What are some life hacks that you practice?

1. Sleeping right. There’s a saying: ‘Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise’.

Just like time, sleep is precious. Snoozing well solves a lot of issues. Improved mood and concentration. Able to multitask and think critically. Boosted alertness and more energy for everyday tasks, like walking your pet iguana. Better decision-making such as choosing decisively between a scone and Big Mac. Less tiredness and sluggishness throughout the day. You’ll avoid being the next Professor Slughorn. No need for caffeine fixes to stay awake.

We’ve heard it before: practice good sleep hygiene. Avoid screens an hour before bedtime. Have a regular slumber routine. Take a warm evening shower. Drink fresh milk before dozing. Read a book before bedtime.

These days, we have many distractions. We must overstep them and rest well. Some of my best ideas come up when I call it a night, which is a shame. Sometimes, I jot them down. Waking up the next day, if unwritten, they’re gone for good.

2. Drinking peppermint tea. I used to down instant coffee all the time. This was true from high school through to uni and beyond. Then I heard about this thing peppermint tea. It tastes bland and minty compared to coffee. However, it has more health benefits than the latter – without the caffeine. More importantly, it doesn’t disrupt your sleep.

The tea is slightly harder to prep than instant coffee. Upon adding the teabag, you have to steep it for 2 minutes. It’s worth the effort though. What’s more? You could drink it at night without affecting your shuteye. It’s gentle on the gut. Green tea is another wonder drink. However, it does contain about 29mg of caffeine. Like its peppermint cousin, it has proven health benefits.

Contrary to coffee, it’s non-stimulating. It doesn’t make you wired and inspires no jitters. You could take it on an empty stomach.

3. Eating brown rice and wholemeal bread. I used to eat white rice and white bread. A while back, I made the switch to brown bread and rice. The latter has more fibre, though brown rice takes longer to cook. Thus, the pair has more nutrients. If constipation is an issue, go with brown rice. White rice is recommended for loose stools.

Brown rice is more satiating, meaning smaller portions. I’ve been advised to switch to brown pasta as well. At night, white rice is more effective at causing sleepiness.

As mentioned, you must soak it for an hour. You should also have the right water to rice ratio. As a result, you’ll easily spend 1.5 hours. Like peppermint tea, the added prepping is worth it.

4. Avoiding heavily processed foods. These include bacon, hotdogs, doughnuts, hash browns, cheese, cakes, cookies, ice cream, pastries etc. You won’t get rich by indulging on the midnight ice cream. These foods are high in refined carbohydrates and trans fats and have little to no health benefits. Chew with caution.

Yes, they’re a guilty pleasure. Who wouldn’t say no to bacon and eggs? Cheeseburgers and black forest cakes. Tim Tams and gelato. However, being sumptuous doesn’t mean better.

You can treat yourself occasionally but moderation is key. Pay attention to your blood pressure now or regret it later on. Practice prudence today and have less worries tomorrow. If you’re careless now, you might need statins in the future. Bingeing on treats only causes trouble.

5. Journalling. I’ve mentioned this in an older post. I jot down my thoughts and ideas on my A5 notebook. It’s a moment in time, a snapshot of your days. It functions as a reminder, an ear into the past. Small steps make a big difference. Our words and notes today are tomorrow’s hindsight. There’s a certain beauty in cataloguing, inspiring nostalgia. As per my last post, I sometimes write in cursive letters. Since starting, I’ve filled three full notebooks with my viewpoints.

The journal has been a boon for my drafting. My ideas make the whole process a ton easier. It’s like bookmarking a page. Or highlighting a passage. The epigraphs and quotes have been earmarked. My satirical romance novel’s next paragraph or subsection were outlined.

Aside from my notebook, I utilise my iPhone 16e’s Notes app. It’s quite handy, especially if I’m away from my A5. It functions as a virtual notepad and is more portable. While convenient, you crimp on screen size.

The notebook is much more substantial than the iPhone’s display. However, you sacrifice screen real estate for accessibility. If you’re out and about, the lighter iPhone wins over the larger notebook. You also don’t have to turn pages or carry a gel pen. It’s like having our groceries delivered. You save time browsing at the shop.

iPhone with my notebook. Brown rice with my cuppa. Makes sense to me.