Top 10 Modern Life Survival Skills

     

Avoid everyday problems and modern mini-calamities by arming yourself with the right know-how before you head out into the world. Locking yourself out of your apartment, losing your car in the Gargantu-Mart lot, standing lost on a city street corner – you can overcome almost any day-to-day disaster with some clever thinking and a bit of knowledge. We’ve compiled some of our favorite tricks that can make any Average Joe/Jane feel like a regular commando at work, at home, or on the go. Hit the link for a list of our top 10 non-computer modern life survival skills.

10. De-fuzz your sweater or coat at the last minute.

Cat hair and couch lint – it all gets stuck to you, and it can all make you look a lot less presentable, especially when you’ve got that big presentation to the Higher Ups in 10 minutes. If you’re at the office, head to the supply closet to grab an extra FedEx airbill pouch and turn it inside out to create an instant, sticky, de-linting glove. At home, de-pill your sweater or coat with an old disposable razor.

9. Get into and out of tricky conversations.

Cocktail parties, family gatherings, and supermarket lines – they’re all full of conversations you have to escape from, or pretend you’re interested in. Make the pretending less painful by exiting gracefully, forcing yourself to absorb information, and avoid being a bore yourself. You’ll have to practice a bit before putting these techniques to use, but that’s what pets and roommates are for.

8. Tell time without a watch.

Deny it all you want, but there will be moments in life when neither a watch nor a cell phone, nor even a bank with a big digital street clock, will be handy, and you’ll want a rough estimate of what time it is. To prepare for such rustic (or post-apocalyptic) moments, check out wikiHow’s guide to telling time without a clock. The two main methods involve dividing the sky into fractions or using your fist size to measure the horizon, and, like using the sun as a compass, both require thinking a bit about Daylight Saving Time and your general location in the world. And both give you a pretty great feeling of independence when you pull them off.

7. Recover from a late night.

One too many pints, or spending the wee hours on the net or other obsessions, and the whole world will know your pain the next day. Unless, that is, you fight back against your body’s delayed punishment. Clear up puffy, dark under-eyes with fridge-cooled spoons, and get back your focus and drive with some pre- and post-drink hangover remedies – namely a ginseng regimen, a carb-and-vitamin schedule, and the advice of our tavern-savvy readers. Temporary cures, for sure, but they’re pretty essential when needed.

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