Ok, I've got one this week. I work in a four story office building on the third floor. I take the stairs. I have started pretending that I work on the fourth floor, adding a flight and coming back down. It's hard! And a bit eccentric, but I'm ok with that.

I buy 3 crates of red bull at a time. screw running out and wasting time and money and having to be awake at the same time the stores is open and them not having it and making those incremental painful payments

I've basically stumbled and groped and run into the same problems far too often for far too long now I'm rearranging everything in a 'reactive' way; if something goes wrong once either change it so it doesn't go wrong again or add a redundant option. It can be really simple things like -- oh we need a drill for this. we don't have a drill. When 'this' is over I keep in the back of my mind to buy a drill for the house even though it seems like a totally random thing. Next time on the very rare off-chance that we need a drill? What d'ya know I got one. Holla.

I find often things go wrong in a 'cascade' for me; e.g. I need to print this by morning and I don't have a working printer and it's too late at night to find a store to print it at and I don't know where my USB stick to put it on is even if it was open and blah blah blah .. I need to write my friend this check but the bank just took out a fee I didn't anticipate which fux0red my balance and I'm not sure this check will clear and the service I'm going to courier that check to him via is about to close and I don't really have his address except on email in my phone and my phone isn't loading gmail AAAH.. so this time round I keep the cascade in mind well after the crises is over to put little stopgaps everywhere, fix the leaks kinda at every level of the cascade. I ain't having it!!!

I fixed our bathroom door hinge again! It's not big: a constantly loosening hinge means our bathroom door latch is finicky and tricky for guests, and every so often it stops closing and I hunker down, flip out the screwplate, and fix it. Yay, me!

I did some badly-needed cleaning and organizing in our bedroom, and I swear I'm sleeping better knowing it's tidier and more sane in there. There's more to be done, but this is huge.

I buy 3 crates of red bull at a time.

I, uh, started buying sparkling wine by the case. I made a resolution to drink sparkling wine more frequently, and another resolution to afford myself some small luxuries. Buying a dozen bottles of cheap bubbly at a time means I'm willing to pop one open at the slightest provocation. It also means there's no last-minute wrangling or rush to find a bottle of wine when we go to a (drinking) friend's home for dinner: I grab one out of the case, pop a ribbon on it, and we go. Happily, our closest friends love bubbly.

Elsa, that's a terrific and inspiring improvement.

I love buying fairy/twinkly holiday lights, and I took advantage of the warm weather to hang some nifty snowflake ones and to re-string 3 lengths of chili pepper lights and hang those. The snowflake/chili pepper juxtaposition is odd, but still festive.

I bought a purple light string on sale at Halloween, brought them home and realized I did the same thing last year. So, I'll have fake pine garland with purple lights on the deck railing. Twinkly lights are an easy way to make things a tiny bit happier.

After seeing this on one of those soon-deleted "life hacks" questions on AskMe, I started riding my bike one gear lower (easier) then it seemed appropriate. Chronic knee pain, gone!

Elsa, that's a terrific and inspiring improvement.

If you could see the current state (which really IS a huge improvement), you would be less inspired and more appalled and amused, but it really does feel great. And now I believe I can get it halfway organized instead of a constant pile of crap.

Twinkly lights are an easy way to make things a tiny bit happier.

Oh, thanks for that reminder: while hauling crap out of the bedroom closet, I found the zillion twinkle lights The Fella bought for our wedding, and I want to use them (in conjunction with lamps) to brighten up the living room and avoid using overhead lighting.

I took one long strand, bundled it loosely together, and piled it into an openwork iron basket on a high shelf. Bundled together like that, it gives lovely soft light and doesn't overheat. I like the effect a lot, and I want to do that with the rest of the twinkle lights I found.

Well, compulsory dessert has been one factor helping me to lose 18 pounds so far this year.

I like Elsa's improvement, too.

compulsory dessert

and yes I said yes I will Yes.

I got a tall, chrome wire commercial type kitchen shelf last night

Oh, jeez, I just parsed that. That's GREAT! The Fella got me one for Christmas last year, and it made an enormous difference in our tiny-tiny kitchen.

I started ordering things I need at work (like extra pantyhose in case mine run) to be delivered to work. No more carting!

And I've been scanning my collection of receipts and credit card statements and similar paper files into my computer, and dumping/shredding all that paper. And, while at it, gradually cleaning up my old home office. So much nicer to be in there now.

gaspode, could you explain the compulsory dessert? Sounds fabulous to me!

You're all inspiring me! I love the twinkly-light ideas. And compulsory dessert. :)

Ahem.

Compulsory dessert is my mind game with myself. I am required to have a small dessert every single night. Even if, meh, I could go without, I still have one. This means that I don't snack, ever*. And it inspires me to smaller portions. If I'm ever tempted to snack, I always remind myself about dessert. Because it's every night, I never feel like I have to have mad willpower to make it to dessert time. Because I have an insane sweet tooth oh yes I do.

And it's always real dessert too. Full-fat. Real sugar. Just small.

*well, for a lenient definition of ever.

Hmmm, thinking about whether I could make your mindgame work for myself. Clever!

Signed

Fellow insane sweet tooth possessor.