Skip to content
Modern WisdomModern Wisdom

Life Hacks 202 | Modern Wisdom Podcast 234

Jonny & Yusef from PropaneFitness.com join me for another Life Hacks episode. Sit back & enjoy as we run through our favourite tools, apps, websites, strategies & resources for a productive and efficient life. Expect to learn how to properly use yeast, why being cold when you sleep is great, Yusef's best ever suggestion for how to use your spare time, how to hide tags on Instagram Stories, whether a personal sauna is any good, why my toilet has hot water in it and much more... Sponsor: Get FREE access to a supercharged calendar at http://bit.ly/wovenwisdom (discount automatically applied) Extra Stuff: Nutritional Yeast, especially on eggs - https://amzn.to/34GO8KO iOS14 Backtap Hide tags on Instagram Stories Have one actionable element on an Instagram Story Shortcuts on iOS14 Have a default fallback activity Don’t take your phone to the toilet ChilliPad - https://uk.chilisleep.com/products/chilipad-sleep-system Nestle Lindahls Kvarg - https://groceries.asda.com/product/high-in-protein/lindahls-kvarg-white-chocolate/1000164970300 Sleep Meditation in Insight Timer Drawstring Teabags on Amazon - https://amzn.to/30SWFcq Ask for a solution when someone poses a problem Ask yourself the question “What is the goal with this behaviour?” List the options which could get you toward that goal and potential problems. Then pick a solution. MiHi Personal Sauna - https://mihigh.co.uk/ No TV on a night Take your TV out of the living room for better conversations OmniFocus is still great - https://www.omnigroup.com/omnifocus/ Peter Akkies Course - https://learn.peterakkies.net/omnifocus-productivity Put your keys on top of whatever you need to remember Reebok Myoknit seamless shorts - https://www.reebok.co.uk/united-by-fitness-8-inch-myoknit-seamless-shorts/FU2095.html (MW20 for 20% off) Watch The Platform on Netflix Watch The Social Dilemma Watch Money Heist Watch American Murder Watch The Fall Free business training to become an online coach - https://propanefitness.com/modernwisdom Gain muscle & lose fat - https://propanefitness.com/ Get my free Ultimate Life Hacks List to 10x your daily productivity → https://chriswillx.com/lifehacks/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #lifehacks #productivity #chriswilliamson - Listen to all episodes online. Search "Modern Wisdom" on any Podcast App or click here: iTunes: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/modern-wisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: modernwisdompodcast@gmail.com

Chris WilliamsonhostJonnyguestYusefguestGuestguest
Oct 19, 20201h 40mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Modern Wisdom Hosts Trade Life Hacks For Health, Focus, Sanity

  1. This episode of Modern Wisdom’s Life Hacks series features Chris Williamson with recurring guests Johnny and Yousef sharing practical, often humorous tweaks for productivity, health, sleep, and digital minimalism.
  2. They cover everything from nutritional yeast on eggs and infrared ‘bag saunas’ to iOS automation, Instagram growth tricks, ChiliPAD cooling mattresses, and rules to curb phone and TV overuse.
  3. A recurring theme is designing environments and default behaviors that reduce friction and distraction, so good choices happen automatically and bad habits are harder to execute.
  4. The conversation also drifts into wider reflections on technology addiction, beta software disasters, Netflix recommendations, and the archetypal ‘Scoby problem’ of over-optimizing life into bigger headaches.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Use nutritional yeast or high‑protein quark to effortlessly boost daily protein and micronutrients.

Sprinkling nutritional yeast on eggs adds all essential amino acids and B-vitamins with a cheesy flavor, while Nestlé Lindahls Quark/Skyr-style yogurts provide ~18g protein with minimal carbs and fat for very low cost and effort.

Turn downtime into progress by defining a conscious ‘fallback activity’.

Instead of defaulting to scrolling or inbox-checking when you’re ‘buffering’ (files exporting, kettles boiling, waiting in queues), pre-select a low-effort task like clearing your downloads folder, organizing photos, light reading, or even handstands, so dead time chips away at useful projects.

Reconfigure your phone to reduce distraction and speed up intentional actions.

iOS 14’s Back Tap and Shortcuts can be set to instantly open capture apps, task managers, planners, or low-power mode; adding a screen-time widget on the home screen guilts you away from mindless use, and blocking email/social via apps like Cold Turkey exposes how often you try to check them.

Hide Instagram story tags to keep viewers focused on one clear action.

Type up to 10 @mentions, then shrink and drag the text off-screen so tagged accounts still get notified and can repost, but viewers only see a single call-to-action like ‘Swipe up’ instead of a cluttered story that dilutes clicks.

Improve sleep by controlling temperature and setting a wind-down structure.

Tools like the ChiliPAD (water-cooled mattress topper) and infrared sauna blankets lower body temperature or create strong hot-cold contrasts, which can increase deep sleep and mood; pairing this with pre-bed sleep meditations and a rule of ‘no TV after shower, only reading’ supports deeper rest and more reading.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Everyone already has a fallback behavior — it’s just usually pointless.

— Chris Williamson

Why do you sit around buffering, waiting on your email inbox?

— Chris Williamson

If you find what the thing is, try and block it. And then when you go to do that, that’s the reminder.

— Johnny

The bed always feels like you’ve just got into it.

— Johnny, on using the ChiliPAD

I think that might be the best life hack here ever.

— Chris Williamson, on having a default fallback activity

Nutritional and health hacks (nutritional yeast, high‑protein quark, sauna blankets, ChiliPAD)Digital productivity and phone setup (iOS 14 back tap, Shortcuts, screen-time widgets, blocking apps)Social media optimization (hidden Instagram story tags, single call-to-action strategy)Behavior design and default habits (fallback activities, no-phone zones, no-TV-at-night rule)Sleep optimization and evening routines (cooling mattresses, sleep meditations, reading before bed)Cognitive and conversational tools (asking for solutions, clarifying goals before actions)Broader commentary on tech, attention, and modern lifestyle (beta OS pitfalls, social media, Netflix/TV choices)

High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.

Get more out of YouTube videos.

High quality summaries for YouTube videos. Accurate transcripts to search & find moments. Powered by ChatGPT & Claude AI.

Add to Chrome