This section is all about time. We look at how many hours you can save each day, week, or year, and how much the odds improve of finishing a task on schedule. We don’t convert time into extra years of life or into money. When money does come up, we only give the calculation method — no final figures. Most of the items here are backed by a single study or overall statistics from time‑use surveys, so the evidence grades are mostly B or C.
English text comes from the independent translation maintained by dlgrv. New entries without a translation appear in Chinese. The author's Chinese original is authoritative for the latest content. Translation snapshot: dlgrv/HowToLiveBetter · 11818c6
Change “I plan to do this” into “If I sit at my desk at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, I’ll start by writing the introduction.” Across 94 separate studies, people who used this phrasing were far more likely to achieve their goals — this effect is moderate to large. All it requires is rewriting one sentence; there’s no expense and almost no extra effort.
Cost
No cost at all. Each step takes just 1–2 minutes — simply…
Benefit
When all 94 studies are combined, individuals who expressed their plans as “if… then…” statements had signific…
02Evidence B
Write down exit criteria before starting
Before you begin any project, write one simple sentence: “If a certain target isn’t met by a specific date, then we’ll stop.” Multiple studies combined show this approach really does help people pull back from efforts they’re unlikely to succeed at. What you save is all the time you’d otherwise keep pouring into that project.
Cost
No cost at all. It takes just 5 minutes at the start to wr…
Benefit
When data from several studies on commitment strategies are pooled together, the result is clear: setting a cl…
03Evidence B
When deciding whether to continue, consider only future investments and future returns — not what has already been invested.
Money and time already spent tend to make people more inclined to keep going. Across 98 datasets, this tendency remains consistent. Therefore, when deciding whether to continue, only future investments and expected returns should be taken into account; past expenditures must be excluded from the calculation.
Cost
No monetary cost is involved. The difficulty lies in accep…
Benefit
Prior investments of money, effort, and time increase the likelihood of continued engagement. This phenomenon…
04Evidence B
Estimate timelines based on actual time taken in past similar tasks, not on plans
Students who estimated they would finish a paper in 33.9 days actually took 55.5 days to complete it; only 29.7% of them met their own estimates. Another group of students was asked to first recall how long similar tasks had taken them in the past before making their estimates. The proportion of students who finished on time rose from 29.3% to 60.0% in this group.
Cost
No cost at all. It only requires a few minutes of review t…
Benefit
Students originally expected to finish their papers in 33.9 days, but the actual time taken was 55.5 days. Onl…
05Evidence B
Distribute an agenda beforehand; don’t hold meetings without one; stand if possible
When an agenda is shared beforehand, attendees are more likely to view the meeting as useful. In experiments, seated meetings lasted 34% longer than standing ones, yet the quality of decisions reached under both formats was identical.
Cost
No monetary cost. Organizers spend 5–10 minutes writing an…
Benefit
Two studies involved 958 and 292 participants respectively. Results showed that meetings with pre‑distributed…
06Evidence B
Cut down on meetings – use written asynchronous communication when possible
The more meetings you have in a day, the more exhausted you feel, and the more work seems to pile up on your plate. Canceling even one meeting frees up exactly as much time as the meeting itself lasts – no less, no more.
Cost
No monetary cost. Requires cooperation from colleagues and…
Benefit
Two surveys involved employees working 35+ hours per week – one with 676 participants, the other with 304. How…
07Evidence B
Break large tasks into subtasks before estimating and starting work
When estimating how long a task will take, people rarely break it down into individual subtasks and calculate each one separately. Listing all subtasks first and then estimating the total duration helps avoid underestimating the required time. Once broken down, each small step can be tackled right away, which also reduces the likelihood of procrastination.
Cost
No cost involved. The actual breakdown process takes 5 to…
Benefit
People tend to overlook the need to split multi-component tasks into smaller parts when estimating timelines.…
08Evidence B
Set a deadline for tasks without an external deadline
When there is an external deadline, 80.6% of students manage to finish their work before it. But only 38.7% finish within their own estimated timeframe. The actual completion time is almost entirely determined by the external deadline, with little connection to their own estimates. That’s why it’s crucial to set your own deadline for tasks with no external deadline, and then follow through on it.
Cost
No cost involved. The hard part is actually sticking to th…
Benefit
For students with an external deadline, 80.6% complete their work before it. Meanwhile, only 38.7% finish with…
09Evidence A
Treat procrastination as a way to avoid discomfort, not as a sign of laziness or lack of effort
Procrastination has little to do with laziness or personality traits. What truly predicts whether someone procrastinates is how unpleasant the task feels, whether they believe they can complete it, and how easily they get distracted by immediate temptations. Therefore, the best approach is to make the task less unpleasant and break the first step into a tiny, manageable action — rather than scolding yourself and forcing yourself to work.
