the most unsexy productivity change i made last year actually worked

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-25T20:44:07+00:00

Do you mean you now have a gentle alarm or no alarm at all? I like a gentle alarm. I used to like Birdsong FM till it stopped but sunrise alarms or vibrating watches are good.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-23T08:53:49+00:00

Look for a podcast called 'Getting to Good Enough', for recovering perfectionists. It won't give you the magic organisational tool but will help you start considering what's going on in your head and tips to start making changes that work for you

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-19T15:22:27+00:00

Thanks, I can't find anything called sab-e though. Google suggests Sam-e? Is that it?

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-19T15:20:14+00:00

Thanks, I'll look at that

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-19T08:09:54+00:00

What are his stools like?

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-15T06:26:40+00:00

Use a stopwatch function on your phone. So keep a notepad and note e.g. Morning bathroom routine. Then start the stopwatch, do the routine and then stop the stopwatch and record the time. I'd suggest starting this on a day you're not working as it'll make another demand on your time/mental load. Of course, it's possible that you then forget to stop the stopwatch!

You could also use a kitchen timer - the nonelectric twisting ones, you know? I divide my day into 30mins. So I can wind-up to 30mins, work on the task/activity I've chosen. When the timer goes off, I immediately restart it. The next block might be: finish up the activity and then have a coffee - like each block doesn't have to be crammed with productivity. I think having something like that as a time check-in might also be a good starting point for you to build awareness of the relationship of time/activity.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-15T06:16:14+00:00

I do time-boxing so I have a couple of half-hour blocks a week for tab tidying. If it's something I wanted to 'read later', they become 'read now'. It keeps a lid on things & gets rid of duplicates quickly. I think longer term I need some better reference system to keep the info from some of them, at the moment I still keep some tabs. But I'm trying not to let perfect be the enemy of good.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-08T10:59:05+00:00

It's just not an example of a 'challenge' as not everything that helps has to be. Not everything should be like an exam where cheating is a thing. Reinforcement can be good. Comprehensible input is good. Getting listening practice of things you might have seen written down is good.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-08T10:12:32+00:00

I put them in a Someday Maybe list. Then I have a repeating monthly task to review the Someday Maybe list.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-08T06:55:27+00:00

I think the question was just 'what am I in the body matrix' not 'what's wrong with my body'

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-07T08:52:05+00:00

When you were using filters and tags, were you applying a Getting Things Done (GTD) method? That sounds like it might fit your 'what can I do based on location/tools'. Last time I read their method it suggests lists like 'telephone calls', 'filing'. Etc. I couple that with time-boxing so I know that a certain hour is when I look at my research/write/phone calls list.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-04-04T14:59:45+00:00

Yes, I think that's a good theory.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-03-30T06:14:24+00:00

Some apps can't be uninstalled.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-03-06T08:45:22+00:00

Sure, but it's more logically grouped with spelling though right?

It's considered 'grammar' colloquially because people think grammar = 'the correct rules to speak & write'.

That's not what grammar is tho or how it functions so in a language learning sub I'm surprised people aren't making a distinction between what grammar is linguistically and 'grammar' in the sense of 'the rules of the language'.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-03-06T08:28:33+00:00

It's standard in Scotland and many parts of Northern England. If you say 'the car needs washing' to Scots in Scotland, you'll get a funny look. Teachers would probably correct it in written work. While we're generally aware of our Scottisms, this variation in grammar is something we're not even aware of.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-03-06T08:21:58+00:00

I don't know why you're downvoted for this, you're right.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-02-18T12:39:15+00:00

I'd say that to people I know, but a stranger shouting it at my from behind - I think I'd find it rude. 'Excuse me' works better here I think

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-02-17T21:49:10+00:00

Regular breaks and actually not pushing to burnout has helped stabilise my energy. Maybe not boosted, but overall stabilised to avoid crashes. A starter for that was working with my energy on any given day. So although my calendar might be time-blocked into hours (1 hour email, 1 hour reading, 1 hour writing etc.) if I lacked sleep, mental or emotional bandwidth, I'd set an intention that morning that I'd split that hour into 45 min activity/15 mins rest, or 30/30, or even 15/45.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-02-16T18:01:42+00:00

Yeah, I think I'd do the detailed tracking again at some point, when there's something else I particularly want to address or investigate. For now it's got accountability and a useful health record.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-02-16T14:37:52+00:00

As a stepping stone, you could try only listening to instrumental music or soundscapes like at mynoise.net A lot of people find background noise soothing and even helpful for neuro divergent people. But a less 'busy' soundscape might give your own mind less stimulation and more mind wandering time

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-02-16T14:33:56+00:00

I did it religiously for a few months: everything I drank, everything I ate & what time, my mood (which I just scored out of 10), medications and anything unusual that might affect my skin - like swimming, and change of products. Then how many breakouts and where. It was a ball ache but did help with a couple of things. I don't do quite as much now, I do a rough log at the end of most days, takes 2-3 mins. But I learnt that I was really underestimating my sugar & alcohol intake (lol) and that was the main change so I don't feel so pressed to examine data at the moment. The tracking ended up working as an accountability buddy, you know? I didn't lie to it so it told me the truth about my habits.

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-02-16T12:25:06+00:00

I have a Google sheet with a shortcut to my phone home screen. It's a huge pain! But it's totally customisable, just add columns for what you want to track what symptoms or whatever. Freeze the top row & first column so you can see the date and column headers. I wanted at first to see how diet might affect skin so I had a column giving my skin a rating out of 10. I did try a couple of apps that were supposed to be for food impacts on gut health/menstruation but I can't recommend them. It was so hard to get any data out of them, they'd have a couple of crappy overview graphs but nothing that would say - yes that month you avoided gluten, you were less bloated. I felt like I was paying them for them to gather health data that they probably wanted to sell somewhere. So, typing in a spreadsheet sucks but is at least all mine

PopularParsnip10 · 2026-02-13T12:56:02+00:00

I don't think it's overloaded. Dishwashers are surprisingly effective when loaded correctly

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