20 Tiny Rules I Follow that Quietly Make Life 20x Easier
End your day with a complete peace.
My dentist brought up the option to upgrade to the deluxe cleaning package. I declined.
Instead of oat milk, the barista served me full milk. I declined once more.
I was invited to my neighbor’s essential oils celebration. I said no.
Just three minor “NO’s” before lunchtime. If it had been five years ago, I would have quietly planned my escape while saying “YES’ to all of them.
My days are now as smooth as peanut butter because I follow 20 simple rules. It is not due to my exceptional self-control or remarkable qualities.
The purpose of these rules is to allow me to live more and think less.
The First Rule: I Always Carry Something With Me When I Exit a Room.
As I make my way to the restroom, I seize the cup and set it down in the kitchen sink. Just a few seconds. I didn’t make any unnecessary routes.
When you consider that most people take specific trips to clear up, this seems obvious. They stroll past seventeen things that need rearranging, then gripe about how long it takes to clean.
I carry one thing with me every time I move.
My place is relatively clean, even when I am not paying attention. My brain can do whatever it pleases, so I can figure out real problems, such as why my succulent keeps dying even though I water it weekly.
Second Rule: I never leave out Items with Extras.
Is the peanut butter jar empty? I use the new one and discard the old one in the recycle bin.
Shampoo finished? Once out of the shower, I replace the new bottle.
This includes items such as coffee beans, printer paper, and gas tanks. My friend Sarah describes this as closing a loop. This is what I refer to when I tell myself that I will not screw up my tomorrow.
Third Rule: I Always Plan My Attire the Night Before
There are four pairs of jeans in my collection and seven identical black t-shirts. The problem of decision fatigue is actually rather serious.
Because making important presidential decisions is more important than changing one’s appearance every day, Barack Obama wore the same suit for eight years.
The president is not me. However, I would like not to focus my thoughts on pants either.
Every week on Sunday night, I lay out all five of my outfits. When Monday rolls around, I do not have to think about my clothes, and I’m all prepared. Options overwhelm me like a zombie. I can get dressed in the dark and still look good.
Fourth Rule: I Simplify Every Boring Thing
The money I owe just goes out. Automatic renewal of my subscriptions is set up. At 6:45 in the morning, my coffee machine begins brewing automatically.
It is said that people enjoy having control. Actually, what they like is the sense of control while carrying out mundane, repetitive chores that a robot might effectively execute.
The thought of having to remember to pay the electricity bill on the 23rd is more bothersome than having control over my lunch budget.
Just be sure to set it up once. Set it aside. Put your mental energy toward something worthwhile, like understanding what cryptocurrencies are. Or not. Okay with me as well.
Fifth Rule: I Maintain a “Someday” List
It takes me a while to commit when someone recommends going out for coffee or trying that new restaurant. I always manage to find something to say, even when I’m completely bereft of ideas.
After that, I add it to the “Someday” list. The natural mortality rate for these invitations is 90%.
Most people don’t remember.
Strategy fails.
I didn’t lose energy by passing on or attending an event I wasn’t interested in.
Rule 6: I Eat the Same Breakfast Every Day
Banana and cinnamon oatmeal. Each and every morning. People find this to be depressing. Choosing what to eat before coffee is, in my opinion, depressing.
Entertainment is not breakfast. It’s fuel.
Every week, I save four hours of breakfast time by following this rule. That is more than eight days every year. Just by not thinking about toast alternatives.
Rule 7: I Have a “Maybe” Spot in My Wardrobe
Wear jeans that aren’t filthy enough to wash? They settle into the chair. Not in the drawer again. Not in the hamper. For clothing that is between clean and soiled, the chair is eternity.
This sounds disorganized. In fact, it’s effective. I’m not replacing filthy clothing with clean ones or washing clean things again. The chair is truthful. The chair is aware of the reality of my jeans.
Rule 8: I Take Two Minutes to Do It Right Away
Respond to that text? Two minutes.
Is that jacket hanging up? Two minutes.
Wash that dish? Two minutes.
I do things now if they take less time than brushing my teeth. If not, it adds to the stack of little chores that eventually grow into one enormous, bothersome task.
Little tasks proliferate. When they are small, kill them.
Rule 9: “Exit Stations” Should Be Placed Near Doors
A bowl beside my front door holds my mask, wallet, keys, and sunglasses.
