This section only counts energy and time. It looks at four things: how much attention you can use each day, how fast you react, how many mistakes you make, and how long it takes to get back after an interruption. Most figures are measured directly, from experiments or from tracking a group of people over time. These numbers are not converted into lifespan or mortality. Most items in this section have evidence grade B. That is how this field is; it does not mean the advice fails. Item 19 is about expectations when dealing with police, doctors, and bank tellers; it cites regulations, not experiments, so its grade is C. Item 15 (treat pessimistic thoughts as a symptom) and item 22 (treat “others expect me to be perfect” as a symptom) cite mortality and suicide-risk figures. Their frame differs from the rest of this section; do not compare them side by side. Items are grouped by theme below, with item numbers in parentheses. Attention at work: Turn off non-essential notifications (item 1), batch-process messages each day (item 5), block brief interruptions (item 6), do one thing at a time (item 7), use earplugs in open offices (item 12), and do not keep adding weekly work hours for their own sake (item 13). Sleep and staying up: Keep a fixed wake-up time (item 2), get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night (item 3), avoid caffeine after 2 p.m. (item 4), skip glowing screens for the hour before bed (item 8), go to bed on time (item 9), make no major decisions late at night (item 10), take a 10-minute nap when drowsy in the afternoon (item 11), try cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia first for long-term insomnia (item 26), and get checked for sleep apnea if you snore, stop breathing in sleep, or are sleepy by day (item 27). Thoughts in the head: Switch to a hands-on task when you keep replaying something (item 14), treat pessimistic thoughts as a symptom (item 15), halve your estimate when you feel you looked foolish (item 21), and treat “others expect me to be perfect” as a symptom (item 22). Anger and low mood: Leave first when angry (item 17), do a few high-value things first when mood is low (item 18), do not vent anger by punching a bag (item 23), and write what is on your mind for several days in a row (item 24). People and social media: Learn to decline requests you do not want (item 16), treat police and doctors as people who work by rules (item 19), and set limits on apps that show peers’ feeds (item 20). Pain in the body: For period pain, take an ibuprofen-type painkiller (item 25).
English, Russian and Spanish use dlgrv’s unofficial translations. Newly revised entries appear in the Chinese original until a checked translation is available. The author’s latest Chinese text is authoritative. Translation revision: dlgrv/HowToLiveBetter · b25fa8a
Even if you don’t look at or touch your phone when it rings, your performance on attention‑related tasks still drops. The drop is roughly the same as when you actually answer calls or send messages. Another scenario: even when the phone sits on the desk and you resist the urge to glance at it, the amount of mental capacity available still decreases. The more dependent a person is on their phone, the greater this drop tends to be.
Cost
No cost at all. It takes just a few minutes to adjust the…
Benefit
Merely receiving a notification — without looking at or interacting with the phone — noticeably impairs perfor…
For the top 20% of students with the most irregular sleep schedules, their circadian rhythm runs roughly 2.5 hours later than that of the top 20% with the most regular schedules. This is equivalent to living with a persistent jet lag. Moreover, students with more consistent sleep patterns tend to achieve better academic results.
Cost
No cost involved. Sticking to this on weekends requires a…
Benefit
Sixty-one university students tracked their sleep patterns over 30 days. The group with the least regular sche…
Two weeks in a row of only 6 hours a night, and brain performance falls to about the level of two full nights with no sleep. The problem is you do not feel it. Self-rated sleepiness rises for the first few days then stops rising; people on 6 hours score as sleepy as people on 4 hours. So the sense that “6 hours is enough for me” is not reliable.
Cost
No cost at all. You simply need to set aside 1–2 extra hou…
Benefit
In a randomized controlled trial, 48 healthy adults aged 21–38 were asked to get just 6 hours of sleep per nig…
Taking 400 mg of caffeine—roughly three to four cups of coffee—6 hours before bed reduced objectively measured sleep by more than an hour that night. Yet participants’ sleep diaries showed no clear difference. A 250 mL cup containing 107 mg should be finished more than 8.8 hours before bed to avoid reducing sleep. For a 23:00 bedtime, that means a cutoff around 14:00.
Cost
No cost involved. People accustomed to drinking coffee in…
Benefit
Taking a tablet with 400 mg of caffeine 6 hours before bed, total sleep time measured by instruments was 1.1 t…
The same group of participants was studied over two weeks. During the week when they limited email checks to just three times per day, their daily stress levels dropped noticeably compared to the unrestricted week — while the total number of emails sent and received stayed the same. Without any limits, people checked their emails an average of 15.5 times per day.
Cost
No monetary cost. However, it takes some time to explain t…
Benefit
In a two-week self-controlled trial involving 124 adults, those who limited email checks to three times daily…
Even a brief interruption lasting 2.8 seconds on average doubles the chance of errors in subsequent steps of a sequential task. An interruption of 4.4 seconds triples that error rate. Field observations also show that it takes an average of 25 minutes to return to the interrupted task, with two other unrelated tasks squeezed in during that time. People who get interrupted do finish tasks faster, but they report higher levels of stress, frustration, effort, and time pressure.
