it's full flow rate, say you're at 2/3 maximum pressure, and if you still use the same ratio (90/10) then you're now only using 1.8 GPM of hot water. This will allow you to use as <span style="font-style: italic;">little</span> cold water as possible which is good because in effect you don't really want any cold water, and by adding any cold at all, you are merely cooling down the water you have already paid to heat up.<br /><br />1.5 GPM shower heads also exist. Here is a link to the <a href="http://jet-streamshowerhead.net/works.html">"Jet-Stream"</a></p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=k9ZY8BfbipQ:QEajyjvqzs8:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=k9ZY8BfbipQ:QEajyjvqzs8:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=k9ZY8BfbipQ:QEajyjvqzs8:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=k9ZY8BfbipQ:QEajyjvqzs8:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=k9ZY8BfbipQ:QEajyjvqzs8:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=k9ZY8BfbipQ:QEajyjvqzs8:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=k9ZY8BfbipQ:QEajyjvqzs8:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=k9ZY8BfbipQ:QEajyjvqzs8:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Optimizing your Night's Sleep - Unwind First</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:30:00 +0000</p> Don't try to fall asleep directly after or while your brain is still cranking away. Do something that relaxes you in order to calm the internal chatter and slow the thought rate. Do some reading, write, meditate, whatever floats your boat; whatever is <span style="font-style: italic;">relaxing</span> to you. If you are having trouble finding something relaxing here are a few things to try:<br /><p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/content/optimizing-your-nights-sleep-unwind-first" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xJ6YAjy-B1o:AKKKzfjTB18:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xJ6YAjy-B1o:AKKKzfjTB18:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xJ6YAjy-B1o:AKKKzfjTB18:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xJ6YAjy-B1o:AKKKzfjTB18:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xJ6YAjy-B1o:AKKKzfjTB18:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xJ6YAjy-B1o:AKKKzfjTB18:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xJ6YAjy-B1o:AKKKzfjTB18:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=xJ6YAjy-B1o:AKKKzfjTB18:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Always Challenge Your Limits</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:21:00 +0000</p> <p>What does it mean to challenge yourself, and what is the benefit?<br /><br />To challenge yourself is to set a goal to do something that will not be easily accomplished. A challenge can be anything large or small. Sometimes it is easier to identify the larger challenges (bench press your weight, finish your school paper a week early, don't eat that chocolate, etc.), but it can be more difficult and require more creativity to exploit the smaller challenges, such as opening the door with your foot or optimising the way you close the bottle of milk. I believe that these smaller challenges are extremely important to understanding one's self. All self-challenges are great, I just think the small ones are underestimated.<br /><br />If you challenge yourself to jump over a trash can, or to walk up the stairs only on your toes, or grab a bug out of mid-air with a pair of chopsticks, these are all intrinsic tasks that are performed by the fundamental "you"; they are not composite tasks based on reliance of others or your surroundings. Every time you complete a self-challenge, you've further defined another self-limitation. It would be great to find all of you physical limits via small challenges and know them all fully. This would give you a good picture of who you are and what you can accomplish (at least physically) and this will, in turn, allow you to get to know yourself even better.<br /><br />There is no limit to the amount of information you can find out about yourself, so keep being creative and continue to find out your limits. As you test your limits, you will, at the same time be expanding your limits. Therefore, once you know your limit, try it again (and again and again and again), you may surprise yourself.<br /><br />The below image set depicts the limit test, acquisition and challenge sequence. The solid circle represents your physical limit (for example, the absolute maximum distance you can jump), and the dotted circle represents what you interpret to be your limit via challenging yourself:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SQgtRNBnbaI/AAAAAAAACHc/JKBuI6eh2ZE/s1600-h/limits001.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></p> <blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fig.1: </span>You have tested your limit and were easily able to complete the task. You are too far within your personal limits and are underestimating yourself. This is <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> too common in humans.<br /></blockquote> <p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SQgtjKJVjCI/AAAAAAAACHs/J1no_hnjUq0/s1600-h/limits003.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></p> <blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fig.2:</span> You have not properly tested your limit, and for some reason you have an altered perception that you can do more than you think you can. This is dangerous as it is an overestimation of your own ability.