101 Handy Tips | 101 Life Tips

101 Life Tips

• 1Interviews Skills
  You will get better/slicker with each job interview, so diary your important interviews at the end.
• 2Practice Interviews
  Get friends to give you dummy interviews. Do you know someone who runs a business who is used to giving Interviews
• 3Telephone Callers
  A telephone caller will reveal his real purpose with the third item
• 4Never Drink Alcohol when you are Thirsty : Avoiding Hangovers
  Never drink alcoholic drinks when you are thirsty/hungry the alcohol will go straight into your bloodstream. Drink water or a cola.
• 5Never touch or clean a Camera Lens
  Camera lenses are easily scratched, usually it costs too much to replace the lens so you camera is ruined. Camera shops sell special cleaning kits.
• 6Rehearse People's Name before entering the room
  Before a business meeting or a party, go through the names of everyone you will be meeting, this avoids the embarrassment of forgetting people's names.
• 7Sports Bag/Overnight Bag
  You never know when youmight need to stopover, always carry an overnight bag in your car with toiletries etc. A Sports Bag can double as both. Make a list of your minimum requirements.
• 8Carry a LED or Wind-up Flashlight in your car
  An essential part of your car's emergency kit should be flashlights
• 9Everything must have a place, an exact place
  Your possessions must have an exact storage place, not just on the shelf but in exact place on the shelf.
• 10If you can't find something, tidy up instead
  Sometimes you cannot see for looking, try tidying up and you will surely find your mislaid object.
• 11When drinking alcohol drink a soft drink every now and again
  This will stop the alcohol taking over and break its spell on you.
• 12Emergency cash and coins
  Hide a few coins, a few low value dollar bills somewhere slightly awkward in your car. you will be very glad of these one day.
• 13Never buy cheap tools
  Only buy quality tools. They will last you a lifetime. Poor quality tools risk damaging the thing you are trying to repair
• 14Always eat a good breakfast
  If you skip breakfast you will get hungrier as the day proceeds and end up eating more.
• 15Big Day Out
  Forget get your diet on say a wedding day or leaving on vacation day or interview day and have a proper breakfast it may be the only real meal you get. You don't want to start losing energy on an important day out.
• 16Spelling/Grammar Does Count!
  When I'm reading a CV from a job applicant and the spelling is poor, I think a) he may be poorly educated, b) he is careless, c) he can't use or can't be bothered to use a spell-checker whatever the reason I get a very bad impression.
• 17When checking out of your hotel room
  Always go back in check behind doors and in draws you are bound to have left something behind.
• 18Business: Business Skill Set
  Running your own business requires a different skill set to that required to be a successful employee
• 19The Age of Self Motivation
  In the past managers could see exactly how much work you were doing, how many widgets you produced and keep you at it. Today many of us are desk workers if we don't get our work done sooner or later we'll be in trouble but now we have to self-motivate we have to structure own schedules. The trouble is the education system does not yet prepare us for the self-motivated world we have to do train ourselves.
• 20Knacks
  AKA mechanical skills. Lots of day-to-day tasks require knacks from opening packaging to replacing the ink-cartridge in your printer. Never allow yourself to think that it's impossible or that you'll never master it. The http://www.ehow.com/ website is absolutely excellent with step-by-step help YouTube often has a How-to Video.
• 21Ring Pull Cans
  Press down hard on the center pin of the ring-pull and it will lift a little making it easier to pull up.
• 22Choosing a Life Partner
  Probably the single most important factor in determining whether you have a happy life. Take finding and choosing a partner very seriously.
• 23 Choosing a Life Partner
  Women generally give this a very high importance in their lives, men generally only realize the importance of this too late.
• 24Boring/Tedious Task
  You have to discover and create a mental game to get yourself through. When bringing in the winter logs I concentrate on splitting the huge heap into two.
• 25Paper Forms
  When filling out a complex form where mistakes are not allowed, get an extra form which you can fill out without paying too much attention to neatness or errors, when you've got all the details filled in as best you can, transcribe the information on to the second form. Keep the first form as a reference.
• 26Write your Problem Down
  Writing down a problem is often enough to help find a solution. There is something about the rigor of having to put your problem into words that helps clarify enough so that you can resolve the problem yourself.
• 27Morgue Papers Box/File
  It is often difficult to decide whether you should throw out a letter, document etc, may be you'll need it. Have a special box or draw which you can use for these papers. When it's full you can review which ones can be thrown out -- the oldest ones. I call my box a paper mill.
• 28Learn in Your Car
  I find I can concentrate better in my car on long and short journeys. I download MP3 files onto a USB stick which I plug into my car radio. Many are How-to Videos from YouTube which I convert to an MP3 via one of the many websites that provide this service.
