I want to share 4 simple tips to help you live more effortlessly and happily.

 

1. Create a sense of anticipation that makes you excited about the future

Humans are creatures who thrive on anticipation. Often, what makes us feel happy and fulfilled isn’t just how we’re doing in the present moment, but rather the hopes and expectations we hold for the future.

Take, for example, the concept I often talk about: Why do we “

Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

”?

In many cases, it’s because we feel unsatisfied with the past day and lack excitement or interest in the upcoming day. Subconsciously, we try to extend the current day, unwilling to let it end.

A great way to counter this “revenge bedtime procrastination” is to design something to look forward to for the next day:

• Treat yourself to a small reward.
• Do something you’re genuinely interested in.
• Explore or build upon a great idea.

The same principle applies to life. Often, when we feel numb, bored, or drained by our current lives, the real reason isn’t necessarily our present circumstances but our lack of excitement and interest in the foreseeable future.

When everything seems routine, unchanging, and devoid of joy or surprise, it’s easy to lose motivation.

We often talk about “a sense of meaning” and “a sense of value”—these may sound like big words, but they boil down to a simple idea:

If we treat life as an investment, what tangible returns in the future make it worth my time and energy now?

When people feel bored, they often turn to entertainment to escape monotony and kill time. But this approach only addresses the symptom, not the root cause. The more we escape the present, the less we anticipate the future, and the more we feel bored and disheartened with the present.

To resolve this, we need to consciously plan and design our lives, creating opportunities for ourselves to “encounter surprises.”

Take some uninterrupted time to quietly ask yourself:

• What makes me feel happy?
• What do I truly want deep down?
• What topics genuinely interest me?
• If I had some free time and enough money right now, what would I most want to do?

It could be buying a product, attending an event, learning something new, visiting a dream destination, or meeting someone you’ve wanted to see.

Then, schedule these things into your calendar as rewards for yourself. Ideally, set them for a later date—anywhere from a week to a few months away.

By doing this, you’re essentially making plans for the future. According to a 2020 study, proactively planning for the future can significantly increase our resilience to stress in the present (Polk et al., 2020).

The reason is simple: actively planning for the future gives us hope—it’s like making a promise to your brain, saying, “Hold on, good things are coming.” This helps your brain assign meaning to present challenges, making it easier to resist negative emotions.

You might even create a year-long calendar and assign specific dates to the things you want. Gradually fill up this calendar with rewards and goals.

When you’re feeling exhausted or stressed, take it out, look at it, and visualize the beautiful future ahead. This can provide you with strength and support.

 

2. Set aside time to try out your saved content

How many articles are sitting in your collection, waiting to be read, but gathering digital dust?

As I was writing this post, I took a glance at my own saved folder and realized I had over 300 items in there.

Don’t worry, I’m not here to convince you to “clear your collection,” because I don’t think that’s necessary. After all, our ability to read, digest, and implement will never outpace the speed at which we save content to our folders—and failing to acknowledge this fact would be overly harsh.

So what’s an effective approach instead? Review your collection, quickly skim through the saved items, and if you find a method or idea that sparks your interest, pull it out and try it right away.

There’s no need to aim for perfection or make it a habit. All you need to do is this: when you encounter a method or idea that intrigues you, immediately schedule some time to test it out. Try it hands-on, see how it feels, and determine whether it genuinely helps you. That’s enough.

If it suits you, you’ll naturally allocate more time and attention to refine and incorporate it into your life. If it doesn’t, at least it offered a refreshing change, introduced you to a different possibility, and created a new “touchpoint” in your life.

This touchpoint might even serve a greater purpose down the road, helping you explore other skills, knowledge, or methods by providing a practical starting point.

Here’s how you can do it:

First, set aside time to organize your collection. This could be after you’ve finished your tasks for the day—use it as a way to relax and shift your mood.

When organizing, open the items in any order and browse freely. No need to take elaborate notes or even finish reading. As soon as you come across a method or idea that piques your interest, ask yourself:

Can I try this right now?

If yes, stop “organizing your collection” because today’s goal is already accomplished. Instead, focus on trying out that method. Don’t overthink it—just dive in and see how it goes.

If no, then set a date for it. Add it to your to-do list and make it a priority on the assigned day.

The “methods” here can be broadly defined:

• A technique.
• A series of steps.
• A problem-solving approach.
• A tool.
• Even a mindset, a perspective, or an idea.