</blockquote> <p><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t2Kb6wLvc-0/SQgtYVu3oFI/AAAAAAAACHk/p1Uzra64Dlc/s1600-h/limits002.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></p> <blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fig.3:</span> This indicates "pushing the limits". Continually challenge yourself and dance around the line which dictates your absolute personal limitation. This will allow for an improved familiarity with yourself as well as work to increase your limits.<br /></blockquote><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=OAwHb00xh0M:GAakzzs35jQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=OAwHb00xh0M:GAakzzs35jQ:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=OAwHb00xh0M:GAakzzs35jQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=OAwHb00xh0M:GAakzzs35jQ:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=OAwHb00xh0M:GAakzzs35jQ:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=OAwHb00xh0M:GAakzzs35jQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=OAwHb00xh0M:GAakzzs35jQ:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=OAwHb00xh0M:GAakzzs35jQ:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Optimizing your Night's Sleep - Using the REM cycle</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:23:00 +0000</p> <p>In order to get the best night's sleep, sleep in multiples of your REM cycle. Circadian rhythm is what governs the duration of these cycles and is made up of systems of Nerve Centers, Hormones and Neurotransmitters.<br /><br />The average person's REM cycle is 90 minutes long. If you control the duration of your sleep so that it is a multiple of this, then when you wake up it is more likely that your body and mind will be <span style="font-style: italic;">ready </span>to wake up. Being "ready" to wake up means that your body has experienced REM sleep, which is said to categorize your thoughts and repair your mind, and also "Deep" sleep which relaxes your muscles and repairs your body.<br /><br />4.5 hours, 6 hours, or 7.5 hours are all multiples of a REM cycle. Although 7.5 hours may be too much for some. I've managed to get 4.5 hours of sleep over long periods of time without feeling like I'm not getting enough sleep. I find it's generally good to leave about 30 minutes to fall asleep, that is, if you're obeying rules number 1 and 2. And each night before lying down verify that your alarm is set for the correct time -- a multiple of a sleep cycle plus 30 minutes to fall asleep.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vkQJyhBZdvo:0r7sob2UbkU:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vkQJyhBZdvo:0r7sob2UbkU:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vkQJyhBZdvo:0r7sob2UbkU:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vkQJyhBZdvo:0r7sob2UbkU:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vkQJyhBZdvo:0r7sob2UbkU:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vkQJyhBZdvo:0r7sob2UbkU:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vkQJyhBZdvo:0r7sob2UbkU:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=vkQJyhBZdvo:0r7sob2UbkU:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Optimize your Night's Sleep - Set an Alarm</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:04:00 +0000</p> <div style="text-align: left;"><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: left; display: block;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/84387357@N00/299669640"></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution"><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">This is kind of obvious, but there are a couple important elements I'd like to note when using the dreaded alarm clock.</div><blockquote>Anyone can take a reservation. Take take take... It's keeping the reservation... - Seinfeld</blockquote>The most important thing to do when waking up to an alarm clock is getting up when it goes off and not hitting snooze, not once. (Also see "<a href="http://minilifehacks.blogspot.com/2008/11/wake-up-on-right-side-of-bed.html">Wake up on the right side of the bed</a>") A good way to do this, I've found, is by putting the alarm clock on the opposite side of the room, so that you must get out of bed to shut it off. Once you have stood up and shut off the alarm get you bearings, breathe deeply, and get started picking out clothes or whatever it is that you do first thing in the morning. It's good to have this first daily task be consistent so that you know exactly what you should be doing as soon as you shut off your alarm.<br /><br />To Summarize:<br /><ol><li>Shut off the alarm clock on the opposite side of the room</li><li>Consider your day ahead (See <a href="http://minilifehacks.blogspot.com/2008/10/optimize-your-nights-sleep-plan-for.html">Planning for the next Day</a>)</li><li>Take a deep breath and get your balance and bearings.</li><li>Begin your consistent daily task.</li></ol>Once you have adjusted your body to a regular pattern an alarm clock may not be necessary. But it is important in order to get adjusted.