Avoid using your hand as a tool. Almost always prefer to use your hand to *manipulate* an appropriate tool. You're going to need your hand for other things.

Relatedly related: remember to hunt for mislaid items in places where they aren't supposed to be. If a thing was where it's *supposed* to be, then you wouldn't still be looking for it, would you?

Learn to play guitar. It takes, like, two weeks. And, once you kinda know what you're doing, you can play songs you like or just keep your hands occupied while you're thinking.

Treat recipes like a journey, not a destination. Once you feel like you're mostly nailing the basic instructions, start looking for ways to make it your own. Remember, you are probably not being scored.

There are Finish-the-Can people and Not-Finish-the-Can people. You know in your heart which kind you are. As do the people with whom you live.

Don't let people tell you whether, when, or how to season your food. It's your body.

Avoid any food whose name has been altered for legal reasons. (Thanks, Chris C.)

If you can manage it, avoid teeing up a media suggestion with "I couldn't recommend this more." Because if the listener (understandably) zones out on the journey to that crucial last word, it really sounds like you kinda hated it.

In considering whether and how often to ingest a source of new or updating information, always try to ask yourself: "What might this make me want to see, think, or do differently—and how might that be beneficial?" Whenever you estimate that your honest answers should be "Nothing important" and "It won't," be cautious about ingesting it at all. I promise, you do not actually need to know everything all the time.

Sometimes, people ask you how you're doing when they're especially concerned about how *they’re* doing.