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• 10 virtually instant ways to improve your

life• Stop jumping to conclusions. There are two common ways this habit increases people’s

difficulties. First, they assume that they know what is going to happen, so they stop paying attention and act on their assumption instead. Human beings are lousy fortune-tellers. Most of what they assume is wrong. That makes the action wrong too. The secondaspect of this habit is playing the mind-reader and assuming you know why people dowhat they do or what they’re thinking. Wrong again, big time. More relationships aredestroyed by this particular kind of stupidity than by any other.

• Don’t dramatize. Lots of people inflate small setbacks into life-threatening catastrophesand react accordingly. This habit makes mountains out of molehills and gives peopleanxieties that either don’t exist or are so insignificant they aren’t worth worrying aboutanyway. Why do they do it? Who knows? Maybe to make themselves feel and seem moreimportant. Whatever the reason, it’s silly as well as destructive.

•

Don’t invent rules. A huge proportion of those “oughts” and “shoulds” that you carryaround are most likely needless. All that they do for you is make you feel nervous or guilty. What’s the point? When you use these imaginary rules on yourself, you clog your mind with petty restrictions and childish orders. And when you try to impose them onothers, you make yourself into a bully, a boring nag, or a self-righteous bigot.

• Avoid stereotyping or labeling people or situations. The words you use can trip youup. Negative and critical language produces the same flavor of thinking. Forcing thingsinto pre-set categories hides their real meaning and limits your thinking to no purpose.See what’s there. Don’t label. You’ll be surprised at what you find.

• Quit being a perfectionist. Life isn’t all or nothing, black or white. Many times, goodenough means exactly what it says. Search for the perfect job and you’ll likely never find

it. Meanwhile, all the others will look worse than they are. Try for the perfect relationshipand you’ll probably spend your life alone. Perfectionism is a mental sickness that willdestroy all your pleasure and send you in search of what can never be attained.

• Don’t over-generalize. One or two setbacks are not a sign of permanent failure. The oddtriumph doesn’t turn you into a genius. A single event—good or bad—or even two or three don’t always point to a lasting trend. Usually things are just what they are, nothingmore.

• Don’t take things so personally. Most people, even your friends and colleagues, aren’ttalking about you, thinking about you, or concerned with you at all for 99% of the time.The majority of folk in your organization or neighborhood have probably never heard of you and don’t especially want to. The ups and downs of life, the warmth and coldness of others, aren’t personal at all. Pretending that they are will only make you more miserablethan is needed.

• Don’t assume your emotions are trustworthy. How you feel isn’t always a goodindicator of how things are. Just because you feel it, that doesn’t make it true. Sometimesthat emotion comes from nothing more profound than being tired, hungry, annoyed, or about to get a head-cold. The future won’t change because you feel bad—nor becauseyou feel great. Feelings may be true, but they aren’t the truth.

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• Don’t let life get you down. Keep practicing being optimistic. If you expect bad thingsin your life and work, you’ll always find them. A negative mind-set is like looking at theworld through distorting, grimy lenses. You spot every blemish and overlook or discounteverything else. It’s amazing what isn’t there until you start to look for it. Of course, if you decide to look for signs of positive things, you’ll find those too.

•

Don’t hang on to the past. This is my most important suggestion of all: let go andmove on. Most of the anger, frustration, misery, and despair in this world come from people clinging to past hurts and problems. The more you turn them over in your mind,the worse you’ll feel and the bigger they’ll look. Don’t try to fight misery. Let go andmove on. Do that and you’ve removed just about all its power to hurt you.

100 Tips to Improve Your Life

Behance just started collaborating with a group of fourteen established blogs, all very different, but all with a shared interest in helping people increase productivity (among other self-

improvements). We call this collaboration "LifeRemix." The Behance team sees this as a greatopportunity to share our tips for productivity beyond the creative professional community.Collaborations between organizations with different backgrounds often result in greatrealizations. To kick off LifeRemix, our group of bloggers collected a list of our 100 best "tips toimprove your life." Leo Babauta, author of  Zen Habits and member of LifeRemix, compiled thelist.

While not specific to creative professionals, the list includes tips that are likely to boost overalleffectiveness and the impact we are able to make with our ideas. For this reason, we re-post thelist and encourage you to browse...

1.

Find Inner Serenity by Making it Easier to Find Your Keys. For most people, gettingcontrol of clutter brings a greater sense of calm and decreased frustration.2. Surround Yourself With Progress. When you complete a list of action steps, your instinct

might be to throw the list away. After all, the work is completed! However, some creative professional teams take a different approach; they relish their progress. Some go so far assurrounding themselves with it.

3. Empty Your Inbox in 30 Seconds. Is your inbox filled with thousands and thousands of unread messages? Before you give up hope, there's an instant way to clear your inbox of old emails in less than 30 seconds.

4. Instantly Build Self Confidence. These tips will get you riding high in no time.5. Reduce Your Trash To Almost Zero. Follow the No Impact Man experiment to reduce

our trash as close as we can to zero.6. Feel like a million bucks for cheap. Feel healthier and more energized right away without

spending a fortune.7. End Laundry Chaos. More than 20 tips to help you keep your laundry chaos to a

minimum.8. Learn the Secrets of the Super-Organized. A few simple habits keep clutter and chaos at

 bay.

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9. Check Email Once a Day ... or Once a Week . Simple tips that will reduce interruptionand increase your productivity.

10.Become an Early Riser . 10 benefits of rising early, and some practical tips on how to doit.

11.Learn Lessons from Google About Self-Image. How you think of yourself greatly affects

how successful you can be. Google has got self-image down to a science.12.Make a Good First Impression. Research shows that people decide what kind of relationship they want with you in the first ten minutes of a meeting, so making a goodfirst impression really matters.

13.Know the Hype Behind Bottled Water . Have you ever stopped to think about just howincredibly odd it is to buy bottled water?

14.Leave Work at Work . Want more time for your family or personal life? Here's how not tothink about your job 24/7.

15.Create a Landing Strip to Become Organized. We come from work exhausted, oftencarrying our work bags, groceries, and the mail. A landing strip will help you avoiddisorganization from the time you get home.

16.

Understand Time to Increase Return on Investment. Time is your most valuable resource.Understanding these ideas will help you make optimal decisions.17.Give Your RÈsumÈ a Face Lift. Even if you can't hire a fancy designer and are stuck 

with Microsoft Word, a few tweaks can turn your blasÈ rÈsumÈ into an elegant andfunctional showpiece.

18.Boost Your Energy Level. Feeling energetic is a key to happiness and to self-esteem, sotake steps to keep your energy high.

19.Actually Execute Your To-Do List. Many productivity systems will tell you how toorganize your tasks, but what happens if you don't feel like doing them?

20.Keep Your Desk Clean and Tidy. Do you spend waste more and more time looking for lost items instead of being the brilliant creative person that you are? Here's how to getyour desk clean, clutter-free, and keep it that way for good.

21.Learn the Truth About Baby Carrots. Baby carrots not really young carrots! They are alsoless nutritious and less flavorful than regular carrots.

22.Try Quick and (Almost) Painless Ways to Kill Distractions. Are you spending more timedealing with emails, IMs, phone calls, and random stray files than actually working? Hereare ten actions you can do right now to kill distractions and get back to work.

23.Reduce Your Carbon Emissions. The most important lifestyle changes you can make toreduce your carbon emissions are listed here.

24.Put the Action Method Into Practice. After a couple years of studying how creative people stay organized, we developed a simple and easily customized method for managing projects. A good portion of 2006 was spent putting the Action Method into practice.

25.Gently End Procrastination. Need an easy way to remind you when you should beworking and when you should be playing? Try using teaming up Flextime with Growl.Here's how.

26.Read Your RSS Feeds Faster and More Productively. Four simple tips for reducing thetime you spend on reading feeds.

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27.Use Catchphrases to Change the Way You Think . By keeping certain ideas active andaccessible through review and repetition ñ whether itís ìSay yes,î ìFake it ëtill you feel it,îor ìPeople succeed in groupsî ñ you can shape the way you think.

28.Photograph Your Mementos to Free Up Clutter . Taking digital photos of your mementoscan get rid of clutter, free-up storage space, and provide you with a simple way to walk 

down memory lane.29.Save Trees With Ease. Want to avoid all the paper towels, paper napkins and other tree-killing stuff there's no need to use? Read here.

30.Organize Your Cluttered Desktop and Regain Your Sanity. Is your desktop littered withzillions of random files and folders often litter my desktop. Learn how 5 ordinary folderscan keep your desktop immaculate.

31.Eat Slower . Why eating slower is better for your health, your sanity, your digestion, andmore.

32.Maximize Your Lunch Hour . Your lunch hour should be the least "productive" momentin your day. If it lasts a mere 20 minutes-or just doesn't exist anymore-here's how to turnit around and make it joyful.

33.

Increase Workplace Productivity by Not Being a Jerk . You get more flies with honey, asthe saying goes. This is a brief outline for how to work and play well with your coworkers (and get more done).

34.Find Cheap Gas Instantly. If soaring gas prices are draining your wallet dry, here's fiveways to find cheap(er) gas anywhere.

35.Find Your Purpose. We're all searching for our purpose. It seems tempting that having itappear by divine intervention would be great. Maybe not.

36.Make a GTD System for about $20. Putting together a functional GTD system for the price of a week's worth of Starbucks.