</div> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ty68FdzzEas:H_q4hNR8qGI:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ty68FdzzEas:H_q4hNR8qGI:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ty68FdzzEas:H_q4hNR8qGI:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ty68FdzzEas:H_q4hNR8qGI:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ty68FdzzEas:H_q4hNR8qGI:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ty68FdzzEas:H_q4hNR8qGI:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ty68FdzzEas:H_q4hNR8qGI:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=ty68FdzzEas:H_q4hNR8qGI:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Optimize your Night's Sleep - Plan for the next day</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:28:00 +0000</p> <p><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Old_%2775_clock_radio.jpg"></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"></span></span> Before you hit the hay think about the day to follow. Are you in the middle of doing something that you'd like to continue? Is there something on your to-do list that you'd be able to get into first thing in the morning? Maybe you just have some cereal that you enjoy, or a new song to listen to. Plan on doing THAT, whatever it is, before you go to bed, and as you're standing at your alarm clock in the morning, waiting for your eyes to focus, think about what you're planning to do and picture yourself doing it and hopefully enjoying it! Take a deep breath, and <span style="font-style: italic;">embark!</span><br /><br /></p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=FGbQ-NcKaqI:nU31_5jQJLQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=FGbQ-NcKaqI:nU31_5jQJLQ:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=FGbQ-NcKaqI:nU31_5jQJLQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=FGbQ-NcKaqI:nU31_5jQJLQ:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=FGbQ-NcKaqI:nU31_5jQJLQ:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=FGbQ-NcKaqI:nU31_5jQJLQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=FGbQ-NcKaqI:nU31_5jQJLQ:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=FGbQ-NcKaqI:nU31_5jQJLQ:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Try standing up at your desk</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:11:00 +0000</p> So I've heard of standing up at your desk and have not really tried it until recently. I tried it because I couldn't find a chair that had enough lumbar support and I kept getting a sore back. The three main benefits that you'll probably gain from standing up at your desk are:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Better posture</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">More energy</span> throughout the day<br /><br />and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Burning more calories</span>!<br /><br />I brought in a few text books to the office (user boxes or telephone books or whatever you have) and propped up my keyboard so that my arms bend approximately 90 degrees to rest on it. I put my mouse pad on top of my mini-tower and my monitor is on a tall stand, set back about 2 feet in front of me, and angled upward so that my eyes can easily come to rest on it by looking slightly downward. I found some insoles for my shoes that add a nice amount of padding which is important. You might even want a soft rubber mat to stand on.<br /><br />The setup I have allows me to easily transition from sitting to standing fairly quickly which I think is important because if it's too much of a procedure then you probably won't ever actually do it, especially if you're busy <span style="font-style: italic;">working</span>. So take a few minutes and create a setup that is easy to configure. Maybe a high stool would work instead of moving the desk around. Sometimes I do have to take a seat; right now, after only about a week of trying it, I'm probably sitting for a total of 30 minutes to 1 hour a day. Hopefully I'll be standing all day very soon.<br /><br />I'm definitely seeing the benefits of it too. The days actually tend to fly by much quicker. I get to move around a bit, too, and I think that is part of what makes it more comfortable.<br /><br />If you're having trouble try:<br /><ul><li>Shift your weight around</li><li>Stand on one foot for a while, then the other. </li><li>Stand with feet together, then apart.</li><li>Legs bent, and then legs straight.</li><li>One foot in front of the other, and then switch it around.</li><li>Move your weight from your toes to your heels to the outside edges of your feet.</li><li>Turn your body to the side, twisting your torso, and then to the other to move your organs around.<br /></li></ul>Anyway, it's a lot easier than I thought it would be. 3:00pm does start to present a challenge, but if you keep moving around it's not too bad. Don't forget to walk away from the desk from time to time either. Walking will help you to stand for longer too because it seems to get the blood flowing.<br /><br /><fieldset class="zemanta-related"><legend class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles by Zemanta</legend><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/article.php?aid=488626&pid=6775764102">Foot Exercise</a></li><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/article.php?aid=601852&pid=6775764102">How to Prevent Office Back Pain</a></li></ul></fieldset> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/9f0ec1d8-a3cd-4eaf-9e97-642bbdbd521e/" title="Zemified by Zemanta"></a></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PAkO-qTkk2E:XDjtf_RFrcA:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PAkO-qTkk2E:XDjtf_RFrcA:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PAkO-qTkk2E:XDjtf_RFrcA:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PAkO-qTkk2E:XDjtf_RFrcA:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PAkO-qTkk2E:XDjtf_RFrcA:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PAkO-qTkk2E:XDjtf_RFrcA:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PAkO-qTkk2E:XDjtf_RFrcA:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=PAkO-qTkk2E:XDjtf_RFrcA:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Make your PB & J stay fresh all day long.