I recently started working on a new freelance assignment focused on giving health, beauty, and fitness guidance to teenaged girls. It’s an adorable series of videos that feature step-by-step instruction on everything from “how to tell if you’re more than friends” to “how to make a bow tie hair clip.” (preparing the youth of America for any and all challenges they may face). One part of each video is called the “Hack” and it features a simple trick for accomplish a task with less time and effort. I now know this is a major thing on the Internet. Beauty hacks and Life Hacks and Fitness Hacks and Health Hacks. Put “_____ Hack” into the Pinterest search bar and you’ll have reading content for days.

I can now say that I know how to straighten my hair without a straightener, put on lipstick that will not smudge, make trail mix in 30 seconds and put some pep in my step in 15. But I have a few hacks of my own. I can’t say they’re worth of a Pinterest infographic (or even this blog post, maybe?), but here they are:

1. I leave the teabag in the cup while I’m drinking the tea so that when it’s time to re-fill with water and nuke it for another one minute and twenty seconds, the bag is already in there. 
2. I cut the avocado in half, open one side, score that side with a knife while the ‘cado is still in its skin jacket, and then squeeze the pre-cut pieces into my salad. 
3. I get out of the shower, comb my hair, throw in some light gel and then wrap it up into a low bun that I secure with a claw clip until it dries, ten hours later. 
4. I take Fountain. Always. 
5. I open up a letter, spreadsheet, TV pitch, script that I think was really well formatted and just insert all new stuff into that same document. Hack hack: always “Save As.”
6. I set up my Amazon.com account for one-click purchasing and then buy everything on Amazon.com.
7. Blush that is also lipstick that also works as a pen in a real jam.
8. Gogurt.
9. I do lunges and bicep curls at the same time. That’s less about saving time and more about making Jillian Michaels stop yelling, but still. 
10. And finally – I check Instgram, Twitter and Facebook while R drives!

As we say at the close of my little videos – share your fave life hacks in comments to find how your BFF’s are getting through their days supes fast!