I always tell myself I’ll just rest my eyes for like 5 minutes… then wake up two hours later in a completely different dimension wondering what day it is, where I am, and why my phone’s at 2% for no reason.
If I don’t feel respected as a human being I will walk off any job I have. Just walked away from 100k plus salary job after a year. It hasn’t really seemed to affect me in any type of negative way. It’s super liberating. Every time I’ve done this I’ve just gone somewhere else and made more money.
If I drop a snack on the floor but it lands right-side up, it’s still spiritually clean—5 second rule doesn’t apply to the bottom if the universe protected the top.
When life gets shit, i allow myself an evening of pure wallowing. Ice cream, sobbing, the works. And then i keep going. Some weeks need three wallow evenings. But i keep going.
To be fair, I assume there is a lot of folks that keep to this same rule after watching a certain movie. Where I am, the logs are very securely chained down and seem safe. Do I trust it? Nope.
Do the dishes as soon as possible. The longer they sit there the harder its going to get to motivate yourself to finish them. If you dont want to do dishes, dont cook something that requires lots of dishes.
I guess this can be applied more broadly as like..don’t make a mess you arent prepared to clean up. Helps me not let stuff build up and get out of control.
Less important but “never break the seal” is a philosophy I apply to games with microtransactions. Once I spend money on it once, I know Im going to be comfortable doing it again. So I have a rule that I never do that.
Only drink alcohol 2 nights a week max is another one. (Vacation is an exception)
One sugary drink a day, max. Since implementing this I dont even want soda anymore (unless its a good root beer lol. But 1 a day applies until the supply is gone) and most days I never have a sugary drink.
I am very picky about who I let sit around my table. You are who you hang out with, and if you wouldn’t want to be just like all the people that sit around you, then dismiss yourself and go sit at your own table.
All trips begin in the bathroom, whether you need to go or not. Doesn’t matter if it’s a cross-country road trip or a 5 minute jaunt to the gas station, I -will- at least attempt to pee first.
If I’m having a hard time absorbing information, I have to imagine explaining it to someone else who really doesn’t understand that sort of thing. I end up imagine whole scenarios and lessons, makes the information stick way better than repeating it to myself.
I thought I invented the “only do one illegal thing / break one rule at a time” thing – it was never told to me, but I cemented that phrase in myself very early on. Then I realized it was basically a universal mantra for people that like not getting caught doing dumb things.
Correct spelling and pronounciations of names shows an effort of being respectful. It’s rooted in the fact that so many misspell my name and it tells me they don’t think details matter, when detail is everything.
It’s not about being nice. It’s the idea that even if I do bitch and complain about someone, I want to at least be able to justify why I said it. I see too many people get caught up in venting and forget to check if they even believe what they’re saying.
It’s a pretty simple rule, but it cuts out so much pointless internal drama and petty grudges.
Always tell the truth only lie when you are in a life/death situation. There’s never any bullshit to keep straight because I live that way and let me tell you: so many people lie- it’s terrifying.
Your job needs to either make you happy or make you enough money that you can be happy outside of work unless it is a sure way to progress your career to do one or the other. So if I get frustrated at a job I ask if I’m happy.
Babies need hats. Hot outside? Baby needs a sun hat. Cold? Needs a beanie. Lovely day? Needs an accessory. This was my mom’s rule and to this day anytime I see a baby out in public with its fuzzy head on display I hear my mom’s voice as she whispered disapprovingly through her teeth “mmm that baby needs a hat”.
ETA: wow sorry to piss off the parents Omg! It’s a cute little rule I “have” as someone who will never have kids. It’s my “joke judgement” I have in my head with my dead mom – not a rule I think you or your children need to follow.
Never take my anger out on other people. No matter how mad or upset someone makes me I make sure not to direct it towards or take it out on onyone else. I was the person my father directed his anger towards and it’s miserable.
Before ordering any food from anywhere, determine what I have on hand that I can cook in 10-15 minutes.
Saves money. Better nutrition. Hot meal ready with the flavors I like in the time it’d take me to go somewhere and pick something up to come home and eat it. Plus leftovers for the next day.
