7 Life Hacks That Actually Saved My Sanity (And One That Failed Miserably)

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🔗 Affiliate Disclosure

I am a certified nutritionist, but I am not your doctor. The following reflects my personal journey with chronic pain and burnout recovery. Please consult a medical professional before making significant changes to your diet or health routine.

My Unfiltered Take on Life Hacks

Take this with a grain of salt, but here is my experience with life hacks . I used to be the person who subscribed to every productivity newsletter and bought every $47 “habit tracker” PDF on Instagram.

I thought if I could just “optimize” my morning, I’d finally stop feeling like a burnt-out husk of a human. I was wrong.

Quick Summary: I thought if I could just “optimize” my morning, I’d finally stop feeling like a burnt-out husk of a human.

Most of those hacks are just chores in disguise.

When I was living in a cramped apartment in West Hollywood back in 2023, I was working 70 hours a week in corporate marketing. I had chronic back pain that felt like a hot iron pressing into my spine.

I tried the “5 AM club” hack. It just made me tired and angry.

I tried the “cold plunge” hack. I just got a cold. It wasn’t until I moved to Santa Monica and started looking at my life through the lens of energy management rather than “hacking time” that things actually changed.

To me, a real life hack is something that reduces the friction of existing. It is the small, often unsexy adjustment that gives you back ten minutes of peace or saves you from a flare-up of pain.

The Kitchen Hacks That Actually Impact Your Health

As a nutritionist, I see people overcomplicate healthy eating constantly. They think they need a $600 juicer.

They don’t. They just need to make the “good stuff” the easiest option in the room.

I learned this the hard way after spending $324.50 on a fancy dehydrator I used exactly twice before it became a very expensive dust collector in my pantry.

The Vinegar Rice Trick

I found this gem on a Reddit thread (r/adultingph) while doom-scrolling at 11 PM. If you add a tiny splash of white vinegar – we are talking maybe half a teaspoon – to your rice cooker before you start it, the rice stays fresh for much longer.

It doesn’t taste like salad dressing, I promise. It just prevents that weird yellowing and smell that happens after a day.

It’s a breakthrough for meal prepping on a Sunday when you know you won’t have time to cook again until Thursday.

The “Batch Steam” Strategy

Most people hate vegetables because they overcook them into a mushy, grey mess. My biggest nutritional life hack is steaming.

I bought a stainless steel steamer basket for $12.89 at a local hardware store, and it changed my life. I spend 20 minutes on Sunday
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nourishedlivingtoday. com/2023/08/12/steaming-vegetables-preserving-nutrients-and-texture/” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>steaming vegetables like broccoli and snap peas just until they are bright green.

I throw them in the fridge

, and then they are ready to be tossed into a pan for thirty seconds with some ginger and soy sauce during the week. It’s the only way I stay consistent.

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💡 Pro Tip If you’re trying to lose weight without the stress, stop looking for “diet hacks” and focus on volume. Adding two cups of steamed greens to every meal is how
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p=1823″ rel=”noopener noreferrer”>I finally cracked the weight loss code without feeling like I was starving myself.

Energy Management over Time Management

I used to live by my Google Calendar. Every minute was accounted for.

But I realized that I’m not a robot. I have different energy levels at 9 AM than I do at 3 PM.

My friend Sarah, who is a high-level exec at a tech firm, told me I looked “grey” during a lunch we had at The Misfit in Santa Monica. She was right.

I was “hacking” my time but killing my spirit.

The “Low-Friction” Morning

I stopped trying to do a 90-minute morning routine. Now, my hack is “The Path of Least Resistance.

” I set out my clothes the night before. I grind my coffee beans ($18.50 for a bag of Canyon Coffee) and put them in the Hario V60 dripper so all I have to do is pour water.

If it takes more than three steps to start my day, I won’t do it. This isn’t about being lazy; it’s about preserving your decision-making power for things that actually matter.

	Feature	The “Alpha” Hack	My “Lazy” Reality
Wake up	5:00 AM	7:15 AM	–
Workout	60 min HIIT	15 min Walk	–
Breakfast	Complex Smoothie	Overnight Oats	–
Stress	High	Very Low

The 3-Minute Rule

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If a task takes less than three minutes—replying to a text, putting a dish in the dishwasher, hanging up a coat – do it immediately. This isn’t a new idea, but it’s the only one that prevents my house from looking like a disaster zone by Wednesday. When the environment is cluttered, my brain feels cluttered. This simple rule keeps my cortisol levels in check, which is essential for managing my chronic pain.

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Healing Hacks

Moving Past the Pain

When I was dealing with my chronic pain crisis, I would have tried anything. I spent $150 on a “healing crystal” that did absolutely nothing but look pretty on my nightstand. Real healing hacks are usually sensory-based and free (or very cheap).

