Mastering Life: Genius Hacks for Everyday Living

Store natural peanut butter upside down so it won't separate as much. It will bring the oil to the top and make it a lot easier to mix!

If you put something down temporarily, say it out loud. ("I've put my phone on the dresser.")

This engages many more areas of the brain (particularly the language centers) which creates a richer memory and makes it less likely you'll forget where you put it.

Buy anything you need for the kitchen — plates, glasses, pans — from a kitchen supply store.

They're almost always cheaper than big box stores. Plus their stuff is built to last years in a commercial kitchen under constant use, so it can easily handle your Sunday brunch.

If you have a spare minute at home, always take a few seconds to just pet your dog or cat and really appreciate them.

A phrase worth remembering: pets are only a part of your life, but you are your pet's entire life.

If you have trouble making a decision, flip a coin.

While you're waiting to get the result, your mind automatically starts to wish for what it wants.

If you want to wear something white or light in color, wear underwear that matches the color of your skin, not white.

If you sit for several hours a day, find a simple routine to stretch out your hips and chest.

It's an absolute game changer for people who suffer from chronic lower back pain as a result of being hunched over a desk.

A few to start with: a 12-minute foundational routine, a 14-minute work-from-home office break routine, and a 23-minute routine focused on your hips and lower back.

Brush your teeth more thoroughly before bed after you are done eating and drinking for the day.

Morning brushing is important too, but more so for fresh breath. Evening cleaning will prevent bacteria from breeding and damaging your teeth and gums.

If there's a jar or container you can't open, run the lid under hot water for 30 seconds.

Dry it so you can get a good grip, then open it. This almost always works.

Sometimes changing your pillowcase daily can help with acne. Using a clean t-shirt over your pillow can accomplish the same thing.

Wash your sheets with unscented or sensitive detergent too! The perfumes in regular detergent are sometimes an irritant to the delicate skin on your face.

When you move into a new house or apartment, always set up your bedroom first — and make the bed.

That way, when you're exhausted and have had enough, you can just fall into it. Nothing worse than being exhausted and having to make the bed before getting into it.

Before you use an automatic flushing toilet, drape a bit of toilet paper over the motion sensor.

This will prevent it from flushing before you're ready, which might scare or splash you.

If a recipe calls for onions and garlic, don't put the garlic into the pan until the onion is nearly translucent.

Garlic cooks way faster than onions do. If you throw them in at the same time, it won't taste as good and the garlic will burn. It literally takes 30 seconds for minced garlic to cook.

If you bring something to someone's house that you don't want to forget, put your car keys with it.

The easiest way to remove blood stains is to use bar soap and handwash it.

Always use cold water, not hot. Hot water will set the stains.

Remember that five minutes of daily exercise is infinitely better than zero minutes.

Don't start an apology with "I'm sorry if..."

It conveys that you are not currently sorry for your actions, and that you might be sorry only under certain circumstances. It also removes most of the sincerity. If you know the circumstances, leave the "if" out and just identify what it is you feel bad about. If you don't know the circumstances, you probably aren't actually sorry.

Learn basic knife skills because they'll pay off in the long run.

The amount of time you'll save chopping vegetables for the rest of your life far outweighs the amount of time it takes to learn. Plus you can use the extra time to keep the kitchen clean or do other things, and that makes everything less stressful.

Don't take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from.

A useful lesson after years of listening to other people's negative opinions — and letting them affect what you thought you could do. Getting away from that feels great!

Tell the people you love that you love them more often.

You really never know what life is going to bring and what could happen in an instant. Tell those you love that you love them, appreciate them, and value them in your life. There isn't always a tomorrow to say sorry or I love you.