Every few days, I check in on a different friend. I typically just send a simple “how’s it going?” with an article or meme attached that I think they’d find interesting. 99% of the time, everyone is fine or good, but man, when that 1% hits and someone is in the hospital or getting a divorce or moving across state lines and worried, I’m glad I checked in.
If I get excited about something it won’t happen or it’ll suck it it does. I have to convince myself I really don’t want something in order to succeed in getting it/enjoying it.
It’s actually kinda messed up, but honestly that’s just how the dice has always rolled for me.
I don’t even watch movie trailers anymore because if I’m excited for the movie, it’ll suck.
No dirty dishes in the sink – full stop. No excuses. You can wash while the pan is heating up, wash while its simmering or coming to a boil. Those dishes after the meal? As soon as they touch the sink, just take the 10 seconds, scrub it down, toss it in the drying rack (or dishwasher I suppose).
This came from childhood trauma of growing up in a hoarder house and looooots of roach buddies crittering around overnight.
I’d rather someone be honest with me than BS me. Even if I don’t like what they say I’ll thank them for their honestly and tell them I respect them for that. It’s shocked a few people but they think better of me for taking their truth on the chin.
I’ve never had a bad reaction to what I say back and it frequently diffuses the situation.
Just let the person merge in. Who cares if they’re being a d-bag, you don’t lose anything by not doing it, but cutting them off is going to probably going to lead to something worse. It’s OK to be the bigger person.
I am extremely forgetful but if you don’t live with me you’d never know it because I make a system that doesn’t allow me to forget whenever I think I might.
I have a bag for every activity I regularly go on. Everything that I need is in there and stays there.
If I know I’m going to need something tomorrow but, for whatever reason, can’t put it in my bag now, I leave it somewhere where I have to interact with it to leave the next morning. Somewhere like in front of the door / in the sink.
Phone, keys and wallet go in my pocket as soon as I’m wearing pants and stay there until I go to bed. No changing into sweatpants for me because I know I’ll walk out without my keys if I do.
Anything I can’t prepare beforehand gets a checklist.
Every time I see a child wearing glasses, I make it a point to say, “I really like your glasses!”
As a middle schooler who had to wear glasses for the first time, the level of self-consciousness that I put myself through was off the charts. Even if only one out of every dozen children reacts positively, it’s worth it to me.
If I’m worried about something going randomly and catastrophically wrong. Like what if my car loses a wheel right now? Or what if I get struck by lightning?.. I will tell myself, “well now that I’ve thought about it.. it’s way less likely to happen”
What are the odds something crazy would happen AND you were able to call it before it happens?? So far I’ve never been proven wrong.
I don’t believe in disrespecting people in their own homes. I have no idea why. If we’re in YOUR house and you’re a POS, I won’t argue or fight with you. I’ll just leave. It’s this weird thing ingrained in me that doesn’t believe in treating people badly, even if it’s well-deserved, in their own homes.
Don’t listen to anything your brain tells you after 10pm. My mental health isn’t great and man, I will really start to spiral sometimes if I’m up late. I just tell myself this and go to bed, and it’s often better in the morning.
Work does not exist outside office hours. My work phone gets switched off at the end of the day, I make a note of where I was with my work and come back to it the next day. Not only does it help me switch off, it forced me to actually deal with the reasons work tends to spill outside office hours. I’m now far more efficient, far better at managing work load, and far better at setting boundaries and expectations with people, to the point that it’s incredibly rare that I actually need to work outside of core hours any more.
Doesn’t have to be a whole house cleaning. But do the dishes, tidy up the bathroom, make sure laundry is done, etc. It makes you appreciate the vacation more and a huge gift to yourself when you get home.
When you are standing up to leave a place — restaurant, Uber, movie theatre, wherever — turn around and check your seat before you go. I’ve saved myself from losing so many phones, sunglasses, umbrellas, sweaters, etc. since I started doing this.
I wash my hands as soon as I get home. Doesn’t matter where I’ve been or what I’ve been doing, hands get washed before I start touching anything in my house. I’ve done this for years and since 2020 I’ve got my partner doing it too.