• 29Don't go on Vacation with Work Colleagues
  Yes you get on great in work but really you don't know them or how they behave in private. Keep work and private life separate.
• 30 Vacation List
  Keep a list on your PC of everything you need to remember for your vacation. It is so easy to forget the recharger for your phone or camera, or an item of clothing.
• 31Scratching a Spot,Bite,Itch
  If you scratch these you will make them worse. However if you scratch NEXT to or AROUND the spot your brain will not be able to tell the difference!
• 32Bullet List before writing a Document
  Before writing a letter, essay, article, document or speech bullet list the main points. It will help you clarify your thoughts and help stop you getting halfway through before realizing you going down the wrong track.
• 33List your Tasks for Tomorrow
  Before you finish up at the end of the day jot down a short to do list to start the next day
• 34Only Buy Black Biros
  Nearly all forms specify that you use a black biro (the forms are scanned), play safe only buy black ones not blue.
• 35Photograph Something you are about to Dismantle
  When you are reassembling something you have repaired you may find it hard to remember what it looked like before. Take a few photos beforehand with your cellphone or camera.
• 36Become More Observant
  When you park your car in a strange town, take several references on its location, the street name, distinctive building or shop name.
• 37Reminders
  When your brain reminds you that you should say remember to put your sports bag in your car for tomorrow, you MUST take an action immediately. Best of course is to put the bag in your car, but if that's not possible or convenient, write a Post-It note or put a reminder in your cellphone. Often your brain will only give you one reminder , act on it!
• 38Camping
  Before going camping practice putting up the tent, blowing up the inflatable beds, setting up the equipment in your back garden. It's a lot easier to learn how everything fits together and rectify problems that way than it will be on a dark rainy night when you arrive after a long tiring drive at your campsite.
• 39Finding a Wasp's Nest
  At dusk throw flour over one or more wasps you should then be able to follow their flight back to their nest.
• 40When you are a Stranger somewhere : don't tell other people
  A taxi-driver might casually ask you if it is your first visit to the area, town, country although that might be an innocent question it could also be to find out if he can drive you the long way round, and much worse.
• 41Don't ever put 'temporarily' something on the roof of your car
  Never 'temporarily' put your briefcase etc on the roof of your car it is much to easy to forget it, if you must put it on the hood in front of the steering wheel where you can at least see it if you pull away!
• 42Traveling and Dehydration
  Remember to hydrate (water is best) frequently when traveling by air or otherwise. Dehydration leads to fatigue and poor decision-making.
• 43Wasting Food
  Eating food you don't need is wasting it just as much as throwing it in the bin.
• 44 Volunteering
  When helping is unavoidable, volunteer early that way you earn brownie points for not waiting to be asked and secondly you usually get to choose which task you have to do.
• 45Ask Questions Neutrally
  Always ask a question neutrally, ie never imply an answer. eg ask which country is the biggest coffee producer, NOT is Brazil the biggest coffee producer because people who don't know the answer will tend to play safe and simply agree with your suggestion.
• 46How to be Punctual
  Add at least 20 minutes contingency time to any journey. I imagine I will arrive early enough to stop in a coffee shop. If I do this I will never get my coffee but I will be on time.
• 47New Job
  In the first days of a new job try not to tell colleagues how everything the company does or produces is wrong at best they will think you a fool at worse you will make enemies.
• 48Avoid being the bearer of bad news
  Others will gladly volunteer for this job, only do it if it is your direct responsibility. You don't want to associated with the bad event.
• 49Always reserve a table at a restaurant
  Even if it's midweek and you know there will be plenty of space. Reason one , the restaurant will treat you better, they are always anxious that they get business and you took the trouble to book. Reason two : every now and again restaurants do get fully booked. Reason three it helps them to get to know you.
• 50Help Others Study
  Crafty students throughout the ages have learned that if they help fellow students with their studies, essays and problems then that is the best and most interesting way for them to learn the subject as well, it also exposes them to the difficulties of the problem.
• 51WD 40 is a general purpose cleaner as well
  Use WD 40 to remove sticky labels etc. (test the surface first with a tiny amount) apply the WD40 to a cloth rather than the surface directly
• 52Making Decisions
  You have to learn to make the best decision you can using all the information you currently have, usually any decision is better than no decision.
• 53Reminder: Put your watch/bracelet on the wrong hand
  When you have something you urgently need to remember to do put your watch on the wrong hand until you get it done.
• 54Refusing Alcohol
  It is sometimes awkward to refuse an alcoholic drink from say a client even though you know you have more work to do or must drive. A useful white lie is to say you cannot drink alcohol because you are on medication.
