What are some life hacks that you practice?
Most life hacks are designed to make life easier. Mine often do the opposite.
I don’t have a bin in my office. This occasionally surprises people, especially new cleaners. It isn’t an oversight. It is deliberate. If I want to throw something away, I have to get up and walk somewhere. It is a very small thing, but that is the point. I spend a fair amount of my day sitting at a desk, so I try to build movement into ordinary life wherever I can. Rather than make everything as convenient as possible, I sometimes make things slightly less convenient.
My leadership style works in much the same way. I have always liked the idea of management by walking around. I could stay in my office and wait for people to come to me. Instead, I like walking around the College, talking with staff, chatting with students and getting a sense of the general atmosphere. You learn things that way. Not necessarily dramatic things. Often it is simply noticing whether people seem relaxed, whether something feels different, whether staff are under pressure, whether students are enjoying themselves, or whether there is something that needs attention. You only discover some things by being around.
Walking keeps me connected in more than one sense. It keeps me physically mobile, but it also keeps me connected with people and with what is actually happening around me.
I take the same approach outside work. I walk to the shops whenever I reasonably can, particularly to the supermarket. Driving would usually be quicker. It would certainly be easier. But that is exactly why I try not to do it. The walk there and back becomes part of the day. I am not going somewhere to exercise. I am simply building movement into something I already need to do.
Perhaps that is my real life hack. Or maybe it is an anti-life-hack. We usually think of a life hack as something that saves time, effort or steps. I sometimes deliberately add the steps back in. Modern life is very good at removing effort. Cars, lifts, deliveries and technology can make almost everything easier. Most of that is useful. But convenience is not always an unqualified good. Sometimes making life slightly harder can make life better.
A few extra steps cost me a little time. But they keep me moving, keep me connected with people and help me notice what is happening around me. Perhaps the best question is not always, “How can I make this easier?” Sometimes it might be, “Would making this slightly harder actually be good for me?”
What are some life hacks that you practice?
View all responses
Leave a comment