There’s no real consequence to this one other than you and the cat having a nice moment, and the potential of participating in the cat distribution system.
Comments
If I open the fridge and don’t find anything good, I still check the pantry. Then fridge again. As if snacks magically respawn.
I always tell myself I’ll just rest my eyes for like 5 minutes… then wake up two hours later in a completely different dimension wondering what day it is, where I am, and why my phone’s at 2% for no reason.
If I don’t feel respected as a human being I will walk off any job I have. Just walked away from 100k plus salary job after a year. It hasn’t really seemed to affect me in any type of negative way. It’s super liberating. Every time I’ve done this I’ve just gone somewhere else and made more money.
When you pick up a call and hear the “boop” (sounds like a bubble popping). It’s a scammer.
Socks then pants. The sock acts like a lube
Never take the item at the front of the display at a grocery store, take one of the ones behind it.
If I have something nice to say I say it
If I drop a snack on the floor but it lands right-side up, it’s still spiritually clean—5 second rule doesn’t apply to the bottom if the universe protected the top.
Adults have to stand for what they say. I’m done trying to read between the lines and guess at maybes. Saves a lot of energy.
When life gets shit, i allow myself an evening of pure wallowing. Ice cream, sobbing, the works. And then i keep going. Some weeks need three wallow evenings. But i keep going.
never cook bacon in the nude
Trust my gut/instinct.
Something doesn’t feel right? Leave
Someone doesn’t seem right? Leave
Spidey sense is very underrated. If the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, I’m dipping out.
Never drive directly behind a logging truck.
To be fair, I assume there is a lot of folks that keep to this same rule after watching a certain movie. Where I am, the logs are very securely chained down and seem safe. Do I trust it? Nope.
Laziness and assumptions will get you in trouble
Never buy cheap bin bags
If you don’t deal with it now the way you want to, you’re going to have to deal with it later in a way you don’t.
Do the dishes as soon as possible. The longer they sit there the harder its going to get to motivate yourself to finish them. If you dont want to do dishes, dont cook something that requires lots of dishes.
I guess this can be applied more broadly as like..don’t make a mess you arent prepared to clean up. Helps me not let stuff build up and get out of control.
Less important but “never break the seal” is a philosophy I apply to games with microtransactions. Once I spend money on it once, I know Im going to be comfortable doing it again. So I have a rule that I never do that.
Only drink alcohol 2 nights a week max is another one. (Vacation is an exception)
One sugary drink a day, max. Since implementing this I dont even want soda anymore (unless its a good root beer lol. But 1 a day applies until the supply is gone) and most days I never have a sugary drink.
I am very picky about who I let sit around my table. You are who you hang out with, and if you wouldn’t want to be just like all the people that sit around you, then dismiss yourself and go sit at your own table.
All trips begin in the bathroom, whether you need to go or not. Doesn’t matter if it’s a cross-country road trip or a 5 minute jaunt to the gas station, I -will- at least attempt to pee first.
Toe nails always clipped and and painted
Don’t put it down, put it away.
Whether or not you enjoy a book is often up to your state of mind as much as it is the book.
Half of my top ten books started out as DNF or 2-star reads.
If I’m having a hard time absorbing information, I have to imagine explaining it to someone else who really doesn’t understand that sort of thing. I end up imagine whole scenarios and lessons, makes the information stick way better than repeating it to myself.
I thought I invented the “only do one illegal thing / break one rule at a time” thing – it was never told to me, but I cemented that phrase in myself very early on. Then I realized it was basically a universal mantra for people that like not getting caught doing dumb things.
Relax and realize it’s not about you.
Correct spelling and pronounciations of names shows an effort of being respectful. It’s rooted in the fact that so many misspell my name and it tells me they don’t think details matter, when detail is everything.
Reading books, especially fiction, is the cheapest way to get smarter.
Always go for the option that leads to a better story.
When shopping, if a product is damaged, I turn it upside down. Not sure if others see my signal, but I’ve done my part.
Talk about people like they’ve wiretapped you.
It’s not about being nice. It’s the idea that even if I do bitch and complain about someone, I want to at least be able to justify why I said it. I see too many people get caught up in venting and forget to check if they even believe what they’re saying.