Cost
No cost at all. Just close the door, put on headphones, or…
Benefit
On average, a 2.8-second interruption doubles the error rate for sequential tasks, while a 4.4-second interrup…
As soon as you switch tasks, reactions slow and mistakes become more likely. People who often use several kinds of media at once have not trained themselves to do several things at once; they do worse on task-switching tests.
Cost
No cost at all. It does take a bit of willpower to resist…
Benefit
Switching between tasks clearly slows reaction time and raises the chance of mistakes. This conclusion comes f…
In the experiment, reading for about 4 hours before bed on an iPad at maximum brightness delays sleep onset by roughly 10 minutes compared to reading paper books. It also lowers melatonin production by 55%. The next day, the body’s internal clock shifts more than 1.5 hours later, making mornings harder and requiring extra time to feel fully awake.
Cost
No cost involved. Giving up phone use one hour before bed…
Benefit
In the lab the same people did both conditions in turn (crossover). One was reading an e-book on an iPad befor…
In 2025 Chinese people averaged 6.97 hours of night sleep and fell asleep at 0:10 on average. Among children and adolescents who used a phone or tablet before bed, insufficient sleep and daytime sleepiness were both markedly more common. Just having the device in the bedroom unused gave similar numbers. To change this, the easiest move is not bringing the phone into the bedroom.
Cost
No monetary cost. The real challenge is overcoming the hab…
Benefit
In 2025 China’s residents averaged 6.97 hours of nighttime sleep, with average sleep onset at 0:10 (Chinese Sl…
When well slept, people quickly learn to avoid high-risk options. After two nights in a row with no sleep, they keep picking the high-risk ones instead; the older they are, the clearer this is. How much a few hours less sleep matter was not measured directly, but important decisions should still wait until after you wake.
Cost
No cost at all. You simply postpone these tasks until afte…
Benefit
Thirty-four healthy participants completed the Iowa Gambling Task after going 49.5 hours without sleep. This t…
When the previous night was short, a 10-minute nap lifts alertness right away; some of that effect lasts about two and a half hours. A 5-minute nap is basically useless. A 20-minute nap only shows benefit after 35 minutes. After a 30-minute nap you first feel groggy on waking; for that stretch performance is worse than not napping.
Cost
It costs nothing. Just set aside 10 minutes and find a pla…
Benefit
After a night of insufficient sleep, a 10‑minute nap quickly reduces drowsiness, fatigue, and improves energy…
When background noise rises from 39 dB to 51 dB, people remember fewer words, feel more tired, and are less motivated to work. Watching nature videos with sound during breaks helps restore energy far better than continuing to endure office noise.
Cost
Earplugs cost just a few dozen yuan. Booking a quiet meeti…
Benefit
Students working in simulated open offices showed similar effects: at 51 dB LAeq background noise, they recall…
Records from British munitions factories during World War I show that when workers kept weekly hours under 49, output rose in direct proportion to the time spent working. Once they exceeded 49 hours, the growth rate began to drop. Output from workers putting in 70 hours per week was practically identical to that of those working 56 hours — those extra 14 hours yielded no additional results. In total, this data covers a period spanning 100 years.
Cost
You might earn less in overtime pay. You may also need to…
Benefit
Data from British munitions factories in World War I demonstrates that output rises steadily with working hour…
Replaying the same bad episode deepens depression, nails negative thoughts in place, makes problems harder to solve, and makes real action harder. It also wears out people around you who would listen. When you notice you are looping in place, go do something that needs your hands.
Cost
No cost at all. The hard part is first recognizing that yo…
Benefit
A review of multiple studies shows that repetitive rumination on distressing events worsens depression. This p…
In a twin study with 20 years of follow-up, higher pessimism scores were associated with higher mortality risk. Each increase on the scale was associated with about 13% higher mortality risk and about 20% higher cardiovascular mortality risk. Higher optimism scores did not bring corresponding benefits. The issue to address is pessimism, rather than “not being positive enough.”
Cost
No cost involved. The hard part is viewing such thoughts a…
Benefit
This study followed 2,978 twins aged 50 or older in Australia for an average of 20 years;
In a survey of widowed women aged 60 to 89, unpleasant contacts linked to well-being more strongly and more consistently than pleasant ones. So cut first, then add.
Cost
No monetary cost. In the short term, this may cause social…
Benefit
A survey of 120 widowed women aged 60–89 found that unpleasant interactions showed a stronger and more consist…
Looking at what just happened from another angle, or standing in the other person’s place for a moment, both bring the emotion down; the second works better. Simply not showing the emotion also has a little effect. Forcing the feeling down inside, or forcing yourself not to think about the thing, does nothing. People who punished the person who offended them kept turning it over longer afterward; people who did not retaliate moved on faster.
