People make fun of old people for plenty of stuff: Yelling at technology, writing checks at the grocery store, and eating dinner at 4:30, only to nod off in their recliner during “Jeopardy!”.
Old people DO have secret life hacks though. People online are listing the “elderly habits and strategies that EVERYONE should adopt”, and there are a few good ones. Here are the highlights:
1. “Saying nice things to strangers.” Sure, there are some cranky old folks, but generally speaking, older people are more likely to engage with you.
There were a lot of versions of this. Another person said, “I give genuine compliments whenever possible.” Most people could use a little pick-me-up.
2. One grandma said, “Don’t wash the dishes if YOU are cooking. Make the eaters wash them. You are not a maid.”
3. “Sleep as much as you need to. There’s no shame in self-care.”
4. An elder said, “I always opt for flying on the FIRST flight of the day. A 5:45 A.M. departure? Heck yeah. Typically, the plane has been at the gate overnight, and there are shorter lines.”
5. “An early hour in pajamas for myself, for crossword puzzles, reading a book, looking through news, and enjoying coffee. It gives me my own privately enjoyable time before the day begins.”
6. “If you’re not going out the rest of the night, change into pajamas to be completely comfortable.”
7. “Get rid of social media apps. At best, they’re just a way to kill time with the occasional interesting post. At worst, they’ll poison your head.”
8. “I begin every morning with a stretching routine to loosen up my joints. I’m constantly moving throughout the day, either taking a walk or listening to oldies-but-goodies, which always make me move-and-groove.”
9. You knew this was coming: Werther’s Original! Someone explained, “Hard candy. I didn’t get it before, but now that I’m middle-aged and taking meds for physical problems, my mouth goes dry. It sucks, so I suck on candy.”
(Buzzfeed.com has more, if you’re interested.)