37.Avoid costly DIY mistakes. You can end up costing yourself more in the long run if youdon't watch out for these mistakes.

38.Think About Whether You Can Afford NOT to Pursue Your Dreams. Pursuing dreams iscrucial, even when it means taking a hit or entering financial uncertainty.

39.Plan for Success. Waiting for your ship to come in is a waste of time.40.Improve Your Mind by Reading the Classics. How to use the wisdom of the classics to

 become a better writer, thinker, and speaker.41.Break Habits of Highly Ineffective Emailing. A list of what not to do when emailing,

avoiding these habits will take you a long way toward better, more productive email.42.Make Your PDA Green. If you're worried about e-waste and the toxins produced by

 burying and burning old cell phones and PDAs, you may want to try my green hipster's pda.

43.Learn to Go From Solo to Successful Collaboration. Self-starters are often successfuldoing everything themselves. However, when forced to grow beyond the one gal/guy-show, many creative professionals are unable to take the leap from a solo success to asuccessful collaboration.

44.Create a Morning Routine. Developing a routine in the morning could lead to greater sanity and happiness, and achieving your goals.

45.Learn How to Survive a Road Trip. Road trips always begin on a high note, but by theend even Mother Teresa would be willing to shove her grandmother out of the car. Hereare 9 tips to help keep you sane and happy on any road trip.

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46.Share To Make Ideas Happen. The philosophy to "share ideas liberally" defies the age-old instinct to keep ideas secret. However, the creative person's tendency to jump fromidea-to-idea-to-idea causes most ideas to die in isolation. Creative professionals shouldtake every opportunity to communicate new ideas broadly, seek feedback, and develop asense of accountability.

47.

Use Space Under Stairs for More Storage. Very cool under-stair storage where each stepis a drawer.48.Know What's In Store If You Have a Toddler . New parents often wonder what's in store

for them once their kid is able to move around on their own. Here's what you can expect.49.Work in Multiple Positives. These hyper-productive activities will benefit you in multiple

ways at once.50.Use a Super Slim Wallet. It's time to shrink down that backbreaking Constanza wallet.

Here are 8 ways to radically slim down your wallet.51.Advertise Action to Yourself . We live in a world of choices. When we buy, we have to

make a choice between varieties, brands, and sizes. Similarly, when we work we have todecide what to focus on and how to use our time. While prioritization helps us focus, our 

minds still have the tendency to wander. We are most likely to focus on whatever catchesour eye. Along the lines of "out of sight, out of mind" we learn that "right before our eyes, actions thrive."

52.Gain Muscle in Minimal Time. How Tim Ferriss gained 34 pounds of muscle in 4 weeks.53.Choose Living Over Sleeping Sometimes. Despite the importance of healthy sleep habits,

there are times when it's good to throw caution to the wind and invest in your life in other ways.

54.Make Reference Items Helpful. We spend too much time discussing, storing, andorganizing notes. References are only valuable if you refer to them. Even with a well-organized system for managing references (either digital or paper), how often do weactually use them? How do we make reference items helpful?

55.Eat Sustainably. If you are interested in how to eat sustainably, read about it here.56.Lose Weight Without Exercise. How to lose 20 lbs. of fat in 30 days with a sensible diet.57.Find Calm & Sanity Through the Environment. If you've ever thought a more

environmental life might also be a calmer, saner life, you're right.58.Learn About the Successfully Self-Employed. Is freelancing for suckers? Are you already

an expert? This series explores the levels of the free-agent -- and how to understand whateach one means.

59.Learn GTD the Easy Way. An online primer of all the chapters of Getting Things Done.60.Set Goals So You Actually Accomplish Them. Setting goals is hard. Following through

is even harder. Using a framework that builds on your personal view of the world canmake the process easier. This series helps outline how.

61.Reduce Gamer Clutter . If you are a gamer, these are a number of suggestions to help youkeep your entertainment system under control and the gaming clutter to a minimum.

62.Stick to a Schedule of Regular Exercise. Exercising regularly boosts moodórightawayóand also makes it easier to sleep, keeps your weight down, and gives you energy.

63.Cut Back on Computer Cables. Follow these 8 simple steps to get rid of the birds' nest of cables behind your computer.

64.Pay the Price to Be an Entrepreneur . The price of access can be steep, but once you'reflying down the road -- it's well worth it.

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65.Single-task . Increase your productivity by learning not to multi-task.66.Get Outside Your Comfort Zone. Comfort isn't all it's cracked up to be.67.Drop Ideas That Fail. Ideas are a commodity. Being able to execute them well is what

creates success. Hanging on to an idea, even after it his proven to be ineffective is thedownfall of many aspiring entrepreneurs.

68.

