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The air you breathe at home can affect your everyday health, so be sure it’s as clean as can be. House dust can be loaded with allergens and airborne chemicals, so dust and vacuum once a week with a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. And use a fireplace sparingly because burning wood indoors can lead to serious respiratory problems. Source Link

You can ease travel anxiety by putting your hands to work. Channel nervous energy by knitting, coloring, doing needlepoint, writing letters or postcards, or journaling. You’ll use the time you’re spending in transit in a creative and fulfilling way that can make it feel less stressful. Source Link

You might find your purpose in life with help from a Japanese practice. Ikigai focuses on four things – what you have a passion for, what you’re good at, what you do that the world needs, and what you can be paid for. The intersection of these four elements can reveal a path to more happiness for you and more service to others. Source Link

You have two things to heat in the microwave and they both won’t fit on the tray, so think about cooking at a different level. Use a mason jar or other glass piece of kitchenware to prop up the second container of food and cook both together. Just remember that you’ll probably need to increase cooking time. Source Link

Gut health is an important part of overall health and there are things you can do to keep that microbiome in good shape. Instead of popping a pill, eat foods that are rich in probiotics like plain yogurt, kimchi or sauerkraut. Get your daily quota of fiber and stay hydrated, and avoid ultra-processed foods with huge amounts of added sugar and sodium. Source Link

Preparing to paint means taping off those edges for a neat job, but how do you keep from getting paint on something round like a doorknob? Wrap it in aluminum foil. It’s a snap to get a perfect fit and the foil can be removed easily after the paint has dried. Source Link

It’s a twist on the old idea to beat sleeplessness by counting sheep. If you suffer from insomnia caused by stress, try counting every breath you take and count up as far as you can. Another technique to get back to sleep is to stare at a point on the wall until your eyelids get so heavy you have to close them. Source Link

Putting an end to a messy house may take just 15 minutes a day. Find a cleaning task for each day of the week that takes 15 minutes or less. This could be your desk, fridge, closet, pantry, or a bookshelf, or break down the tasks of cleaning something like a bathroom into 15-minute segments. Doing this daily will make cleaning a habit. Source Link

Managing a handful of basic auto maintenance tasks can help get your car well over 100,000 miles. Change the oil to manufacturer’s specifications, every 3,000 to 10,000 miles. Replace tires after 40,000 miles and brake pads after 30,000 miles. Shocks and struts usually need replacement after 80,000 miles and new spark plugs are needed at 100,000 miles. Source Link

How do you raise kids who are smart about money? Build their financial awareness by pointing out prices on a menu, comparing labels at the supermarket and explaining the costs of living like paying for a house, car, and utilities. And use that magic word “no” to teach budgeting and demonstrate the difference between wants and needs. Source Link 

How could adding one number to a password make it much harder to hack? Researchers say the number 7 is less predictable and less frequently used, so it’s harder for hacking software to crack. Adding a hyphen before the 7 makes a password even stronger, and using a 7 to substitute for an “s” makes for a rock solid password. Source Link

Understanding how puppies play can be real work for their humans. Play-fighting helps a puppy bond with other dogs, but those tiny, razor-sharp teeth can be painful for your hand. Don’t react in anger when this happens and don’t worry when a dog uses its mouth to play with you because this is also a key way for them to communicate. Source Link

When you want to train your brain, put away the apps and pick up a musical instrument. Studies have found that musical training enhances verbal memory, spatial reasoning, and literacy skills. Learning to play an instrument uses information from the senses of vision, hearing, and touch, as well as fine movements. Source Link

You might be able to save a smartphone dropped in water with some fast steps. Turn off the phone immediately to avoid damage to electronics, wipe it dry with a towel and use a vacuum cleaner hose to suck water out of openings. Putting your phone in rice can lead to a sticky mess. Instead, be ready by purchasing a special drying bag that’s made for smartphones. Source Link

Decluttering on a weekly, monthly or annual schedule can make it easier to keep your home neat. You should declutter countertops or inside the fridge every week, but your pantry can get a monthly clean-up. Closets, paperwork and toys can be part of annual decluttering sessions, like a closet clean-up after summer, purging old paperwork after tax season, and sorting toys after the holidays. Source Link

It’s tough to be patient when you want to lose weight now, but what’s a safe level of weight loss? People who succeed do it gradually at about 1 to 2 pounds per week, which translates into 4 to 8 pounds a month. Remember that fad diets or highly restrictive eating plans may prompt fast weight loss, but not permanent weight loss. Source Link

Call it the “Comic Sans” technique for total recall. Research has shown that people can remember something better that’s written in a weird font. You can also use a larger type size or put it in boldface. The harder the text is to read, the more you concentrate on it, and the easier it is to remember. Source Link

The health benefits of stopping smoking can start just moments after you take that last puff. In 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure begin to drop, and blood carbon dioxide levels normalize in a few days. And in a few weeks, blood circulation improves and lung function increases. Source Link