The key is to find its connection with your inner self. Capture that moment of “Hmm, this seems interesting—can I try it?” and immediately act on it.

If it’s a series of steps or a tool, test it out right away.

If it’s a perspective or mindset, write down your understanding of it.

If it’s a case study or story, find a few ideas to support or expand on it.

You’ll discover that by cultivating this small habit, your life will instantly become more vibrant and filled with a greater sense of achievement.

 

3. Prepare a set of activities to shift focus during work breaks

Many people mistakenly believe that when they feel tired at work, they should relax by doing nothing—clearing their mind and thinking about nothing.

This isn’t true.

Why? The reason is simple: the brain can’t truly “do nothing.”

Your brain is always running. If you don’t give it a task to focus on, it will activate various “background tasks,” replaying thoughts and ruminating.

This can have negative effects. Due to the brain’s “threat detection” function, the background tasks it activates tend to focus on negative information—overthinking past mistakes, anticipating potential future problems, or other worries. Rarely will these thoughts be joyful or uplifting.

Over time, this can leave you feeling drained. You may find yourself thinking about unhappy things, unable to fully relax, and feeling mentally fatigued even after taking a break.

So, what’s a better way to rest?

Shift your attention. Engage your brain in a task entirely different from work to fill the “foreground” and minimize the activation of “background tasks.”

Here are some examples:

• Immersive media: Novels, documentaries, or movies that draw you in and keep your attention.
• Flow-inducing games: Games that require focused engagement and get you into a “flow state.”
• Ongoing personal projects: Writing, book notes, reflections, critiques, or any ideas you’re developing.

In short, the activity should meet two criteria:

1. Completely different from work: This helps you detach from the work mindset and prevents lingering work-related stress from running in the background.
2. Engages your active thinking: Ideally, it should guide you into a flow state. It shouldn’t just be passive information consumption—you need to actively think and participate.

For instance, when watching a documentary:

• Avoid using fast-forward or skipping through.
• Immerse yourself in the visuals and narrative, observing and reflecting as you go. Shift your focus from your work to the world presented on-screen.

Even 30 minutes of this type of activity can leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, like giving your brain a gentle massage.

To make this even easier, set aside time to curate a list of activities like these in advance. That way, during your work breaks, you’ll have a ready reserve of options to “reset your mind.”

This approach offers the most effective rest and recharges your energy for the tasks ahead.

 

4. Maintain a photo album to document life’s small details

One highly effective way to counter fear, stress, setbacks, and anxiety is by overpowering them with beautiful memories.

For example, open your photo album and revisit those unforgettable, happy moments. Pick a photo and ask yourself:

• What was the context in which this photo was taken?
• What positive memories does it bring to mind?
• Can you recall the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions of that moment?

You can also refer to your journal, finding entries that made you feel joyful or grateful. Reflect on the events:

• What was the story behind them?
• What aspects brought you happiness?
• Can you relive those feelings of joy?

This exercise can effectively soothe your mind, activate your parasympathetic nervous system, and help you feel relaxed, enabling you to face present challenges with renewed strength.

That’s why it’s so valuable to maintain and curate a “life record album” during your free time—so it’s ready whenever you need it.

How to create your “life record album”

My approach is to organize it by projects. Group the interesting events in your life into small “projects,” and create a folder for each.

The size of these projects can vary:

• Large projects: For example, “Home Renovation.” If you’re renovating your home, collect and organize materials such as chat records with family members, inspiration and references you found, sketches, and before-and-after photos. Document the whole process step by step.
• Small projects: For example, “Exploring a New Store.” If you visit a shop, document how you discovered it, photos you took, your experience and thoughts, and even any conversations you had with the staff or owner.

Other examples could include:

• A family outing where you encountered something fun.
• A movie night where you discussed thought-provoking ideas.
• Anything that brought joy or meaning to your life.

Think of this as an upgraded version of your social media feed, tailored for yourself. It’s a personal, detailed archive of your experiences and reflections, fully owned by you—no need to share unless you wish to.

Expanding your projects

Once you start creating these projects, you can use them as themes to set goals or challenges for yourself, giving your life more direction and purpose.

For example:

• If you’re passionate about coffee shops, you could create a “100 Coffee Shops Challenge,” exploring and documenting different cafes whenever you have the chance.
• Treat it as a “side quest” that connects your daily actions to a larger purpose.

If you’re feeling uninspired by your current routine, this practice might help rekindle your enthusiasm for life and remind you of the beauty in everyday moments.