5 Things You Can Do That Actually Improve Your Daily Life

With Christmas coming up, most of us will be considering purchasing expensive things, or making changes in various areas of our lives as the new year approaches. However, most of these changes that people make and things people buy are driven by stupid things, like what our friends think we should buy, or what brand something is, rather than by the value it will actually add to our life.

Here are five things that you can do or buy that will actually improve your life and prove as a worthy investment of your time and/or money.

#1 – Get a better mattress.

Did you know that you will spend 33% of your lifetime on that mattress? Why then, are you still sleeping on that cheap, springy board you bought at the discount store? 30-50% of all back problems are directly caused by the cheap mattresses people sleep on. In other words, you will spend more money on chiropractor bills than you saved by buying a cheap mattress. Which mattress should you get? That depends on your chiropractic needs, but the Tempur-pedic is a pretty safe bet for most people, and is light-years ahead of anything most people are sleeping on.

#2 – Get a great, ergonomic office chair.

When you’re not asleep, you’re probably at the computer for a very substantial portion of the day – probably even longer than you spend in bed at night. Why then, are you still using that el-cheapo chair from Wal-mart that gives you back and neck problems? Invest in a proper chair, such as the Herman-miller Aeron or Embody chair, which provides proper ergonomic support and won’t send you to the chiropractor in a few years!

#3 – Ditch that crappy computer!

Why most people put up with the hell-on-earth computing experiences they do is beyond me, but it appears to be the norm for most people. That cheap piece of garbage PC you got from Best-Buy or Walmart is literally killing you slowly. Stress is one of the single largest contributing factors to most major health problems, and PCs running Windows with its slew of associated problems are a recipe for an early heart attack. You probably think that that ugly, buggy software you use every day is the norm, or that that slow-loading, unreliable Internet Explorer is the best way to get online. It isn’t. You should tolerate exactly zero headaches in your computing experience. All of the problems faced by the average PC user have been solved permanently years ago. You should not be tolerating them. Don’t.

My personal advice would be to get a Mac, hands down and beyond any shadow of a doubt. They’re better in every area by leaps and bounds. Of course, maybe your work “requires” you to own a PC. They probably just need you to run a piece of software, and for that you can use VMWare Fusion or Parallels on your Mac to run Windows programs in a window on your Mac.

If you get stuck using a PC for some convoluted reason (or by your own stubborn choice), consider getting an iPad to use for all your recreational computing, email, research, video and photo browsing, etc. You won’t regret it, and you’ll enjoy the experience much more.

If you absolutely can’t get rid of the PC, make sure you get all that malware and crapware cleaned off by someone who knows what they are doing, and that you do all the upgrades possible. You should at the very least be running a clean install of Windows 7 or 8 with all the latest software, and the Google Chrome or Firefox web browser.

#4 – Move closer to work, or work from home.

This one is expensive of course, but well worth it. This is something you should set as a goal to achieve as soon as possible. Studies have repeatedly shown that people are at their lowest emotional point when commuting. In other words, commuting is the single largest cause of stress, frustration, scheduling conflicts, excess gas expenses and unexpected car repair costs. The longer your commute, the less happy you are daily. That’s a proven statistic. So move already! Either take a job closer to home, or move home closer to work. Ideally, you should live only a few minutes or less from your job if at all possible, even if it means paying more per month. You’ll more than make it up in car expenses, saved time (time is money!), and reduced stress.

Better yet, transition to a job where you can work from home. This may mean self-employment, or changing careers. Or, it may mean telecommuting or working remotely for your company. Studies have shown that workers working from home can actually be more productive than workers in the workplace due to the reduction in workplace distractions and stress.

#5 – Trade that car for one you actually like, and get something better to listen to.

Chances are, you drive your car to work every day. Your choice of car determines how enjoyable that trip is, every single day. So don’t make some excuse and get a car you don’t like. Get a better one. That does not necessarily mean buying some luxury car or sports car. It may mean buying a convertible if you enjoy those, but it doesn’t have to be an expensive one. There are all sorts of used, older model convertibles and sports cars available on Craigslist, eBay, Cars.com, and other sites. The most important factor, however, is not the type or brand of car, but how comfortable and enjoyable it is to drive. How adjustable and comfortable are the seats? How good does the stereo sound? Does it have heated or cooled seats? Is there plenty of legroom? You ultimately want your commuting car to be very comfortable and enjoyable so you can kick back and relax on your way to work each day. Then, get some great music or podcasts to listen to on the way. The Spotify app for Android and iPhone is great for the music, and apps like Instacast and others are great for podcasts. The radio with all it’s tacky commercials, static, and poor content selection is so last century! You’ll also want a way to plug your smartphone or iPod into the car stereo. If you have a tape player, you can get a tape adapter from BestBuy. If you don’t, try getting a stereo cable if your car has an aux plug on it, or a radio transmitter kit if it doesn’t. Enjoy the ride!