Short useful messages from Respect Yourself, the guidance site for young people to help make good decisions in life.
You can collect your luggage much more quickly when travelling if you make it distinctive from everyone else’s. Tie a set of coloured ribbons on the handle so they’re always visible.
If it’s cold, wet and dark outside, make your home cosy, warm and inviting inside. Light up your rooms with fairy lights and warm lighting, and change into soft, comfortable, warm clothing.
‘Soft’ water lathers well with soap, leaving your hair, skin, clothes and dishes softer and cleaner, although you’ll have to rinse more.
‘Hard’ water contains more minerals than ‘soft’ water. It leads to limescale build-up in appliances, and you need to use more detergent when washing things.
If a glass or ceramic plate drops and shatters on a hard floor, thoroughly vacuum every piece of floor you can see from where you were standing. Tiny shards could cut your feet without you noticing.
To help get a good night’s sleep, set yourself a time each night at which you’ll turn off all your electronics. Let your friends know you’ll be unavailable after this time.
Nighttime exposure to the blue light emitted from screens – such as your TV, computer and ‘phone – disrupts our sleep hormones, reducing sleep duration and disrupting sleep.
Rather than work harder, you can work smarter. When you work smarter, you remember what you are trying to achieve and you focus on tasks which help you to achieve this.
Use visual triggers to develop better money habits – for example tape your goals to your credit card, or make a paper chain where each link is worth £100 of debt.
Make it a habit to question whether you’re spending your money where you spend your time and prioritising the things that can boost your career or your earning potential…or spending it on something else.