Cost
No cost at all. The only change needed is in how you judge…
Benefit
A meta-analysis that included 691 correlation coefficients found several factors with a strong, consistent lin…
10Evidence B
Keep desired items within reach and unwanted ones out of sight — no need to resist temptation on the spot
When items are physically farther away, people tend to consume less of them. Placing snacks at a distance noticeably cuts down on intake — this effect is of moderate strength. Limiting the number of available choices also leads to a marked drop in consumption. These strategies require no willpower on your part; you can arrange everything in just a few minutes.
Cost
No cost involved;
Benefit
A Cochrane review encompassing 24 randomized trials supports these findings. Moving food farther away reduces…
11Evidence A
Tie your money to your commitment — but first ask if you’re willing to pay
A randomized trial involving 2,538 participants compared two incentive models: one offering a cash reward for success, and another requiring an upfront deposit that is refunded plus a bonus only if the goal is met. Among those willing to join either program, the deposit model produced a success rate 13 percentage points higher than the reward model. Yet only 13.7% of participants agreed to pay the deposit, while 90% opted for the reward option. Thus the deposit approach works best for those willing to pay; for everyone else it essentially has no effect.
Cost
Under this deposit‑based approach, participants must put u…
Benefit
In a U.S. trial with 2,538 participants, employees and their relatives were randomly assigned to one of four i…
12Evidence B
New habits are measured in months, not “21 days”
The idea that “it takes 21 days to form a habit” has no scientific basis. One study tracking participants over 12 weeks found that it took as little as 18 days for an action to become automatic, while some people needed as many as 254 days. It’s perfectly normal for things to feel difficult for two or three weeks. Missing a single day also does not reset any progress.
Cost
No cost at all. What’s required is simply repeating the sa…
Benefit
Ninety-six volunteers each chose a simple action related to eating, drinking, or physical activity, and perfor…
13Evidence A
For those whose procrastination is affecting daily life, self‑help materials backed by randomized trials work just as well as therapist‑led programs
Procrastination that causes real distress is treatable. A randomized trial involving 150 participants tested a ten‑week cognitive‑behavioral self‑help program, both with therapist guidance and without it. Both groups showed markedly better results than a control group that received no intervention. No meaningful difference emerged between the two self‑help groups, meaning that working through the material on one’s own is equally effective.
Cost
A self‑help book costs only a few dozen yuan;
Benefit
The 150 participants were randomly assigned to three groups: therapist‑guided self‑help, unguided self‑help, a…
14Evidence B
Use your own hourly wage to decide which chores to outsource
On average, Chinese residents spend 1 hour and 17 minutes each day doing household chores. Among those who actually do them, the average time spent is 1 hour and 59 minutes. People who pay to save time tend to report higher life satisfaction. For the same amount of money, spending it on time rather than goods brings greater immediate happiness.
Cost
Outsourcing chores comes at a cost, which varies depending…
Benefit
According to a 2024 survey covering 38,500 households and 107,000 individuals, Chinese residents spend an aver…
15Evidence C
Set hard limits on short videos and aimless scrolling
On average, Chinese people spend 5 hours and 37 minutes online per day. For those who actually go online that day, the average time is 6 hours and 3 minutes. Using the same calculation method in 2018, the average was only 2 hours and 42 minutes. This is the highest figure in this section. Cutting just one hour off daily adds up to 365 extra hours per year.
Cost
No cost at all. It only takes a few minutes to act: turn o…
Benefit
Chinese residents spend an average of 5 hours and 37 minutes online each day. For those who actually use the i…
16Evidence C
Avoiding TV and scrolling news: view information at set times instead
Americans aged 15 and older watch 2.6 hours of TV per day, which accounts for half of all their leisure time. In China, the average daily TV viewing time is 1 hour and 40 minutes; for people aged 75–84, it reaches 3 hours and 16 minutes. Switching to viewing information at scheduled times saves you all this time.
Cost
No monetary cost. The real challenge is breaking the habit…
Benefit
Americans aged 15 and older watch 2.6 hours of TV daily. Their total leisure time is 5.2 hours, so TV viewing…
17Evidence B
Spend some time learning keyboard shortcuts and automation for common software
Even many Word users with years of experience still rely on clicking toolbar icons. Experiments comparing different methods show that keyboard shortcuts are faster than both menus and icons. This is a one-time effort that pays off with every subsequent use. The longer you perform similar tasks, the greater the overall benefit.
Cost
There is no monetary cost. However, it requires a one-time…
Benefit
Research involving 251 experienced Word users revealed that most rarely utilize faster shortcuts, continuing t…
18Evidence B
When choosing a place to live, prioritize commute time to cut down on one-way travel
The longer someone’s commute, the worse they tend to feel about their life. This loss in time and comfort isn’t compensated for by higher wages or better housing. Cutting one-way commute time by 30 minutes saves a full 5 hours each week.
Cost
This option is costly. You may end up paying higher rent o…
Benefit
On average, Chinese residents spend 50 minutes daily on transportation;