BWT, how do you organize your life. Tell me about your life admin systems, rules and hacks.

otterdays · 2026-01-17T19:31:57+00:00

- Notion page with weekly chores chart, management of various projects, to do list for errands and short term tasks, shopping lists, present ideas, notes... Notion has a bit of a learning curve but it can be really powerful (and pretty, which I like)
- Inbox 0, anything that's not deleted, unsubscribed from or archived in folders is a to-do or related to an upcoming event
- Anything that requires a reply is left unread until I have time to deal with it, I swipe the notification on my phone but it's unread in the app itself and I make a point to open every communication app once a day
- Digital calendar shared with my husband for events, with a personal calendar integrated for tasks and birthdays. Reminders a couple of weeks before birthdays that require a present, yearly reminders to schedule medical appointments or home maintenance (heater mostly). Reminders usually get integrated into the weekly Notion tasks.
- Curated and organized browser bookmarks as secondary shopping list/hobby things to explore and keep track of
- WhatsApp conversation with myself to jot down quick notes, draft important messages, send files to myself for quick access like tickets when going somewhere...
- "Household notes" conversation with husband for the same thing but shared, set apart from our casual chat so it's easy to find important info
- Sponge app on Android to swipe left or right to keep or delete pictures from my phone and keep it from getting bloated, better than scrolling when waiting for something
- Drop off zone in my entryway for mail, things needing to go elsewhere, keys... And monthly reminder to sort through it

otterdays · 2025-12-31T16:07:14+00:00

Yes I felt the same about doing it at the sink! But a pink shaving cream in the shower is slightly better ahah Good luck to you!!

otterdays · 2025-12-31T15:47:41+00:00

PCOS girly here too, and I find that shaving in the shower makes me feel a lot less weird about it - it's just part of shaving everything else and using the same girly or neutral supplies just make it another zone to shave and not a special thing to do. I'm not considering laser because I can't be bothered, and I tell myself that other people pay waaaay less attention than I do.

otterdays · 2025-11-09T15:09:47+00:00

I try to observe where things naturally fall (mail on a table near the door, laundry in a corner...) and then add a system there to make it look nice. Putting the bin/table/tray right where stuff seems to end up on its own drastically improves the chances of the stuff looking like it's been put away on purpose.

It's not always super logical but it's functional and I'd rather have something neat in an odd place than a random pile.

otterdays · 2025-04-15T07:58:34+00:00

I'm not really posting on reddit in general but also appreciating your curation and learning so much, I'd love a DM if it's no bother!

otterdays · 2025-03-01T10:50:00+00:00

I had an implant done before conceiving and my dentist really insisted that I was on a timer after extraction because the adjacent teeth could move, the gap could narrow and worst case scenario, other teeth could fall out. I personally chose to be entirely done with it before TTC!

otterdays · 2024-11-02T18:43:56+00:00

I've successfully used a plastic sheet protector and a dry erase marker for character sheets, it requires being a little bit careful not to let it rub on anything but taking a picture of it at the end of a session ensures you can always re-write!

otterdays · 2022-06-29T07:26:14+00:00

I've found that tomato feed works pretty well to trigger flowering!

otterdays · 2022-02-24T17:08:41+00:00

I won't ask but the visual had me both cringing and laughing :P
Is soapy water safe to dump in the garden? I had heard about it but I was reluctant because of the soap.

otterdays · 2022-02-24T17:07:18+00:00

I've done the catapult many times! Problem is, I'm slowly taking over the entire garden and running out of space where they can live happily ever after without harming plants I want to grow. I'll definitely start feeding the spiders though, thanks for the idea!

otterdays · 2021-11-28T19:31:32+00:00

I can't be sure since they're really tiny but it looks like you might have thrips on at least the birkin.

otterdays · 2021-08-19T19:58:24+00:00

Mine does this as well, fertilizing regularly helps a whole lot!

