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Life Skills(Page 4)

Research-backed advice to make your daily life a little better—or at least a little easier.

Latest in Life Skills

Colon cancer shown in abdominal X-ray in red, blue, and green
Health

Colon cancer cases in younger generations are rising. When should you get screened?

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

Start your garden early with the help of the best seedling starter trays.
Gear

The best seedling starter trays

By Timothy Dale

Hand holding a pen placing sticky note on planner, a good way to track your period without an app.
DIY

How to track your own period—without an app

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Yellow, red, and white roses left at a memorial for the victims of the Half Moon Bay mass shooting. A white sign behind the bouquets says "as a community we grieve."
Health

How to cope with collective grief—and even turn it into action

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

A set of hand soaps and shampoo bars over organic cotton covers and other wooden-made toiletries.
DIY

Travel more sustainably with a DIY zero-waste toiletry kit

By Alisha McDarris

Beech mushrooms growing on a substrate against a gold background
Environment

How to use the power of mushrooms to improve your life

By Julia Craven

A black backpack on a weathered wooden bench in the forest, with a silver metal water bottle next to it.
DIY

10 time-tested essentials that can help you survive your next hiking trip

By Alisha McDarris

A person pressing buttons on a microwave oven.
DIY

How to get more lemon juice, and 8 other genius microwave hacks

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

A person holding a shiny, clean showerhead, and you can see their reflection in it.
DIY

Use citric acid to clean your dishwasher and other gross household items

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

An older person with short brown hair wearing blue rubber gloves and cleaning a window with a yellow rag.
DIY

3 early spring cleaning ideas to get you out of hibernation mode

By Dan Seitz

A man in a blue plaid shirt, jeans, and white socks using a cordless vacuum to clean a tile kitchen floor near a large window.
DIY

A bare minimum guide to spring cleaning

By Alexandra Frost

Guests at Filmmaker's Trivia Night during the 2021 Tribeca Festival at Battery Park on June 14, 2021 in New York City.
DIY

5 ways to get better at trivia, according to a Jeopardy! contestant

By Jack Izzo

A large group of red and orange jellyfish floating in blue water.
Health

A jellyfish sting treatment that actually works

By Sara Chodosh

A flock of chickens, including five hens and rooster, peck at a backyard
DIY

6 things to know before deciding to raise backyard chickens

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Super Bowl-qualifying Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts throws a perfect football spiral
Science

Throwing the perfect football spiral is a feat in science

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

A blonde person leaning over to water a potted houseplant near a window.
DIY

How to water your plants less but still keep them happy

By Ellen Airhart

Close up to a stack of AA batteries
DIY

How to turn AAA batteries into AAs

By Justin Pot

What to do when your fishing lure hooks a bird, otter—or gator
DIY

What to do when your fishing lure hooks a bird, otter—or gator

By Joe Cermele/Field & Stream

person hiking with backpack and hiking sticks
DIY

What to know before you go on your first multi-day hike

By Alisha McDarris

A person standing over a board, using a circular saw to rip it to width, hopefully considering woodworking safety.
DIY

The best safety advice for any beginner woodworker

By Jean Levasseur

A half dozen eggs sitting on a marble kitchen counter
DIY

6 egg alternatives for these trying times

By Sandra Gutierrez G., John Kennedy

Four people hiking through a snowy landscape, all very bundled up to prevent frostbite.
DIY

How to prevent, identify, and treat frostbite

By Alisha McDarris

Nuclear shelter basement sign on brick building to represent survival tips for a nuclear blast
Science

The best—and worst—places to shelter after a nuclear blast

By Rahul Rao

a young black woman jogging outside on a track smiling
Health

5 surprising beauty benefits of running

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

close up to person squatting down to lift weights at the gym
DIY

It’s time for your 2023 fitness journey—here’s how to get started

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Personal trainer helping man exercise header image
Gear

Best personal trainer certifications

By Ingrid Alt

Jar of cucumber water on white marble to illustrate how to detox your body the wrong way
Health

The only real way to detox your body

By Donavyn Coffey

person-in-work-out-gear-standing-in-kitchen-chopping-fruit-
DIY

Nutrition tracking can put you on the path to meet your fitness goals

By Nick Hilden

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park at sunset, where people have fallen to their deaths.
DIY

How to avoid dying in national parks

By Alisha McDarris

Person in blue shirt doing crunches on an exercise ball during a Pilates workout
Health

Pilates can improve your posture and balance. The killer body is just a bonus.

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

A LifeStraw water filter and bottle on some gray rocks.
DIY

Don’t ruin your next camping trip by storing your portable water filters wrong

By Alisha McDarris

Person lying on couch covering their face with a book about Spanish grammar
DIY

Learning a new language? Here’s how to perfect your pronunciation.