Cost
No cost at all. You must resist the urge to retort on the…
Benefit
A meta-analysis pooling 306 experimental comparisons: reframing what happened (cognitive reappraisal) has an e…
Brisk walking, jogging, yoga, and strength training all ease depression; higher intensity works better. Details are in Section 22, Item 6 (when mood is bad, walk or run). Light therapy is strong for seasonal depression and also helps non-seasonal depression. Online self-help cognitive behavioral courses work; when symptoms are heavier, guided versions work better. When you cannot see a way through, call 12356 first.
Cost
Costs little to nothing. Just a few brisk walks, runs, or…
Benefit
This meta-analysis combined data from 218 randomized controlled trials involving 14,170 participants;
Police, doctors, and bank tellers are people who work by post rules, bound by paperwork, deadlines, and oversight. How many days a matter should take, and what document you get if it cannot be done, are written in the rules. So take receipts, note deadlines, and appeal through channels; do not try to argue until they agree with you.
Cost
No expense involved. You only need to adjust your expectat…
Benefit
Switching to this approach means moving from “pleading, getting angry, and reiterating your grievances” to “ha…
People who habitually compare themselves to others online tend to feel worse emotionally and have lower self‑esteem. Meta‑analysis of over 36,000 participants shows a moderate correlation between upward social comparison and poorer psychological outcomes. Correlation does not equal causation, but randomized trials back this link: after four weeks without Facebook, participants reported a slight rise in happiness. Another study limited three major platforms to 10 minutes per day; after three weeks, loneliness and depression both declined. The trade‑off? Knowledge of current events also dropped during those four weeks of abstinence.
Cost
This costs nothing. Setting time limits or deactivating an…
Benefit
A meta-analysis combined 54 independent samples, 94 effect sizes and N = 36,583 using a three-level random-eff…
Walk in wearing an awkward T-shirt and you think nearly half the people can tell who is printed on it; actually fewer than a quarter can. Switch to a decent T-shirt and you still overestimate the same way. After a group discussion, people also think their verbal mistakes look more obvious to others than they do, and after a chat they often underestimate how much the other person liked them. So when you feel “everyone saw me look foolish,” it is often only half or less.
Cost
No cost at all. It simply requires asking yourself once, w…
Benefit
Experiment 1: Participants wore T-shirts featuring Barry Manilow’s portrait and entered a room with other part…
The correlation between the feeling of “people around me expect me to be perfect and will reject me if I fail” and suicidal thoughts is 0.28. When the phrasing changes to “I myself expect myself to be perfect,” the correlation drops to just 0.10. The real risk does not come from having high standards per se, but from perceiving those standards as being imposed by others. Even after accounting for pre-existing suicidal thoughts, the former feeling still helps predict an increase in such thoughts over time.
Cost
No cost involved. The hard part is viewing this thought pa…
Benefit
Pooling several studies (meta-analysis): 45 studies, N = 11747, samples of undergraduates, medical students, c…
Punching a bag, cycling, or going for a run — ways of venting that amp the body up — generally do not cool anger. Slow breathing, mindfulness, and meditation — ways that settle the body — clearly cut anger and the urge to strike.
Cost
No cost at all. When you’re angry, try a few minutes of ac…
Benefit
A meta-analysis of 154 studies involving 184 sample groups and 10,189 participants shows that calming techniqu…
Writing down a bad experience has a small average benefit. Pooled conclusions also disagree; two pooled analyses found no clear effect. It costs almost nothing, so you can try it. When emotional problems are heavy, do not use it instead of seeing a doctor.
Cost
This costs nothing. Typical practice in studies is to writ…
Benefit
One meta-analysis combined data from 146 randomized studies in which participants wrote or spoke about persona…
For period pain, ibuprofen-type drugs raise the share with clearly less pain from under two in ten to about half. They work better than acetaminophen, with a bit more side effects. If pain keeps you from work or school, hurts deep during sex, or three months of medication still does not control it, see a gynecologist and check for endometriosis. In one ten-country study, average time from first symptoms to diagnosis was 6.7 years.
Cost
A box of ibuprofen costs a little over ten yuan;
Benefit
A Cochrane systematic review combined 80 randomized controlled trials involving 5820 women with primary dysmen…
After this treatment, falling asleep is about 19 minutes faster on average, and time awake in the night drops about 26 minutes. Effects slowly weaken, but they are still there at 12 months. Online self-help courses work about as well as in-person. Sleeping pills help people over 60 only a little: for every 6 who take them, 1 gets a side effect; for every 13, only 1 sleeps better.
Cost
Doing it at a hospital sleep clinic, psychiatry, or psycho…
Benefit
The National Health Commission’s 2020 clinical norms, following the international classification, list the dia…
Sleep apnea means breathing stops or gets shallow in waves during sleep; you wake gasping and are sleepy by day. After CPAP, daytime sleepiness drops clearly, and driving crashes fall by about seven tenths. Trials have not shown it prevents heart disease or lowers death; you wear it to stay awake by day.
Cost
First go to a hospital sleep clinic, pulmonology, or ENT.…
Benefit
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine 2017 diagnostic guideline lists who is more likely to have moderate to…