It’s a pretty simple rule, but it cuts out so much pointless internal drama and petty grudges.
In any emotional/interpersonal dilemma, the hard thing to do is the right thing to do.
Strict with yourself, tolerant with others. ~ Aurelius
Always put the grocery cart back. It’s literally a minimal effort.
Try to be understanding and kind to everyone even if u think u will never see them again.
The less you say, the less you have to explain later.
Give people your full attention when they talk to you.
Don’t put it down. Put it away.
Always tell the truth only lie when you are in a life/death situation. There’s never any bullshit to keep straight because I live that way and let me tell you: so many people lie- it’s terrifying.
Your job needs to either make you happy or make you enough money that you can be happy outside of work unless it is a sure way to progress your career to do one or the other. So if I get frustrated at a job I ask if I’m happy.
When I’m feeling down. I shower, dress nice and go grab a coffee by myself. The confidence boost works wonders.
Never mess around with someone who is married to someone else
dont be a dick
Babies need hats. Hot outside? Baby needs a sun hat. Cold? Needs a beanie. Lovely day? Needs an accessory. This was my mom’s rule and to this day anytime I see a baby out in public with its fuzzy head on display I hear my mom’s voice as she whispered disapprovingly through her teeth “mmm that baby needs a hat”.
ETA: wow sorry to piss off the parents Omg! It’s a cute little rule I “have” as someone who will never have kids. It’s my “joke judgement” I have in my head with my dead mom – not a rule I think you or your children need to follow.
I will always always trust my gut. Whether its having distance to the guy thats giving weird vibes or avoiding a dark corner.
I can’t make everyone’s day better, but I’m going to do my best not to make it worse.
Never take my anger out on other people. No matter how mad or upset someone makes me I make sure not to direct it towards or take it out on onyone else. I was the person my father directed his anger towards and it’s miserable.
Telling someone a random nice thing about themselves always brings a smile and always makes their day.
Don’t ever follow a hippie to a second location.
Avoid switching queues in the grocery store. The short one that’s tempting you is usually an old lady with multiple coupons and a checkbook.
It’s not real until you can see it or hold it in your hands.
Sleepy? There’s a nap for that.
Before ordering any food from anywhere, determine what I have on hand that I can cook in 10-15 minutes.
Saves money. Better nutrition. Hot meal ready with the flavors I like in the time it’d take me to go somewhere and pick something up to come home and eat it. Plus leftovers for the next day.
Don’t be shitty. In all things, just try not to be shitty.
Every few days, I check in on a different friend. I typically just send a simple “how’s it going?” with an article or meme attached that I think they’d find interesting. 99% of the time, everyone is fine or good, but man, when that 1% hits and someone is in the hospital or getting a divorce or moving across state lines and worried, I’m glad I checked in.
Never lie to your doctor, your accountant, or your lawyer. And never keep anything from them.
If I get excited about something it won’t happen or it’ll suck it it does. I have to convince myself I really don’t want something in order to succeed in getting it/enjoying it.
It’s actually kinda messed up, but honestly that’s just how the dice has always rolled for me.
I don’t even watch movie trailers anymore because if I’m excited for the movie, it’ll suck.
Just assume when your lending money that you won’t get it back. If you do then it’s a pleasant surprise and that person gets bonus points
No dirty dishes in the sink – full stop. No excuses. You can wash while the pan is heating up, wash while its simmering or coming to a boil. Those dishes after the meal? As soon as they touch the sink, just take the 10 seconds, scrub it down, toss it in the drying rack (or dishwasher I suppose).
This came from childhood trauma of growing up in a hoarder house and looooots of roach buddies crittering around overnight.
NO. DIRTY. DISHES.
Two is one, and one is none.
This applies to all consumables and essentials: toilet paper, charging cables, nail clippers, etc.
Related: One of every cable and/or toiletry in each bag.
I’d rather someone be honest with me than BS me. Even if I don’t like what they say I’ll thank them for their honestly and tell them I respect them for that. It’s shocked a few people but they think better of me for taking their truth on the chin.
I’ve never had a bad reaction to what I say back and it frequently diffuses the situation.
