MModern Wisdom
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13 February 2018

Life Hacks 101 - #002

0Frameworks
9Insights

Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 1

Myth Buster11:00

Sleeping With Your Phone Is Like Leaving the Door Open

Contrary to common habit, keeping your phone in the bedroom harms sleep quality. The guest shares a personal strategy of placing the phone across the room to force getting up in the morning, using natural light as a wake-up trigger.

  • Sleeping with your phone nearby disrupts sleep similarly to leaving your front door open.
  • Placing the phone across the room forces you to get up to turn off the alarm.
  • Pulling up the blinds lets in natural light, helping regulate circadian rhythm.
  • Starting the day with your phone lowers mental performance more than smoking a joint.

“Sleeping with your phone in the room... is equivalent to sleeping with your front door open.”

Guest · 12:00
#sleep#phone-usage#mental-performance#habit-hacks

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take56:00

A 69p Shoehorn Pays for Itself in Days

A shoehorn is presented as a high-return, low-cost life hack. The time saved and thumb skin preserved over daily use quickly amortize its minimal cost, making it a rational investment.

  • Saves ~17 seconds per shoeing session, adding up to hours per year.
  • Prevents wear on thumbs and shoe collars over time.
  • A 69p shoehorn pays for itself within days when used multiple times daily.
  • A trivial tool with outsized long-term benefits.

“The 69p you pay for a shoehorn on eBay will pay for itself very quickly.”

Guest · 57:00
#life-hacks#efficiency#amortization#everyday-tools

Explainer· 2

Explainer01:30

Why Apple’s Ecosystem Boosts Daily Efficiency

The guest explains how using Apple products together creates seamless syncing across devices, significantly improving workflow and reducing friction in daily tasks. Features like iMessage on laptop, Notes syncing, and reminders accessed via Siri help keep ideas captured and organized in real time.

  • Apple devices sync seamlessly—Notes, Reminders, and iMessage work across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
  • Siri allows instant capture of tasks via voice, reducing mental load.
  • Syncing eliminates the inefficiency of switching between non-integrated platforms.
  • Being locked into the Apple ecosystem is seen as a benefit, not a drawback, for productivity.

“You're in the sink nightmare between a annoyed or a PC device and then something I am uncomfortable with you looking at camera.”

Guest · 01:30
#productivity#apple#workflow#tech-tools
Explainer06:30

Designing a Morning Routine That Sticks

The guest advocates for a consistent morning routine as a 'launch sequence' to start the day productively. The goal is to avoid decision fatigue and mental inertia by automating simple, positive habits before engaging with work or distractions.

  • Avoid checking your phone or email first thing in the morning.
  • Start with simple, repeatable actions like making tea, journaling, or meditating.
  • A structured routine reduces mental resistance to starting the day.
  • The routine should prioritize mental readiness over physical tasks.

“Having a series of things that you do in order every morning—it's like a launch sequence for the day.”

Guest · 08:00
#morning-routine#habits#mental-performance#productivity

Tool· 3

Tool13:30

Rob Witt: Daily Mobility for Long-Term Flexibility

Rob Witt is recommended as a daily 20-minute mobility program combining yin yoga and mindful stretching. It’s praised for being prescriptive, accessible, and effective for improving range of motion regardless of fitness level.

  • 20-minute daily routine with guided audio and on-screen demonstrations.
  • Based on yin yoga and controlled breathing for deep tissue release.
  • Customizable by body area (hips, back, neck) and tracks progress over time.
  • Costs $7/month—less than one weekly yoga class.

“It’s so prescriptive… you just turn up and do it. That’s the value.”

Guest · 14:00
#mobility#yoga#fitness-tools#recovery
Tool22:30

Toby: Browser Tool for Media Capture and Focus

Toby, a Chrome extension, is used to save and organize articles, videos, and podcasts into visual reading lists. It helps eliminate decision fatigue by curating content in advance and reducing mindless browsing.

  • Toby acts as a visual bookmark manager displayed on new browser tabs.
  • Users can categorize content into 'read' or 'play' queues.
  • Helps avoid procrastination by replacing random surfing with intentional consumption.
  • Integrates with browser workflows for seamless capture.

“Every time you open a new tab, you see the things you should be doing—or the things you can do to stop yourself from doing…”

Guest · 23:30
#productivity-tools#browser-extensions#media-consumption#focus
Tool38:30

Evernote as a Second Brain for Notes and Documents

Evernote is used as a centralized digital repository for notes, scanned documents, and research. Its powerful search, tagging, and syncing features make it a critical tool for knowledge workers and students.

  • Stores and organizes notes, articles, and scanned documents in the cloud.
  • Search function quickly retrieves information by keyword or tag.
  • Web Clipper saves online content directly to notebooks.
  • Used to store admin docs like NHS number, proof of address for instant access.

“Evernote is a prosthetic brain. If it went down forever, it would feel like my house burned down.”

Guest · 39:00
#digital-tools#note-taking#organization#evernote

Takeaway· 2

Takeaway51:00

The Good Shit Sticks: Tim Ferriss on Information Filtering

Inspired by Tim Ferriss, the guest emphasizes that not all information needs to be retained—only what resonates and gets applied matters. The key is allowing valuable insights to naturally stick rather than forcing memorization.

  • Don’t stress if you forget most of a book—only the valuable parts will stick.
  • Focus on applying a few key concepts rather than consuming more content.
  • Application beats acquisition when it comes to self-improvement.
  • Reading should stop at the point of 'revelation'—a meaningful insight.

“If you read a book and nothing comes out the other side, don’t worry. If you get ten concepts from one book, that’s fine. The…”

Guest · 51:30
#learning#information-management#reading#productivity
Takeaway53:00

Why Daily Food Prep Is a No-Brainer

Prepping food daily—especially breakfast and lunch—saves time, money, and mental energy. It also improves dietary control and reduces the temptation to eat out or make poor food choices.

  • Cooking at home during breakfast time can prep meals for the entire day.
  • Eliminates decision fatigue around 'what to eat' later.
  • Saves significant money compared to daily takeout or coffee runs.
  • Even prepping one meal a day creates meaningful long-term benefits.

“Batch cook your food together… by the time you've eaten breakfast, you've done two things that benefit your entire day.”

Guest · 53:30
#nutrition#food-prep#time-management#habits