What are some of your favorite life hacks?
A life hack is a strategy that helps you do something better or with greater ease, and that would probably also help others if they knew about it. Sometimes “shortcut” is used as a synonym. A life hack can be anything from a practical piece of advice (like the tip that you should always have certain items in the trunk of your car in case of an emergency) to a stratagem to use in social contexts (like a mnemonic device for remembering the name of someone you have just met) to a philosophical notion (like the belief that “good things come to those who wait”). We here at Opinion Headquarters don’t merely offer you controversial opinions on world events; we offer priceless life hacks to help you float effortlessly through the miasma of modern existence. These are the kind of bits of golden wisdom that get earned over decades of experience but that can be shared for free.
We’re inspired by the legendary tech journalist Kevin Kelly, who, for his 68th, 69th and 70th birthdays, shared his life learnings on his Technium blog. Here are some of Kelly’s life hack gems (I’ve reworded several for concision): When you have 90 percent of a large project completed, finishing up the final details will take another 90 percent.
Anything you say before the word “but” does not count.
Denying or deflecting a compliment is rude. Accept it with thanks.
Getting cheated occasionally is a small price to pay for trusting the best in everyone, because when you trust the best in others, they will treat you the best.
When you get invited to something in the future, ask yourself, Would I do this tomorrow?
Purchase a tourist guidebook to your hometown. You’ll learn a lot playing tourist once a year.
The thing that made you weird as a kid could make you great as an adult.
It’s not an apology if it comes with an excuse.
Just because it’s not your fault doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility.
Ignore what they are thinking of you because they are not thinking of you.
If you think you saw a mouse, you did, and if there is one, there are others.
Mr. Brooks goes on to give more life hacks he gathered from around the internet:
If you’re traveling in a place you’ve never been before, listen to an album you’ve never heard before. Forever after that music will remind you of that place.
If you’re cutting cake at a birthday party with a bunch of kids howling around you, it’s quicker and easier to cut the cake with dental floss, not a knife. Lay the floss across the cake and firmly press down.
When you’re beginning a writing project, give yourself permission to write badly. You can’t fix it until it’s down on paper.
Students, read the entire essay, then tell us:
What are some of your favorite hacks from the essay? Why?
Do all of the pieces of advice ring true for you? Give an example of something you’ve witnessed or experienced that illustrates one of the statements in the essay. Or, if you have an idea of something that contradicts a statement, share your thought and explain why it makes the suggestion less valid.
What is one piece of advice from the essay that you might put into practice, perhaps in the near future or later on if the advice is more relevant to another stage of your life?
Do you know anyone who gives good advice the way Kevin Kelly, the writer whose “life hack gems” are paraphrased in the essay, does? Is it someone you know personally or someone you admire from afar? What practical wisdom has this person shared that has resonated with you?
Now it’s your turn: Share one or more of your own life hacks. What is something you have learned that has made your life easier and that could help others? It could be a more general life philosophy (e.g., “Just because it’s not your fault doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility”) or something practical (e.g., how to cut a birthday cake with dental floss). Tell us how it has helped you.
We’re inspired by the legendary tech journalist Kevin Kelly, who, for his 68th, 69th and 70th birthdays, shared his life learnings on his Technium blog. Here are some of Kelly’s life hack gems (I’ve reworded several for concision): When you have 90 percent of a large project completed, finishing up the final details will take another 90 percent.
Anything you say before the word “but” does not count.
Denying or deflecting a compliment is rude. Accept it with thanks.
Getting cheated occasionally is a small price to pay for trusting the best in everyone, because when you trust the best in others, they will treat you the best.
When you get invited to something in the future, ask yourself, Would I do this tomorrow?
Purchase a tourist guidebook to your hometown. You’ll learn a lot playing tourist once a year.
The thing that made you weird as a kid could make you great as an adult.
It’s not an apology if it comes with an excuse.
Just because it’s not your fault doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility.
Ignore what they are thinking of you because they are not thinking of you.
If you think you saw a mouse, you did, and if there is one, there are others.
Mr. Brooks goes on to give more life hacks he gathered from around the internet:
If you’re traveling in a place you’ve never been before, listen to an album you’ve never heard before. Forever after that music will remind you of that place.
If you’re cutting cake at a birthday party with a bunch of kids howling around you, it’s quicker and easier to cut the cake with dental floss, not a knife. Lay the floss across the cake and firmly press down.
When you’re beginning a writing project, give yourself permission to write badly. You can’t fix it until it’s down on paper.
Students, read the entire essay, then tell us:
What are some of your favorite hacks from the essay? Why?
Do all of the pieces of advice ring true for you? Give an example of something you’ve witnessed or experienced that illustrates one of the statements in the essay. Or, if you have an idea of something that contradicts a statement, share your thought and explain why it makes the suggestion less valid.
What is one piece of advice from the essay that you might put into practice, perhaps in the near future or later on if the advice is more relevant to another stage of your life?
Do you know anyone who gives good advice the way Kevin Kelly, the writer whose “life hack gems” are paraphrased in the essay, does? Is it someone you know personally or someone you admire from afar? What practical wisdom has this person shared that has resonated with you?
Now it’s your turn: Share one or more of your own life hacks. What is something you have learned that has made your life easier and that could help others? It could be a more general life philosophy (e.g., “Just because it’s not your fault doesn’t mean it’s not your responsibility”) or something practical (e.g., how to cut a birthday cake with dental floss). Tell us how it has helped you.
