Do you keep biscuits (cookies for North American readers) in the house? I like to have them as a treat when kids come to play, but I don’t normally keep them in the house. Rather than saving the biscuits for guests, we (and by “we” I mean my husband and his 6-year-old accomplice) invariably end up eating them right after we buy them.
Instead, I keep the ingredients for biscuits ready to go and whip up a batch before someone comes over. Except, that’s just another thing to do, is useless for impromptu guests and we end up eating all the leftovers. At least, that was the scenario until I discovered slice-and bake-biscuits . Problem solved. Every so often, I make a big batch of dough that sits in the freezer, ready to slice and bake when needed. No dashing about before friends arrive, no eating too many biscuits.
This is very much at the trivial end of the spectrum of world problems, and finding a solution is hardly world changing. But I thought it was worth sharing as there are a lot of trivialities in everyday life and when added up they’re not inconsequential. Freeing yourself from little everyday annoyances and dilemmas can make a big difference.
Having just remembered visitors arriving after school, as I dashed out to the freezer in my lunch break (the benefits of working from home), I was full of appreciation to my past self for making that big batch of biscuit dough.
Slice-and-bake biscuits are just one of many little things I do to help my future self. Slicing the biscuits, I noted other little ways that I make life easier for my future self:
- cook a double batch of dinner and freeze one of them
- buy socks that are all the same
- meal plan weekly
- get outfits ready the night/week ahead
- label food before freezing
- not buying clothes that need ironing, if I can avoid it
- turn clothes in the right way before putting them away
- store things horizontally, rather than in a pile (makes stuff easier to put away = less mess)
When you encounter a frequent pain point, ask yourself, “What can I do to make this task easier for my future self?”
Each of these things is unremarkable in itself, but together, they remove some of the weight of everyday life.
What are some of the little things you do to help your future self?
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