Life Skills (Page 2)

Research-backed advice to make your daily life a little better—or at least a little easier.

Latest in Life Skills

Shipwreck in the Bay of Pigs

What to do if you find a shipwreck

Open dishwasher with clean dishes in the white kitchen

The science of why you should use your dishwasher

screenshot of citizen projects

The National Archives needs your help transcribing UFO and JFK files

Robot taking a like icon from a conveyor belt

The lost art of cleaning out your feed

emergency backpack with supplies

Prepping isn’t just for preppers anymore—it’s time to get a go-bag

By Athena Aktipis

a dumpster filled with social media logos

How to quit social media for good

Modern eco home illustration. Building modern design. Energy conservation and wind turbine. Flat vector linear illustration. Tree and bushes. Trendy line style vector.

6 easy ways to make your home more sustainable

Microwave Oven close up shot. microwave is open with 57 seconds on clock

You need to clean your microwave more often. Here’s how.

By Debbie Wolfe

Armenian sapphire (muscari armeniacum) flowers closeup. Shallow depth of field.

How to revamp your lawn’s reputation with bulbs

By Debbie Wolfe

jars filled with different types of fruits and vegetables in liquid

How to start pickling food

By Debbie Wolfe

concept of busy airport

Old-school strategies for flying in the age of new technology

By Christopher Schaberg / The Conversation

six bouquets of different herbs hanging upside down on a wood backdrop

How to dry herbs at home (and why you should)

By Debbie Wolfe

a van driving in desert

The do’s and don’ts of using AI to plan your travel

Two black morels in spring are well camouflaged on the forest floor

How to start forest farming: Grow delicious food in the woods

By Alisha McDarris

pile of denim jeans closeup

How to clean your denim without ruining it

By Debbie Wolfe

pile of clothes

How to pick the best fabrics for sweaty season

By Debbie Wolfe

a lawnmower cuts grass

You’re probably mowing your lawn wrong

By Debbie Wolfe

white tank top with yellow armpit stains on a plain, orange background

How to remove sweat stains from white shirts

By Debbie Wolfe

Vase with flowers on table near color wall

Science tricks to keep your flower bouquets looking fresh

By Debbie Wolfe

vacuum on blue carpet

How often should you vacuum? It depends.

By Debbie Wolfe

a sandwich cut into a y shape

Is the Y cut the best way to slice a sandwich?

Amsterdam, Netherlands - 10 April, 2021: a chair in front of a book shelf with many books on it and a lamp sitting next to the chair

How to protect your books long term

By Debbie Wolfe

oats, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, honey, and aloe vera on a kitchen counter top

11 home remedies for mosquito bites to battle the itch

By Debbie Wolfe

A studio shot of a heap of Nintendo games shot from above.

Why you should still buy physical copies of video games

A phone with water in the speaker

How to get water out of your phone speaker

By Abby Ferguson

Closeup image of a hand writing down on a white blank notebook on wooden table

Why writing by hand is better for remembering things

Redhead girl sitting on green spring grass writing down her thoughts in notebook.

Why you should journal while soaking up nature

By Alisha McDarris

Used coffee grounds on the paper filter

10 clever ways to reuse coffee grounds

By Debbie Wolfe

a bowl of nuts, dried fruit

Chew on trail mix with these 6 crunchy and tasty recipes

a black bike helmet dangles from the handlebars of a bicycle

6 things you didn’t know had expiration dates

smoke from a fire in front of the sun and over forests

How YOU can prevent wildfires

By Alisha McDarris

Dog sitting in nature in sunglasses

Are you wearing the right sunglasses? How to prevent eye sunburn.