Say hello to the owner/greeter when I enter a store or shop, and say goodbye and thank you when I leave, even if no one hears or sees me do it.
Be on time. Every time.
Just let the person merge in. Who cares if they’re being a d-bag, you don’t lose anything by not doing it, but cutting them off is going to probably going to lead to something worse. It’s OK to be the bigger person.
Don’t piss off secretaries or nurses.
I am extremely forgetful but if you don’t live with me you’d never know it because I make a system that doesn’t allow me to forget whenever I think I might.
I have a bag for every activity I regularly go on. Everything that I need is in there and stays there.
If I know I’m going to need something tomorrow but, for whatever reason, can’t put it in my bag now, I leave it somewhere where I have to interact with it to leave the next morning. Somewhere like in front of the door / in the sink.
Phone, keys and wallet go in my pocket as soon as I’m wearing pants and stay there until I go to bed. No changing into sweatpants for me because I know I’ll walk out without my keys if I do.
Anything I can’t prepare beforehand gets a checklist.
Pay off your credit cards in full every month. Use credit for everything and get all the cash back bonuses!
Every time I see a child wearing glasses, I make it a point to say, “I really like your glasses!”
As a middle schooler who had to wear glasses for the first time, the level of self-consciousness that I put myself through was off the charts. Even if only one out of every dozen children reacts positively, it’s worth it to me.
If I’m worried about something going randomly and catastrophically wrong. Like what if my car loses a wheel right now? Or what if I get struck by lightning?.. I will tell myself, “well now that I’ve thought about it.. it’s way less likely to happen”
What are the odds something crazy would happen AND you were able to call it before it happens?? So far I’ve never been proven wrong.
No sitting on the bed in clothes I wore outside the house that day!
I don’t believe in disrespecting people in their own homes. I have no idea why. If we’re in YOUR house and you’re a POS, I won’t argue or fight with you. I’ll just leave. It’s this weird thing ingrained in me that doesn’t believe in treating people badly, even if it’s well-deserved, in their own homes.
If you fall deep, hard and instantly for somebody, check if it’s your trauma luring you into just another shithole
Always be honest in your dealings and then you will never have to remember your lies.
Don’t listen to anything your brain tells you after 10pm. My mental health isn’t great and man, I will really start to spiral sometimes if I’m up late. I just tell myself this and go to bed, and it’s often better in the morning.
draft the email before putting in the @. Guarantees you won’t accidentally hit send.
Work does not exist outside office hours. My work phone gets switched off at the end of the day, I make a note of where I was with my work and come back to it the next day. Not only does it help me switch off, it forced me to actually deal with the reasons work tends to spill outside office hours. I’m now far more efficient, far better at managing work load, and far better at setting boundaries and expectations with people, to the point that it’s incredibly rare that I actually need to work outside of core hours any more.
Clean the house before going on vacation.
Doesn’t have to be a whole house cleaning. But do the dishes, tidy up the bathroom, make sure laundry is done, etc. It makes you appreciate the vacation more and a huge gift to yourself when you get home.
Two things
Don’t lend money unless you’re willing to never see it again.
If someone crosses my mind a few times I text them to say hello. Especially if I haven’t spoken to them in a while.
When you are standing up to leave a place — restaurant, Uber, movie theatre, wherever — turn around and check your seat before you go. I’ve saved myself from losing so many phones, sunglasses, umbrellas, sweaters, etc. since I started doing this.
Okay, this is for everyone to hear, people in the back lean in.
YOU. MIGHT. BE. WRONG.
Rather than standing on a hill and defending it to the death take a minute to think . . . What if your perspective is the wrong one?
This concept has saved me . . . So many times.
I wash my hands as soon as I get home. Doesn’t matter where I’ve been or what I’ve been doing, hands get washed before I start touching anything in my house. I’ve done this for years and since 2020 I’ve got my partner doing it too.
If you meet a friendly cat, pet it.
There’s no real consequence to this one other than you and the cat having a nice moment, and the potential of participating in the cat distribution system.
Say nice things about people even behind their back
Trust your instincts
If i hesitate texting twice, then I dont. Energy match only lol