Becky Harlan/NPR
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Becky Harlan/NPR
When it comes to creative ideas, our Life Kit experts have plenty of them. This month, they’ve offered timely guidance on summer safety, science-based strategies on how to boost memory and improve sleep, and relationship advice (e.g. like how to get over an unpleasant love affair).
Here are seven tips that Life Kit editors and producers are most excited about applying to everyday life.
1. If you need a creative breakthrough at work, move somewhere else. One study found that “if you change your environment in a very simple way, like getting out of your office and working in the kitchen or going for a walk, you become more creative,” says cognitive neuroscientist Tali Sharot. “Now, the creativity you get from changing your environment only lasts about six minutes. But those six minutes can be quite important. It can be a big eureka moment.”
2. If you have too much to worry about while trying to fall asleep, calm the conversation by writing down a to-do list. Write down each problem or task and the specific next step you will take tomorrow to solve it, say Allison Harvey, a professor and clinical psychologist. However, don’t try to actually solve the problem. “Once people start working on the problem, it becomes exciting.”
3. Do you need to forget your ex? Reach out to them. “A lot of time has passed, so you’re grinding perception of this person may not really match reality,” says sex educator Shan Boodram. “There’s a lot of unknowns about who that person is right now. You have to gather more information.”
4. When children are in the water, designate a “water monitor” to supervise them at all times. It must be an adult who is alert and fully focused. Children should keep their phone nearby in case they need to call 911. To avoid fatigue, children should assign another adult to watch the water after a certain period of time.
5. If the temperature gets above 90 and your home doesn’t have air conditioning, go to a cooling center. If you’re having trouble staying cool at home for any reason, don’t hesitate to find a cooling center nearby. “It could be a community center, public library, coffee shop, movie theater or shopping mall,” said Paul Schramm of the Climate Health Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ”. Electric fans alone are not enough – they will only move around hot air.
6. Don’t want to forget where you parked your car? Slow down and focus on what you want to remembersaid neuroscientist Lisa Genova. When people complain of having memory problems, they often have attention problems. “The first necessary ingredient to create a longer-lasting memory is attention. We need that input—otherwise, that memory won’t be created.” So if you can’t find your parking spot, you probably weren’t paying attention to it in the first place.
7. To protect your home and loved ones, place your gas or charcoal grill in an open environment. “You don’t want anything above your grill, like a balcony,” says Jess Larson, founder of the food blog. “And don’t place the grill along the wall of your house. Place it on the back of the grill. Grill in an airy location”. Plays well with butter. Carefully check your oven’s owner’s manual for more details. “Some grills say they’re deck-friendly. Some say you should really grill on cement or sidewalk.”
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The digital story was written by Malaka Gharib and edited by Meghan Keane. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823 or email us at [email protected].
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