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:14:00 +0000</p> <span class="zemanta-img zemanta-action-click" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://www.daylife.com/image/05nm62Fded3nd"></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin: 1em 0pt 0pt; display: block;">Image by <a href="http://www.daylife.com/source/Getty_Images">Getty Images</a> via <a href="http://www.daylife.com/">Daylife</a></span></span></span><div st<span class="zemanta-img zemanta-action-click" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://www.daylife.com/image/05nm62Fded3nd"></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin: 1em 0pt 0pt; display: block;">Image by <a href="http://www.daylife.com/source/Getty_Images">Getty Images</a> via <a href="http://www.daylife.com/">Daylife</a></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Avoid the sticky and undesirable situation where the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_preserves" title="Fruit preserves" rel="wikipedia" class="zem_slink">jelly</a> just wicks into the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread" title="Bread" rel="wikipedia" class="zem_slink">bread</a> and makes it soggy.<br /></div>Very simple, just put <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter" title="Peanut butter" rel="wikipedia" class="zem_slink">peanut butter</a> on both slices of bread. This basically waterproofs the bread for you. Now when you put the jelly on, it will stay isolated between the layers of peanut butter all day long!! Enjoy a fresh non-soggy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich" title="Sandwich" rel="wikipedia" class="zem_slink">sandwich</a> any time of the day. This does, however tend to make the jelly squeeze out the sides fairly easily, so I find that leaving a half inch of peanut butter around the edge makes a good way to seal the two pieces of bread together using the peanut butter as an adhesive.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/28f0a267-2ab2-44d4-abfd-b10b3a30d971/" title="Zemified by Zemanta"></a></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=94WUjn21nVQ:VjKzRGI0-fM:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=94WUjn21nVQ:VjKzRGI0-fM:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=94WUjn21nVQ:VjKzRGI0-fM:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=94WUjn21nVQ:VjKzRGI0-fM:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=94WUjn21nVQ:VjKzRGI0-fM:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=94WUjn21nVQ:VjKzRGI0-fM:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=94WUjn21nVQ:VjKzRGI0-fM:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=94WUjn21nVQ:VjKzRGI0-fM:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Nice Language Flash Cards - Google Gadget</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:10:00 +0000</p> You should check out these awesome, simple yet very powerful flash cards for practicing your French, Italian, Japanese or Spanish vocab.<br /><br />They can easily be added to your blog or to your igoogle.com homepage from the link below. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thelanguagebear.com/flash.php">http://www.thelanguagebear.com/flash.php</a><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=XZoVtBeQIjk:ju3hZRoJxsw:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=XZoVtBeQIjk:ju3hZRoJxsw:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=XZoVtBeQIjk:ju3hZRoJxsw:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=XZoVtBeQIjk:ju3hZRoJxsw:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=XZoVtBeQIjk:ju3hZRoJxsw:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=XZoVtBeQIjk:ju3hZRoJxsw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=XZoVtBeQIjk:ju3hZRoJxsw:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=XZoVtBeQIjk:ju3hZRoJxsw:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Sit comfortably!</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:38:00 +0000</p> <p><span class="zemanta-img zemanta-action-click" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"></span><span style="font-size: 78%;"></span></span><span class="zemanta-img zemanta-action-click" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Aeron_Chair.jpg"></a></span>Lower back support is very important. <a class="zem_slink" title="Sitting" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitting">Sit up</a> straight and with a nice <a class="zem_slink" title="Posture" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posture">posture</a>: Back straight, neck straight, shoulders up and back, eyes forward, etc.<br />Office chairs can be quite nice as far keeping a good posture and you should use them to your advantage. My chair, however is not good on the back. I find that if you don't have a lot of support, you can use one of those padded notebook thingys. (A "pad-folio"?)