Not on the counter in the kitchen. Not in my sleeping quarters. I used to exit by the door.
In my twenties, I looked for keys for hours. Those hours will never be returned. During that period, I could have learnt Spanish or perhaps had a good nap.
Rule 10: I Combine Related Tasks in One Batch
I make all of my phone calls on Tuesday afternoons.
Every email is responded to on Wednesday morning.
On Saturdays, errands are run before noon.
Energy is depleted when switching between tasks. It takes time for my brain to change gears. It’s simpler to make five consecutive calls than to spread them out across five days.
This also means that I don’t use my phone at all four days a week. My friends and family adapted to my schedule. No one perished because they had to wait an extra day for my answer concerning brunch plans.
Rule 11: I Keep Snacks in Weird Places
I have protein bars in my car.
I had almonds in my work bag. In my gym locker, there are crackers. I always have food with me, therefore I never get hungry.
I make bad choices because I’m hungry. Because it felt significant at the time,
Rule 12: I Refuse Without Giving an Explanation
“Can you help me move this weekend?” No.
Not a “No because I have plans.” Not a “No because my back hurts.” Simply put, no.
People figure out your excuses. An easy no is beyond their capabilities. At first, this seems impolite. Then you understand that truthful people value boundaries more than dishonest people value long-winded justifications.
Rule 13: I Touch Paper Once
Mail comes in. I open it right away.
Trash is sent directly to recycling.
Bills are filed or paid. There is never a pile of that paper.
Important documents end up in paper heaps, which are like black holes.
Once, my car’s registration vanished amid a mound of paper. I couldn’t face the pile, so I drove about in a somewhat illegal manner for six months.
The paper is now handled or disposed of. No compromise. Not a pile.
14th Rule: I Create False Deadlines
My dentist appointment is scheduled for 2:00 PM. 1:30 PM is listed in my calendar. I get there early. I never feel anxious. For unforeseen traffic or the sudden need to poop, I have buffer time.
Real life isn’t always punctual. This is accounted for in my calendar.
Those who show up on time are either liars or wizards.
Rule 15: I Maintain a “Brain Dump” Note
I instantly type random ideas, projects, and thoughts into a single continuing note on my phone. Not on sticky notes. Not in separate applications. Just one thing.
I have a bad brain. It’s terrible at remembering yet excellent at thinking. I can safely forget things if I put them in writing. They are apprehended. I can come up with another idea.
Rule 16: I Purchase Replicas of Items I Constantly Misplace
I have four phone chargers. Three sets of scissors. Five chapsticks.
Things vanish. Finding what you’re looking for takes more time than buying copies.
Rule 17: I Prepare the Night Before
Coffee is ready to be made.
Packed my gym bag.
Made lunch.
Keys are by the door.
Me in the morning is pointless. At night, I have energy and can make good choices. I plan for success in advance. Morning, I just followed through with the plan. This is manipulation. I’m controlling myself. It works.
Rule 18: I Unsubscribe Right Away
Email that I don’t want? Right then, unsubscribe. Not “I’ll take care of this later.” Now.
It takes ten seconds. It keeps me from having to read that email every week for the next ten years. I just got a whole workday back by multiplying 10 seconds by five hundred annoying emails.
Rule 19: I keep a list of things I’ve done.
Everyone has a list of things to accomplish. I also keep notes of what I’ve done.
Did you cross off five items today? That’s on my list of things to accomplish. A day that was awful and unproductive? I still showered and ate. That is also on the list of things to accomplish.
This sounds stupid until you think about how often we forget what we did. The list of things I’ve done shows that I’m not lazy. I have a lousy memory because I’m human.
Rule 20: I Can Quit Whenever I Want
Did you start a book that turned out to be boring? Don’t read it.
I bought a game I don’t like. Stop playing.
I signed up for a class I don’t like. Let it go.
The time that has already passed is gone. Putting in more time on something I despise doesn’t make the first time worth it.
It just makes me feel worse.
These twenty rules aren’t new. They’re only systems. Small, easy-to-use systems that make life easier. I do not care about them anymore.
They happen on their own.
The dentist still offers me better deals. I still say no. But now I say it without feeling bad, without explaining, and without wasting energy on a choice that doesn’t matter.
My life did not change in a single night. It gets easier with each little rule.
I don't know if I could eat the same breakfast everyday lol, I am consistent in that I eat the same thing on the same day every week. Enjoyed the article Anshul :)