Sound as a Nervous System Reset

I used to think sound baths were just for people with too much time and money in Malibu.

But then I started experimenting with frequencies at home. Using simple binaural beats or specific
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nourishedlivingtoday. com/.

p=1828″ rel=”noopener noreferrer”>sound healing tracks while I work has decreased my tension headaches by about 70%. I don’t know the exact science behind every frequency

The “Old Person” Habit Hack

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I recently read an article on Pleated-jeans about how 20-somethings are adopting “old person” habits, and I felt seen.

My best life hack for chronic pain. Buying ugly, supportive shoes.

I spent $164.22 on a pair of Hoka Bondis. They are not “Santa Monica chic. ” They look like marshmallows.

But my lower back doesn’t throb after a walk to the grocery store anymore. Prioritizing comfort over aesthetics is the ultimate maturity hack.

⚠️ Warning

Stop trying to “push through” pain. In my experience

, “no pain, no gain” is a recipe for a six-month recovery setback. If it hurts, stop. Your body isn’t an enemy to be conquered.

The Digital Declutter

A Sanity Saver

By late 2025, the digital noise has become deafening. Every app wants your attention.

Every notification is a tiny hit of adrenaline that wears out your adrenal glands. I was checking my email at 11
30 PM and wondering why I couldn’t sleep.

The “Greyscale” Phone Hack

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Go into your phone settings and turn the screen to greyscale. I did this on a Tuesday afternoon last October.

Suddenly, Instagram looked boring. TikTok wasn’t stimulating.

My phone went from being a “slot machine” to a tool. I spend about 40% less time on my screen now. It’s a weirdly effective way to break the dopamine loop without using a “lock box” or some other dramatic device.

The One-App Rule

I only keep one social media app on my phone at a time. If I want to check LinkedIn, I have to delete Instagram and download LinkedIn. The friction of having to log in and wait for the download means I only do it when I actually need to, rather than as a reflex when I’m bored in line at Whole Foods.

Key Takeaways

My Unfiltered Take on Life Hacks
The Kitchen Hacks That Actually Impact Your Health
What I Got Wrong (The “Hack” That Failed)

What I Got Wrong (The “Hack” That Failed)

I have to be honest

I tried the “Polyphasic Sleep” hack back in my corporate days. The idea is that you take multiple 20-minute naps throughout the day instead of one long sleep. It’s supposed to give you more “up time.”

It was a disaster. I lasted four days.

By day three, I couldn’t remember my own zip code. I was irritable, my skin broke out, and my digestion completely shut down.

I realized that my body needs that long, restorative sleep to manage inflammation. Trying to “hack” a biological necessity like sleep is the height of human arrogance. I learned that some things aren’t meant to be optimized – they are meant to be respected.

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FAQs About Life Hacks

❓ Are most life hacks actually just scams.

In my experience, about 80% of what you see on social media is “content” meant for views, not for actual use. If a hack requires you to buy a specific, expensive gadget, I’m usually skeptical.

The best ones are usually free adjustments to your behavior or using a $10 tool in a smarter way. I wasted $89 on a “smart water bottle” that just blinked at me.

Total waste. ❓ How do I know if a hack is worth trying.

I use the “Rule of Three. ” I try a new hack for three days.

If it feels like it’s adding more stress than it’s removing, I drop it. Don’t fall into the trap of “trying to make the hack work.

” The hack should work for you, not the other way around. My friend Maria tried a complex filing system for months before realizing she preferred a simple pile on her desk.

Listen to your intuition. ❓ What is the cheapest life hack with the biggest payoff.

Drinking a big glass of water (with a pinch of sea salt for electrolytes) the moment you wake up. It costs nothing.

It takes ten seconds.

But the way it “wakes up” your internal organs and clears the brain fog is better than any $7 latte I’ve ever bought at Blue Bottle. I started doing this in 2024 and haven’t missed a day.

❓ Can life hacks help with chronic pain. Yes, but they are “micro-adjustments.

” For me, it was things like using a heating pad ($24.99 at CVS) on my chair before the pain started, or setting a timer to stand up every 20 minutes. They don’t “cure” the pain, but they keep the “pain volume” from being turned up to ten.

It’s about maintenance, not a magic fix. Look, life is already hard enough.

You don’t need a 20-step protocol to be a “successful” human. Find the two or three things that actually make your Tuesday feel a little less heavy and ignore the rest.

Or don’t. Feel free to tell me I’m an idiot in the comments.

✅ Key Takeaways

Focus on energy management rather than just packing your schedule. – Use small friction-reducers (like setting out coffee) to save mental energy.
– Use physical “comfort hacks” (like ugly shoes) to manage chronic pain. – Turn your phone to greyscale to break the digital addiction loop.- If a hack feels like a chore, it’s not a hack; it’s just more work.

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