--- title: 5 Simple Things That Will Make Your Life Better description: There's nothing better than a checklist to increase productivity canonical: https://time.com/3640785/5-simple-things/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-31T05:01:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:49:45.424Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 5 Simple Things That Will Make Your Life Better og:description: There's nothing better than a checklist to increase productivity og:url: https://time.com/3640785/5-simple-things/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8342ffc900997b1f/69876ff4428a9ec8bfcc634a/to-do-list.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3456 og:image:height: 1944 og:image:alt: 172710154to-do-list og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 5 Simple Things That Will Make Your Life Better twitter:description: There's nothing better than a checklist to increase productivity twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8342ffc900997b1f/69876ff4428a9ec8bfcc634a/to-do-list.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 5 Simple Things That Will Make Your Life Better > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Dec 31, 2014 5:01 AM UTC  To do list To do list Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Dec 31, 2014 5:01 AM UTC ## **1) Want to be happy?** It’s more about perspective than anything else. [Write down three good things that happen to you every day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/12/train-brain-happy/). Via [Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439190763/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- (More on happiness here: [Things that are proven to make you happier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/here-are-the-things-that-are-proven-to-make-y/).) ## **2) Want to be more creative?** Expose yourself to as many different perspectives as possible and get them crashing around in your head. Via [Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594485380/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1594485380&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- (More on creativity here: [The four principles that will lead you to breakthrough creativity](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-the-four-principles-that-will-lead-y).) ## **3) Want better friendships?** [Stay in touch every two weeks](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/09/5-ways-to-strengthen-your-friendships/) and make sure that the good moments outnumber the bad. Via [The Ape in the Corner Office: How to Make Friends, Win Fights and Work Smarter by Understanding Human Nature](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400052203/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1400052203): --- > “” --- Also: --- > “” --- (More here: [5 ways to strengthen your friendships](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/09/5-ways-to-strengthen-your-friendships/).) ### 5 Horrible Habits You Need to Stop Right Now  Do Not Email First Thing in the Morning or Last Thing at Night “The former scrambles your priorities and all your plans for the day and the latter just gives you insomnia,” says Ferriss, who insists “email can wait until 10am” or after you check off at least one substantive to-do list item. Chris Pecoraro—Getty Images  Do Not Agree to Meetings or Calls With No Clear Agenda or End Time “If the desired outcome is defined clearly… and there’s an agenda listing topics–questions to cover–no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes,” claims Ferriss, so “request them in advance so you can ‘best prepare and make good use of our time together.'” Sam Edwards—Getty Images/Caiaimage  Do Not Check Email Constantly Batch it and check it only periodically at set times (Ferriss goes for twice a day). Your inbox is analogous to a cocaine pellet dispenser, says Ferriss. Don’t be an addict. Tools like strategic use of the auto responder and Boomerang can help. Jetta Productions—Getty Images  Do Not Carry a Digital Leash 24/7 At least one day a week leave you smartphone somewhere where you can’t get easy access to it. If you’re gasping, you’re probably the type of person that most needs to do kick this particular habit. by nacoki ( MEDIA ARC )—Getty Images/Flickr RF  Do Not Let People Ramble Sounds harsh, but it’s necessary, Ferriss believes. “Small talk takes up big time,” he says, so when people start to tell you about their weekends, cut them off politely with something like “I’m in the middle of something, but what’s up?” But be aware, not everyone agrees with this one (and certainly not in every situation), and you may want to pay particularly close attention to norms around chit chat when traveling internationally. Reza Estakhrian—Getty Images ## **4) Want a better romantic relationship?** Add some visceral [excitement](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/03/what-simple-thing-kills-many-relationships/). Roller coasters beat counseling. It’s called “misattribution of emotions” — thrills become associated with the people we share them with — even if they had nothing to do with them. Via [Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385530609/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0385530609): --- > “” --- (More here: [This simple thing kills many relationships](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/03/what-simple-thing-kills-many-relationships/).) ## **5) Want to be more productive?** Religiously use checklists. They’re simple and they work. What happens when you consistently use checklists in an intensive care unit? _People stop dying._ Via [The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312430000?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0312430000): --- > “” --- (More here: [6 things that will make you more productive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/09/6-things-that-will-make-you-more-productive/).) **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/01/checklist-ten-simple-life-better/)**_. J_** **_oin over 145,000 readers and get a free weekly email update_** [**_here_**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**_._** Related posts: * [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) * [What 10 things should you do every day to improve your life?](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/what-10-things-should-you-do-every-day-to-imp/) * [How To Make Your Life Better By Sending Five Simple Emails](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/make-your-life-better/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3640785/5-simple-things/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3640785/5-simple-things/"},"headline":"5 Simple Things That Will Make Your Life Better","datePublished":"2014-12-31T05:01:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:45.424Z","description":"There's nothing better than a checklist to increase productivity","url":"https://time.com/3640785/5-simple-things/","keywords":["Psychology","Happiness","Love & Relationships","productivity"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8342ffc900997b1f/69876ff4428a9ec8bfcc634a/to-do-list.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8342ffc900997b1f/69876ff4428a9ec8bfcc634a/to-do-list.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"172710154to-do-list","caption":"to-do-list","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3640785/5-simple-things/","name":"5 Simple Things That Will Make Your Life Better"}}]}] ```