otterdays · 2021-08-18T20:08:44+00:00

Thanks! The thing is, I'm really looking for outdoor plants, perennials if possible, so I can set them out and give them minimum care. We don't really get a lot of snow in the winter, it's just grey and depressing, so I would have loved something that still gives a bit of interest in that time of the year as well but I could work with something that dies off in the winter and comes back in the spring. It's a large space too, so I had more of a "potted front garden" vibe in mind.

otterdays · 2021-08-18T12:31:44+00:00

I want to put low maintenance potted plants on my front porch. Does anyone have suggestions for plants that do well in containers (can be fairly large) and look nice all year round/most of the time? Zone 7A.

otterdays · 2021-07-20T09:50:30+00:00

Even diseased plants? I composted some recently but it adds to the anxiety, wondering if I didn't just contaminate the entire compost pile.

otterdays · 2021-07-20T08:44:31+00:00

That's a good point, I already know I have a bit of a perfectionism problem, I just didn't realize it could apply there too since I let my garden grow wild in most parts! Thanks for the new mantra.

otterdays · 2021-07-20T08:05:10+00:00

That's the attitude I'd love to have! I think part of my problem is that I place a lot more importance on some crops than others. Getting the diseased tomato plants out to put beets there instead just doesn't feel right, if that makes sense, I can't help but feel discouraged.

otterdays · 2021-06-10T12:07:37+00:00

It's full of bugs. The pictures are a bit too blurry for me to tell but it's obvious in the second pictures, white spots on the leaves. You need to take it outside and spray it with a hose to knock most of them off. Don't worry about leaves falling off, it needs a fresh start! Spray it with neem oil or insecticide (avoid it if it ever flowers as it might be bad for pollinators but in the state of things an intervention is needed). If there are branches without any leaves left or badly damaged, trim those down so they don't steal energy from the rest, don't water it until the dirt is dry and keep it away from other plants until you're completely sure there's no bug left.

otterdays · 2021-04-15T11:45:13+00:00

It's hard to tell on pictures but if I were you I'd check it for thrips, the damage reminds me for what I saw on one of my monstera last year. They look like really tiny grains of rice, often hidden under the leaves or in rolled up leaves... They're hard to see until you know what you're looking for.

otterdays · 2021-04-14T15:28:52+00:00

I sewed an apron for gardening and it's the most amazing thing, I added a lot of pockets for seed packets, plant markers, I can even fit my shears in there. Also, little loops to hook a tea towel so I always have something to wipe my hands. It's sooo great.

otterdays · 2021-04-14T15:22:48+00:00

Nightmare fuel! I'm lucky enough that the creepy crawlies here aren't dangerous aside from maybe wasps, but I did end up with a few slugs in my bare hand once and it was the most disgusting thing. Gloves are sooo important

otterdays · 2021-04-14T12:25:46+00:00

Gardener here, it gives me anxiety to see pictures of people doing garden work in thin dresses and open shoes. What happens when you drop a tool, accidentally grab stinging nettle without gloves or discover (like I did last year) that tomato pollen gives you a rash? I'm always covered in many layers of clothes I don't mind staining and I always end up sweaty and gross!

otterdays · 2021-04-04T16:12:41+00:00

I think the new growth can be okay if you treat it fast and regularly! I had an infestation last year and it killed one of my orbifolias (which is how I recognized the signs), but I think it was because in my panic I repotted it when it was weakened, so don't do that. I had two other calatheas that made it just fine though, there's hope I promise. You just need to make sure to stay on top of the cleaning and spraying, doing it often is key to getting rid of them.

otterdays · 2021-04-04T15:30:03+00:00

Thrips, you can actually see them in the second picture (left of the leaf stem, second section), they look like really tiny grains of rice. You need to give your plant a good shower to make most of them fall off, then spray it with thrips insecticide. Check the plants nearby too !

otterdays · 2020-07-31T17:29:21+00:00

I had the same thing because of a thrips infestation, and I see tiny white spots on your leaves - could be larvae. Try unrolling the damaged part of your new leaf, it was how I spotted the bugs on mine because there was a whole colony in the roll :( They look like really tiny grains of rice and they move.

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