• 55Pay attention when you put something down
  Learn to always either put things back in their place or at least to remember where you put it down.
• 56Always deal with a misunderstanding immediately
  When you realize that someone has misinterpreted one of your actions or something you said go to see them immediately and get it resolved. Problems may appear to go away but in fact may fester under the surface.
• 57Avoid breaking "unimportant" laws or regulations
  Don't get into the habit of breaking trivial laws especially when driving, one day you might push your luck or give the police an excuse to stop you and check you over or your car.
• 58Keyhole Chances
  Many life changing opportunities arrive totally by chance all you have to is take advantage of them. How you find a job or meet your life partner. Doesn't mean you don't have to make plans it just means take advantage of life's serendipity.
• 59Punctuality : The lost 10 minutes
  This is the time from when you decide to set off for an appointment to the time you actually set out the door, it is gathering your papers, putting on your coat, telling your colleagues that you leaving, responding to their requests. You must therefore always leave Ten Minutes earlier than you think necessary.
• 60Kiss: Keep it Simple Stupid
  If you can hardly explain to someone what it is you want or want them to do then it is unlikely that they will be able to comply with your wishes. Go back and find a simpler plan.
• 61Looking Back on Decisions
  When looking back you will think why on earth did I make such and such a decision. What you forget is how much you didn't know at the time. It is largely a waste of time to worry or analyse these decisions. You can only take the best decision you can based on the information you available to you.
• 62Bullet Points
  Before writing anything, an essay, a report or a letter, write down your bullet points, don't just start writing or you'll end up doing too many corrections.
• 63Keep your Gas Tank Nearly Full
  When you are traveling late at night or are in a region you don't know well or it is off the beaten track or there is bad weather keep your gas tank near full.
• 64Working Extra Hours
  When there is a big panic at work, or a rush order don't insist on leaving at the normal end of your working day unless of course you've got something unavoidable like picking up your kids.
• 65Be very careful what you put in emails
  Many people have lost their jobs because of a "joke remark" they have put into an email that has accidentally gone to the wrong people. Remember emails tend to last forever and that what you might think is funny can be offensive to many. Just never do it, even to a friend.
• 66Have a separate email address for signing up to websites
  I have several email addresses I have one which I use when I sign up to websites for a mailing list. I keep my main email address for friends and serious stuff.
• 67YouTube How to Videos
  YouTube is full of how to videos. How to bake a cake, replace a fan belt on your car, repair your PC, repair a kitchen appliance. Somethings are much easier to learn if you can see it done.
• 68Ehow.com
  Is full of advice on how to do practically anything.
• 69Exercize
  A trip to the Gym will do you the most good when you least feel like going!
• 70No Gender Excuse
  A man should know how to iron a shirt or sew on a button. A woman should know how to do basic car maintenance. It is no longer possible to hide behind gender excuses.
• 71 Maximize every Journey
  Whenever you go up or down stairs or just walk into another room think what could I bring with me, clear up. Getting things back to their proper place is a constant battle. Place things that need to go out to the car by the door , or place them at the bottom of the stairs for your next trip up.
• 72Getting Your Kids To Tidy Up
  You need to develop strategies to deal with their apparent "deafness". Try this one: They leave their phones, remotes, cables everywhere so pick them up and take them to the farthest point in the house when you put them in say a draw. Now it is a battle of patience you have to keep doing this until they decide that it would be easier to clear their affairs away in the first place
• 73Ask For Help
  Many of us pride ourselves on being self sufficient, but don't be. Ask for help, ask for advice don't try and do it all yourself. Successful people ask for help all the time.
• 74To Do List
  I now maintain a single To Do List rather than have multiple ones for different categories. I keep it in DropBox.com so it is always available on my Tablet and other PCs
• 75Calendar Everything
  Keep the same calendar/diary for everything, private and business, it is amazing how frequently events clash. I use Google Calendar and it is configured to send me text messages
• 76Save Money: Ring up your Electricity, Phone Supplier etc and say you want to leave
  They will almost always offer you a discount or extra benefit to keep you as a customer. You save money without the trouble of actually changing your service.
• 77Traveling to a New Place? Study Your Map for 5 Minutes
  When you are late the danger is that you rush off unprepared however 5 minutes checking your route, using Google Maps to discover the exact destination, will save you lots of time and panic.
• 78Enemies will often give you good advice
  Friends are often too polite to tell you what you are doing wrong, enemies have no such compunction when you have got over the pain of the criticism learn any lessons.
• 79If you don't know if you need milk, buy milk
  You can always use up too much milk one way or another!