There’s a (fairly large) corner of the internet populated entirely by hacks, and it’s approximately 50 percent of my FYP on TikTok. Right now, my favorites (all on TikTok and Instagram) come from @chelsea_explains, the self-proclaimed “Michael Jordan of babysitting,” @kamanabhaskaran, who shares “South Asian-inspired hacks” for meal prep, cleaning up, and generally keeping life in order while also working full-time and raising kids, and @creative_explained, who breaks down gardening, cleaning, and money-saving tips with a level of enthusiasm and energy that genuinely thrills me. I particularly love a lot of what I find in this corner of the internet, because a lot of these DIYs are actually ideas for future family activities.

That said, there are also a million “hacks” out there that aren’t hacks at all. They take forever, they don’t actually add value or improve your quality of life, and they are generally a waste of time. I think we’ve established pretty clearly at this point that none of us have time available to waste. So, I’ll round up the best of the best for you every few weeks. That way, you don’t have to sift through the chaos of the internet and waste any of your precious time—and maybe your quality of life does improve along the way.

Freeze a batch of protein smoothies into popsicles.

I love this goop smoothie recipe, but I double it so I can prep for a few days. I add a few scoops of collagen and sometimes creatine, and substitute almond butter for cashew—also, I highly recommend an unsweetened protein powder, but if you do use one with erythritol or monkfruit in it, you might want to cut the number of dates you use. Make it in a batch, drink as is, or freeze it into popsicles. My 5 year-old loves to help with every step of this process (just to be clear, this means making a batch without any supplements as well) and it’s a nice way for us to hang out and later enjoy a treat together. 

Make your affirmations into your passwords.

This is a TikTok hack that's pretty brilliant and such a seamless background way to say something kind to yourself pretty frequently. Make all your passwords things like I@mEnough1112 or EveryD@y1AMwiser. Silly but you'll be surprised at the passive good vibes you absorb from typing those words a few hundred times a week, seemingly.

Try box breathing to calm your whole body in a moment of chaos.

This one is so simple, but it works every time. (Inhale for 4 beats, all the way into the back and bottom of your ribs; hold for 4 beats, and then exhale fully for 4 beats.) And honestly, once you have calmed your nervous system down for a minute, even the hardest things don't feel quite so impossible. The other piece of this that a pediatrician told us a long time ago is that you can feel comfortable walking out of the room when you are feeling angry or frustrated—for one minute for every year of a child’s life. So, when my 5 year-old and I have a disagreement, I let him know that I’m going to take a five-minute break to calm my own body down, and then I do some box breathing. He often does the same thing, as does my husband—and introducing that language and practice for our whole family has been a really powerful way to honor feelings while also giving each of us space to actually deal with frustration.