The Curious Engineer

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Practical betterments

practicalbetterments.com

A collection of one-off actions to improve your life continuously — however marginally

GeneralEssays / personal

’23’24’25’26
Posts
89 from 15 Jul 2023 to 8 Jun 2026
Posting
weekly (25 in the last year)
Kind
personal blog
Feed
https://practicalbetterments.com/feed.xml

2026 25

  1. Restrict access to addictive websites
  2. Latest
  3. Switch off autoplay on streaming services
  4. Connect your phone to your local Wi-Fi hotspots
  5. Setup soft diffuse lighting in your focus nook
  6. A precision kettle
  7. Remove visual clutter from your focus nook
  8. Noiseproof your focus nook
  9. Remove sharp turns from the path to your focus nook
  10. Add a lure to your focus nook
  11. Product Recommendation – An electric mattress pad (underblanket)
  12. Create a dedicated focus nook
  13. Reduce your cloud data usage
  14. Optimize your boiler's tap water temperature
  15. Switch on "tap to click"
  16. Change your default date format to the least ambiguous
  17. Product Recommendation – A long-lasting can opener
  18. Reduce the sleep timer on your devices
  19. Download the map of your city for offline use
  20. Get a strong phone case
  21. Downgrade your phone to a limited data plan
  22. Switch your phone to an MVNO
  23. Switch off quick-start in your tv settings
  24. Only own one type and color of sock
  25. Decrease the frequency of product subscription deliveries

2025 9

  1. Make a list of things you might need for a hospital stay
  2. Bleed your radiators
  3. Say goodbye to objects that don't serve you
  4. Apply for or claim citizenship of another country
  5. Put your money into a savings account
  6. Relocate things that drip over things that collect drips
  7. Sort out your phone notifications
  8. Add mundane non-password info to your password manager
  9. Enable sticky keys on your computer

2024 32

  1. Leave a copy of your keys with a trustworthy pal
  2. Write a persuasive "no junk mail" sign
  3. Setup a password manager
  4. Backup vital data and media you'd miss if it disappeared
  5. Organize your fridge to reduce the chance of poisoning everybody
  6. Switch off "Raise to Wake"
  7. Order and orient the keys on your keychain
  8. Place healthy apps within thumbs reach
  9. Acquire and implement a bed brush
  10. Attatch felt to the feet or underside of all your furniture
  11. Put a spoon in every container that requires a spoon
  12. Debobble your clothes (before you travel)
  13. Remove browsing history from your search bar autosuggest
  14. Unsubscribe from staples
  15. Create a default folder for screenshots
  16. Add white space to your browser bookmarks bar
  17. Organize your browser bookmarks
  18. Set your phone's home screen background to solid black
  19. Setup emergency contact and medical information on your phone
  20. Create a shared digital calendar with significant people in your life
  21. Delete long-forgotten digital accounts
  22. Delete disused phone numbers from your contacts
  23. Optimize and monitor your fridge and freezer temperatures
  24. Setup a recurring reminder to stretch and correct your posture
  25. Turn off background app refresh
  26. Establish a folder for instruction manuals
  27. Print off a QR code for guests to join your WiFi netork
  28. Lubricate your keyholes
  29. Rename bluetooth devices to something generic and unidentifiable
  30. Block browser notification requests
  31. Rotate your mattress
  32. Delete or hide life-wasting apps

2023 23

  1. Cut rounded corners into your documents and medicine blister packs
  2. Create a one-tap navigation shortcut for your commute
  3. Block ads and tracking on your smart TV
  4. Switch off bad TV settings
  5. Organize your toiletries chronologically
  6. Download all of Wikipedia on your phone
  7. Turn off in-app rating request popups
  8. Pretend to cancel your digital subscriptions
  9. Create a shortcut for even lower phone brightness
  10. Drill holes in your keys
  11. Set a maximum volume for your headphones
  12. Get a content blocker for your browser
  13. Adjust your office chair
  14. Turn off the lights on your Wifi router
  15. Cut the end off your toothbrush
  16. Add spaces to the dock on MacOS
  17. Replace your physical SIM card with an eSIM
  18. Switch your phone to dark mode
  19. Cancel forgotten subscriptions
  20. Adjust the temperature of your boiler
  21. Turn off voicemail
  22. Opt out of junk mail
  23. Create a space for your keys