'Take two bites. Not just food': 15+ Default rules to improve your life, at least marginally

JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor

Aug 1, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

We all have rules and rituals. We have the way we like our coffee, the kind of socks we buy, the kinds of places we live, and the kinds of books we read. Every moment is made up of millions of little choices, and to make things simpler, we've pre-chosen a lot of them. Sure, some people are more regimented than others. Some folks eat the same exact thing for breakfast every day and never get tired of it. Steve Jobs wore the same outfit every day. Malcolm Gladwell limits his beverage intake to 5 things (water, coffee, milk, tea, red wine). But we all have versions of this in our own way.

I have a few rules myself: never use the cupcake ATM (if you know you know), don't try on a wedding dress until you're getting married, and always clap for the band. These things help me make sense of the vast world, at least in some minuscule way. So here's a collection of some other folks' rules for their lives, maybe they'll inspire you.