A couple of these sound so easy, I might just start tomorrow...
As a Resident Writer here at BuzzFeed, I cover topics like politics, weird history, tech, trending viral stories, and other various corners of the internet.
If you're anything like me, you're constantly on the lookout for tiny changes you can make that will seriously improve your quality of life. So when,"What’s something that quietly made your life 10x easier, but you didn’t realize it until much later?
", I was totally locked in — and these 39 responses have me seriously taking notes:"Going to sleep when I'm tired. Picking my battles so I can let certain things go and save my energy for what does matter.
" "Deleting Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. The mental load it held over me without me realizing was huge. Constantly being bombarded by people trying to convince you how awesome their lives are made me feel like mine was inadequate. Now that all that noise is gone, I am enjoying life.
I realize my life is awesome, and everything I was seeing on there was just curated posts to make it seem like their lives were perfect. Highly recommend.
" "Holding yourself to 'camping rules' when using a communal space. Leaving things the same way, if not better than how you found them.
" "Divorce. It felt horrible at the time, and then one day, I was brushing my teeth and realized that I could relax and take my time because there was no one else waiting for their turn. There are still challenges to living in my own now, but being able to make my own unilateral decisions is fantastic.
" "Stopped explaining myself to people who had already decided who I was. The energy spent justifying, defending, and proving myself to the wrong audience was quietly exhausting everything — and the day I genuinely stopped, that energy went somewhere that actually mattered.
" "Online bill pay. If you're old enough to remember waiting for the mail, balancing your checkbook with a pencil, and then paying bills by writing out paper checks and putting them in envelopes, buying stamps, going to the post office to mail the bill payments… ugh, what a chore! Late payments were common in those days, and account balances were rarely up-to-date because we always had paper checks mailed out that had not yet been processed.
" "Noise-canceling headphones. I didn’t know how loud the world was until I wore them. Suddenly, my brain could finally breathe. Best life upgrade I never knew I needed.
" "Always wanted to be a reader. Started with 15 minutes of reading, every day without fail. I stopped as soon as the timer went off. I don’t know when that became a habit, and now, I am drawn to books and don’t track time.
I love being away from the phone for a little while. It’s a big process to get better habits than doom scrolling.
" "Buying a 10-foot charging cable. It sounds stupidly simple, but not being tethered to a wall outlet within 3 feet completely changed how I relax on the couch or in bed. It's the cheapest 'luxury' upgrade you can give yourself.
" "Finally being in a loving relationship. It really does change everything for the better. Not saying it's 100% perfect all the time, neither of us is perfect. But the positives vastly outweigh the negatives.
Recommended. 10/10.
""Antidepressants. I've dealt with anxiety and depression for years. I always felt weak, thinking I needed something from a doctor to fix the problems I had going on inside. It's not a weakness.
It's admitting that you have an issue that you can't control.
" "Bluetooth earbuds are, for me, the most impactful invention of my life. It makes doing menial chores and daily annoyances very tolerable. I just pop one in, put on a podcast, and let my mind wander while I get stuff done. It's great for setting timers while cooking, too.
" "Using a walking stick. I had osteoarthritis in my hip and deferred using a walking stick for far too long. I found it so much easier to walk and feel supported when walking with my stick, even if I did feel like an old lady with it. I have since had surgery and no longer require it for that hip, but typically, now my other hip has deteriorated.
I won't leave it as long this time before I start using a stick.
" "Getting a cleaning lady. There was a time I couldn’t afford it, and I don’t think it’s a necessity, but now, it’s something I prioritize in my budget. I didn’t realize how much stress cleaning was adding to my life until it was off my plate. Even when I used to give myself a weekend 'off' from cleaning, there was always that voice in the back of my head reminding me that it’s just piling up.
Not having that lingering stress anymore has been huge for my mental health in ways I never expected. If you can budget for it, 10/10 recommend.
" "Taking a yoga class once a week. I didn’t notice week to week, but over time, yoga has helped heal my body, mind, and spirit.
" "Decluttering my digital life. Unsubscribed to every single email I did not need, and I now only get like one a day.
" "This is very tactical, but I changed the way I tied my shoelaces a couple of years ago, and it made my foot hurt less, and my shoes got untied a lot less often. I think I was just doing it wrong this whole time.
" "Getting into recovery and minding my own business made my life infinitely easier. I had to learn how to do both. Now I just think to myself, 'not my circus, not my monkeys.
' My own circus and monkeys keep me occupied enough. " "Having less stuff. Fewer kids' toys, fewer clothes, fewer cleaning products, fewer beauty supplies. It makes cleaning your house easier, reduces the everyday decision fatigue, is better for the environment, and saves money.
" "Being nice to people as a default, saying 'thank you,' and making eye contact and smiling when dealing with retail store workers or with co-workers or, well, anybody. Turns out, people are so much more willing to help you when you treat them like an actual human being.
" "Forgiving myself for having ADHD and autism, and shedding a lifetime of 'you have so much potential, but you're so lazy' and being mocked by school peers for being different. Fuck all that noise.
" "Using a tiny backpack instead of a purse. The strap doesn't slip, keeps my hands free, and helps me stay better organized. Seriously, I didn't think it would be that different, and now I just can't believe I didn't try one earlier.
" "When I got my first job, creating an auto deposit of 50 dollars from each paycheck into a separate savings account just for car maintenance or other unexpected financial surprises. Then upping it over time and not letting my lifestyle grow as my pay grew.
" "Life hack that changed everything: I used to pair socks like a responsible adult. Then I realized: mismatched socks are just pattern mixing, and I'm not running a foot fetish fashion show. I grab two randoms, put 'em on, and let the world wonder if I'm avant-garde or just done with life.
" "I stopped bringing work home. Suddenly, the amount of stress I was feeling every night vaporized. If I didn't get it done during the day, I just leave it. And I don't feel bad either.
Lots of people do it, and it's okay.
" And finally,"My husband changed all of the doorknobs in my house to L-shaped handles instead of round ones. I only have one hand, and I have arthritis in my thumb and elbow on that side. Those door handles were pretty nice, I have to admit. Now that my husband has passed on, and there's no one else to open a door for me on bad days, those new door handles are life-changing.
"Now, I've gotta ask — what do you think? Is there any small change you made that dramatically improved your life? Let us know in the comments. And if you'd like to remain anonymous, you can use the form below.
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