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

a couple wearing glasses sits on the grass watching the eclipse

How to look at the eclipse without damaging your eyes

By Claire Maldarelli

the ring of the sun during a solar eclipse

How to photograph solar eclipse: The only guide you need

By Stan Horaczek

two sets of legs walking on a wooden boardwalk

The benefits of barefoot shoes: A beginner’s guide

By Alisha McDarris

illustration of two people in bed, one sleeping, one awake

How to fix your sleep schedule without pulling an all-nighter

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

citizen science vacation

How ordinary travelers can become citizen scientists

By Alisha McDarris

Laundry room with modern appliaces

How to clean your washer and dryer (and why you should)

By Abby Ferguson

three stories of round library shelves

Every subscription you can cancel by going to the library

three colored bamboo toothbrushes in a ceramic glass on green background

To rinse or not to rinse? You might be brushing your teeth wrong.

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

a woman in a pushup position on the floor

A beginner-friendly guide to the perfect push-up

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

a pile of white and brown sweaters

How to store winter clothes during the warmer months

By Abby Ferguson

How to Fat Bike

How to Fat Bike

By Alisha McDarris

Water bladder on your bike, water reservoir

How to clean your hydration bladder before your next hike or workout

By Alisha McDarris

Here are a few tips to get you started on your morning.

How to wake up

By Abby Ferguson

skiing on a slope

How to learn to ski and snowboard (The right way)

By Alisha McDarris

A top row of red Craftman cordless drills, a second row of screwdrivers by Klein Tools, a third row of circular saws by DeWalt, and a fourth row of the Ryobi Multi Tool.

The best gifts for DIYers

By Bob Beacham, Brandt Ranj, Jen McCaffery, Tony Carrick

Ozempic weight loss drug injectable on red background

The unintended side effects of popular weight loss drugs

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

A honey-infused Bee's Knees cocktail on a white plate on a table next to a jar of honey, some lemons, and a honey dipper.

The science behind mixing honey into cocktails

By Noah Lederman

A woman wearing ultraviolet makeup or body paint on half her face, standing under a blacklight.

4 science tricks to scare up a better Halloween costume

Two older men working in a well-lit white room, using two different types of saws to cut wood: a jigsaw and a miter saw.

A woodworker’s guide to choosing the right saw for each cut

By Jean Levasseur

A person holding a smartphone featuring Duolingo, one of the best free language learning apps.

The best free language learning apps for building your vocabulary and conversational skills

By Stacey L. Nash

A person walking barefoot across a fallen tree trunk in a forest.

How to start hiking barefoot, if you’re into that kind of thing

By Alisha McDarris

A young Black person with short dyed-blonde hair wearing a yellow jacket and eclipse glasses while looking up at an eclipse in front of some residential buildings.

How to watch Saturday’s ‘ring of fire’ eclipse from wherever you are

By John Kennedy

Person cooking whole pumpkin and roasting pumpkin seeds to get pumpkin health benefits

Why you should be eating more pumpkin this fall

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

A drawer inside a cabinet, after someone has installed the drawer slides to hold it in place.

The fastest way to install drawer slides

By Jean Levasseur

Purple, blue, and white meteors fall at night during October stargazing

A ‘ring of fire’ eclipse and Hunter’s Moon will bring lunar drama to October’s skies

By Laura Baisas

A lineup of the best language software on a blue and white background

The best language learning software

By Nicholas Ware

A man wearing a black shirt and a white baseball cap looking down while many dead leaves fall and fly around him, probably as he's trying to get the leaves off his lawn.

The best way to get rid of leaves this fall

By Jillian Mock

A woman sitting in her living room looking at her smartphone while sitting on her yoga mat.

The best workout apps for all kinds of exercise

By Stacey L. Nash

A smartphone screen displaying the Google Maps app icon.

How to share your location on Google Maps

By Tony Carrick

Someone filling a glass of water probably wondering if there are PFAS in it.

2 ways of knowing if there are PFAS in your drinking water

Person putting on a fresh knitted sweater

How to get your stale-smelling clothes ready for sweater weather

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Kid with blonde hair wearing a blue COVID mask holding books and a backpack on the first day of school

How to avoid getting COVID again

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira