lifehacks – jtoy

Learn to say no to yourself

Tailoring your information diet on reddit

I love reddit for surfing the internet around specific topics. I subscribe to 30+ topics like /r/cogsci and /r/compsci. I I noticed that reading reddit would change my mood, I would become more anxious and excited reading about certain topics. A lot of my subreddits are technology and science related and so I would get… Continue reading Tailoring your information diet on reddit

On eliminating negative thoughts – Can your glass always be half full?

Our monkey minds are constantly commenting on everything around us. Some of thoughts can be very negative and send us into a downward spiral. I’ve been experimenting with noticing these negative thoughts and seeing if I can think about some positive aspect of that thought. For example if I get annoyed about waiting in line,… Continue reading On eliminating negative thoughts – Can your glass always be half full?

Create a daily review wall

I mentioned before that I think I have a shorter term memory compared to others and so I have built many rituals and habits that allow me to still be productive. One of the most important things I’ve done is to create a daily review wall. In my bedroom and office, I have several large… Continue reading Create a daily review wall

Meditate when you can’t sleep

I have had sleep problems on and off for most of my life which has probably contributed to my short-term memory. I completely changed my life when I started practicing this technique of a specific form of practicing presence/meditation. Often nights, I will make up and an unable to fall back asleep. I would just… Continue reading Meditate when you can’t sleep

Keep a log of your personal conflict incidents

In many companies, there is a concept of the postmortem where if an incident happens that effects the business negatively, they review how and why it happened. Solutions are suggested to prevent the problem from happening again and this is all recorded as a log entry so others can review it later. I have started… Continue reading Keep a log of your personal conflict incidents

Ambitious Serenity

One thing I struggled with for a long time while on the path to presence and mindfulness, was how to reconcile my ambition with practicing being in the present moment. I have always had strong ambitions to work hard on problems that caught my attention. I would stress out when I couldn’t solve the problem.… Continue reading Ambitious Serenity

Training your mind with a rock

I learned about a strategy for being able to handle pressure from my friend David Henzel. He keeps a gratitude rock in his pocket all day and every time he notices or touches it, he thinks of something he is grateful for. After learning of this technique, I’ve been doing the same, but recently I’ve… Continue reading Training your mind with a rock