<br />They're rigid enough that they keep the back straight and the padding is just enough so that your spine is protected. The other benefit they offer is to remind you to not lean back too hard and sit up straight because you probably don't want to crush your nice black pleather pad-folio.<br /><br />The article below on "Standing versus Sitting" is very interesting too.<br /><br /></p> <fieldset class="zemanta-related"><legend class="zemanta-related-title">Related articles<br /></legend> <ul class="zemanta-article-ul"> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/article.php?aid=527479&pid=6775764102">Ergonomic Work Chair: Know Before You Buy</a></li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/article.php?aid=568809&pid=6775764102">Office Chair Back Support - How Useful is it for You?</a></li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/article.php?aid=514229&pid=6775764102">Importance of an Office Chair to Your Back</a></li> <li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1001-standing-versus-sitting">Standing versus Sitting</a></li> </ul> </fieldset> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Zemified by Zemanta" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/45f3e065-2372-443c-8c80-f312055287b5/"></a></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ww9yV2AFXyA:NxqIzsJZHQo:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ww9yV2AFXyA:NxqIzsJZHQo:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ww9yV2AFXyA:NxqIzsJZHQo:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ww9yV2AFXyA:NxqIzsJZHQo:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ww9yV2AFXyA:NxqIzsJZHQo:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ww9yV2AFXyA:NxqIzsJZHQo:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ww9yV2AFXyA:NxqIzsJZHQo:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Ww9yV2AFXyA:NxqIzsJZHQo:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Remove magazine "interference pages"</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:24:00 +0000</p> I got this one from my grandfather. Whenever you sit down to read a magazine, try this. First, take out all of the loose papers, rip out all of the heavy bond order forms and gift forms and everything else they put in there and recycle them. It makes it so much easier to flip through when all of the pages are uniform. This way you're not always flipping to the same pages that you've read a hundred times and don't care about.<br /><br />This little diligence removes one small aggravation, but if you don't want to do it, that's okay too.<p><a href="http://www.minilifehacks.com/content/remove-magazine-interference-pages" target="_blank">read more</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jZ0HEz2Fq9Y:j2xfbIgGePs:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jZ0HEz2Fq9Y:j2xfbIgGePs:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jZ0HEz2Fq9Y:j2xfbIgGePs:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jZ0HEz2Fq9Y:j2xfbIgGePs:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jZ0HEz2Fq9Y:j2xfbIgGePs:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jZ0HEz2Fq9Y:j2xfbIgGePs:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jZ0HEz2Fq9Y:j2xfbIgGePs:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=jZ0HEz2Fq9Y:j2xfbIgGePs:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>On a Similar Note...</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:58:00 +0000</p> <p><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin: 1em 0pt 0pt; display: block;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sine_waves_different_frequencies.svg"></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin: 1em 0pt 0pt; display: block;"> </span></span></span>My niece is totally deaf, but she can still tell if there is music playing by feeling the sound pressure. Wouldn't it be great if we could all do that?; Use our sense of touch to it's fullest potential?<br /><br />I've tried to become more aware of the feeling of sounds around me and I've started to pick up on some things that I hadn't noticed before. It's certainly easier to distinguish loud sounds and be aware of their presence, but even in a short time of trying to pick up on the differences in sounds, I've been able to distinguish differences in frequency as well. Basslines in songs are generally easier to follow, but higher notes have a feeling of their own and with practice, I ("I", meaning "you", "we", "humans") could seemingly easily distinguish the differences in frequencies enough to possibly interpret speech or whole songs.<br /><br />Next time you're listening to loud music, pay attention to the feeling in your stomach, arm hair, the hair on your head and your fingertips. Touch objects around you to see what they're doing. Look around at things that might be visibly moving too, like ripples on a glass of water, hanging string, the rear view mirror in your car, etc.<br /> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"></div> </span></span></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LVOc2xuzPqY:yDJ6gTb3Wfw:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LVOc2xuzPqY:yDJ6gTb3Wfw:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LVOc2xuzPqY:yDJ6gTb3Wfw:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LVOc2xuzPqY:yDJ6gTb3Wfw:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LVOc2xuzPqY:yDJ6gTb3Wfw:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LVOc2xuzPqY:yDJ6gTb3Wfw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LVOc2xuzPqY:yDJ6gTb3Wfw:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=LVOc2xuzPqY:yDJ6gTb3Wfw:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Open Sesame! Open the door with your foot.