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Roof of a house without AC surrounded by trees, with a red and orange color overlay.
Science

7 tips on how to build a house that stays cool

By Nikita Amir

A man standing under a blue sky with white clouds, wearing a black baseball cap and a red shirt while closing his eyes and breathing deeply.
DIY

Understanding your emotions can help you manage your anxiety

By Wendy Suzuki

Notopteris neocaledonica, the New Caledonia blossom bat, an endangered bat species endemic to New Caledonia.
DIY

How to get a bat out of your house

By Natalie Wallington

Prickly pear cactus spines closeup
DIY

How to remove cactus spines (including ones stuck in your throat)

By Kate Baggaley

Holiday cake filled with chocolate stars, icing, and orange slices poses a sugary nightmare to people with diabetes
Health

A diabetes-friendly guide to holiday parties

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

A silver Macbook Air keyboard that someone needs to learn how to clean. There are crumbs and even a hair on it.
DIY

How to clean a keyboard without breaking it

By Claire Maldarelli

Three hikers in rain jackets and other rain gear, hiking through a wet forest, hopefully with well-maintained waterproofing.
DIY

The right way to wash your waterproof clothes

By Alisha McDarris

person-lifting-weights-at-the-gym
DIY

How to get muscle gains: A beginner’s guide to becoming buff

By Nick Hilden

A person cleaning a laptop screen with a microfiber cloth and small brush.
DIY

How to clean a computer screen without destroying it

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

Spray-bottle-with-DIY-rosemary-water-for-hair
DIY

Rosemary is the secret to long and healthy hair. Here’s how to use it to grow luscious locks.

By Helen Bradshaw

hand holding a smore in the woods
DIY

How to make the perfect s’mores—with science

By Alisha McDarris

hand out revealing a watch on wrist
DIY

It’s never too late to learn to be on time

By Daryl Austin

How to build a fire in the wilderness
DIY

How to build a fire in the wilderness

By Alisha McDarris

A woman sipping from a teacup while taking a break.
DIY

Improve your focus by taking more breaks every day

By Justin Pot

monarch butterfly on milkweed
DIY

Help monarch butterflies by safely adding milkweed to your outdoor spaces

By Michelle Mastro

An old man panning for gold in a river.
DIY

Enter your prospector era by learning how to pan for gold

By Alisha McDarris

Fallen autumn leaves on the windshield of a car
DIY

How to keep your car clean all autumn long

By Peter Nelson / The Drive

A single large leaf, with some crinkly, brown edges that may be indicative of a nutrient deficiency.
DIY

What your houseplants’ yellowing leaves are dying to tell you

By Helen Bradshaw

sleeping cat face peeking from under bed covers
DIY

How to wake up when it’s still dark outside

By Whitson Gordon

person-riding-a-fully-loaded bike in the desert
DIY

How to ride off on your first bikepacking adventure

By Alisha McDarris

Three burgers getting cooked on a stainless steel pan while a hand with a spatula works with them
DIY

Use the Leidenfrost effect to make your stainless steel pan non-stick

By Hugh Neill

two hands holding us passports in a plaza in madrid spain
DIY

8 things you need to know before traveling international for the first time

By Harry Guinness

Young hiker backpacker woman using trekking poles enjoying the Nuptse 7861m mountain during high altitude Acclimatization walk. Everest Base Camp trekking route, Nepal.
DIY

Altitude sickness can ruin your hike. Here’s how to prevent it.

By Alisha McDarris

A young girl feeding a brown-and-white goat over a wire fence on a farm.
DIY

7 ways to support a kid who wants to care for animals

By Noah Lederman

A white camper van with curtains parked on a flat, open expanse of snow under blue skies, near some low mountains or hills.
DIY

Now’s the time to get your van-life ride ready for winter

By Nick Hilden

illustration of woman navigator
Technology

Voyagers made it to Hawaiʻi thousands of years ago with no compasses. Here’s how.

By Kat Eschner

hand holding pot with lentils on camp stove
DIY

Expert tips for cooking gourmet meals on a camp stove

By Alisha McDarris

A bald man wearing a dust respirator and earmuffs working in a woodshop and milling his own wood to make it straight.
DIY

Every woodworker should know how to mill their own boards

By Jean Levasseur

Restroom sign with figures in a holding position
DIY

What to do when you’re trying not to poop

By Sandra Gutierrez G.

A young man standing among numerous houseplants and looking at his phone in front of a white wall with an acoustic guitar hung on it.
DIY

A bit of care can keep your houseplants from sheltering harmful mold

By Ellen Airhart

woodshop wall covered in hanging tools
DIY

3 reasons to join your local makerspace

By Jean Levasseur

Serving Turkish coffee cup
DIY

How to enjoy the flavor, history, and science of Turkish coffee

By Alisha McDarris