Learn to Calculate Risk . Risk and reward go hand-in-hand. Knowing what to expect canhelp reduce risk and shape your reality.69.Don't Settle for Just One Path. Variety is the spice of life. So why do you have to be just

one thing when you grow up?70.Get Rid of Paper Clutter . A four-part series dedicated to reducing the paper clutter in

your home.71.Set Up Action Areas. Boxes need to be mailed, errands need to be run, cookies need to be

eaten, orders need to be fulfilled, but by whom? Whoever has a chance! The Behanceteam got tired of limiting our action steps to just an area on paper - why not make "actionareas" out of physical space?

72.Find Hidden Clutter . Ten places to start looking for hidden clutter in your home.73.

Get a Promotion. 20 tips that landed the writer an IT promotion -- most could be used inany field.74.Dispose of Old Electronics. The best ways to dispose of old electronics.75.Increase Your Intelligence. A list of 5 simple activities that will boost your brain power.76.Present Yourself . Creative achievements seldom happen in isolation. A big part of 

making ideas happen is controlling how you come across to others. Of course, theCreative's tendency is to say, "who gives a crap what other people think." While there ismerit in never compromising oneself for the sake of another's opinion, creative professionals need to make an effort to be understood. You need to present yourself effectively to engage others and get the support (and the business) you need to push ideasforward.

77.Follow George Orwell's Rules for Effective Writing. Becoming a better writer will create better career opportunities and increase productivity.

78.Lay Your Energy Line. Creative teams juggle multiple projects at once. The constantstreams of ideas lead to more ideas. As energy is spread across projects like peanut butter, prioritization is all but lost. Energy Lines are a simple way to prioritize and usedesign to guide creative energy.

79.Focus on Continuous Improvement. By mastering the optimization mentality you can become an expert in your chosen field.

80.Motivate Yourself . This post will teach you to recognize the primary motivation killersand how to beat them.

81.Become a More Light-hearted Parent. We all want a peaceful, happy atmosphere at homeñ and you canít nag and yell your way there.

82.Give Up Nagging. Itís no fun to nag, and itís no fun to be nagged. Give your relationshipa lift by putting an end to the irritating nag cycle.

83.Learn to Sacrifice Temporary Pressure for Long-term Goals. All success requiressacrifice. Do you have the determination to endure temporary punishment to reach your dreams?

84.Learn the GTD Workflow. An excellent into to GTD for the novice, a great refresher for the experienced.

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85.Use the Power of 10 Minutes. 10 Minutes can be even more productive amount of timethan 50 minutes, if used properly.

86.Triple Your Workout Effectiveness. Do you exercise regularly but don't get the resultsyou want? Here are some simple but powerful ways to boost that workout.

87.Work 8 Hours Straight Without Hating Yourself . There is an art to taking breaks that can

help you work longer, and more productively.88.Learn Whether You're Waking Up at the Wrong Time. Everyone's internal clock can tellus when we should be working. Are you listening to it?

89.Reduce Wasted Plastic Cups and Bottles. If you want to toss fewer plastic cups and bottles in the trash, you may be interested this ultra-cool reusable cup and water bottle.

90.Avoid Entrepreneurial Burnout: Fill Your Tank . Many times entrepreneurs suffer fromgoing to hard with their vision, without thinking about keeping the work pace sustainable.

91.Take Steps to Boost Your Happiness in the Next Hour . You can make yourself happier ñand this doesnít have to be a long-term ambition. You can start right now.

92.Learn to Capture Ideas and How to Manage Diarrhea of the Brain. Sometimes our bestideas come at the worst possible times. These tips will help to make sure none of those

 precious ideas fall through the cracks.93.Know the Signs That a Pink Slip is Coming. If you can answer yes to THREE or more of these questions, you may want to think about sprucing up your resume and dry-cleaningyour best interview attire.

94.Try No TV. In an extreme experiment to reduce waste to near zero, No Impact Manturned turned off electricity, which means no TV. Read about how to entertain a little girlwith no TV.

95.Accelerate Your Mortgage Payments to Save a Bundle. See how much money you cansave by adding just a few extra dollars a month to the principal.

96.Use a Today List to Get Stuff Done. Helps you focus on what needs to be done today.97.Use Money to Buy Happiness. Some of the best things in life arenít free, so spend money

in ways to bring you more happiness bang for your buck.98.Save the Lives of Animals With One Change. If you want to help save the lives of 

hundreds of thousands of animals just by not using plastic bags, perhaps the easiestenvironmental step, read here.

99.Get the Most Out of Your Rebates. Follow these tips and we can all fight the Man andwrench our hard-earned money back from those big, faceless corporations.

100. Eliminate All But the Absolute Essential Tasks. Is your to-do list overwhelmingyou? Here's how to simplify it to the core tasks.