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:09:00 +0000</p> <p><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://www.daylife.com/image/0aRr5Os7bd5dh"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin: 1em 0pt 0pt; display: block; font-size: 78%;">Image by <a href="http://www.daylife.com/source/Getty_Images">Getty Images</a> via <a href="http://www.daylife.com/">Daylife</a> </span></span>With a little practice you can learn to open door knobs with your feet. Quite useful when carrying groceries or luggage etc..<br /><br />It's a bit easier with a door that is opening away from you. If you have sneakers on or soles with a decent amount of friction you will be able to make one quick downward swipe against the doorknob with your foot. You should be pressing against the doorknob in the direction of the door jam, but slightly forwards so that you will be pushing the door open once the latch disengages. I find it takes about 2-3 inches of dragging along the sole of your shoe.</p> <div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Zemified by Zemanta" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/19a1d016-365f-4f83-ba7c-02654c9cb180/"></a></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Hvh-LG6TR5M:D7iUhBaxEwE:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Hvh-LG6TR5M:D7iUhBaxEwE:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Hvh-LG6TR5M:D7iUhBaxEwE:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Hvh-LG6TR5M:D7iUhBaxEwE:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Hvh-LG6TR5M:D7iUhBaxEwE:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Hvh-LG6TR5M:D7iUhBaxEwE:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Hvh-LG6TR5M:D7iUhBaxEwE:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=Hvh-LG6TR5M:D7iUhBaxEwE:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Snap-on a twist-on milk cap.</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:06:00 +0000</p> <p><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin: 1em 0pt 0pt; display: block;"> </span></span></span><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62978610@N00/206084861"></a><span style="font-size: 78%;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin: 1em 0pt 0pt; display: block;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62978610@N00/206084861">Dan_H</a> via Flickr </span></span></span>You know the plastic jugs of milk that have the plastic screw on caps, not the snap on caps? (I prefer those because they actually stay on if you drop the milk and they're just much more durable.) Well, you can easily get the convenience of snapping them on with just one solid smack, however since they're threaded they need to be twisted just a little bit after the smack. This is easy to do with your thumb on the hand that you are holding the milk jug with and can be done simultaneously while putting it back into the fridge.</p><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Zemified by Zemanta" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/ddbe91de-e0b3-432e-8d83-ab779927b6c6/"></a></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=e5Qjotjke_U:WN79Xz72M2I:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=e5Qjotjke_U:WN79Xz72M2I:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=e5Qjotjke_U:WN79Xz72M2I:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=e5Qjotjke_U:WN79Xz72M2I:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=e5Qjotjke_U:WN79Xz72M2I:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=e5Qjotjke_U:WN79Xz72M2I:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=e5Qjotjke_U:WN79Xz72M2I:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=e5Qjotjke_U:WN79Xz72M2I:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>What is a "Mini Life Hack"?</h1> <p>Tim Johnson — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:55:00 +0000</p> Live efficiently, strive to be better. Tips for everyday living. Some more profound than others.. Some not profound at all. The information age is a wonderful thing. Let's all learn from each other and see if we can't speed up this "evolution" thing just a <span style="font-style: italic;">little</span> bit more...<br /><br />What's a Mini Life Hack?<br />A "Life Hack" is something that makes life just a little bit easier or more enjoyable. I hope you enjoy these <span style="font-style: italic;">mini </span>life hacks which are short and easy to read, and give you ideas for optimizing or improving on the little things in life that all add up to the big picture.<br /><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script defer="defer" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=KmMDYfDWIMU:1zSEaT13Ytw:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=KmMDYfDWIMU:1zSEaT13Ytw:dnMXMwOfBR0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=KmMDYfDWIMU:1zSEaT13Ytw:V_sGLiPBpWU"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=KmMDYfDWIMU:1zSEaT13Ytw:7Q72WNTAKBA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=KmMDYfDWIMU:1zSEaT13Ytw:qj6IDK7rITs"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=KmMDYfDWIMU:1zSEaT13Ytw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=KmMDYfDWIMU:1zSEaT13Ytw:TzevzKxY174"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/MiniLifeHacks?a=KmMDYfDWIMU:1zSEaT13Ytw:l6gmwiTKsz0"></img></a> </div> </article> </main></body></html>