Life Hacks 111 | Modern Wisdom Podcast 145
Chris Williamson (host), Yusef (guest), Jonny (guest), Jonny (guest), Narrator
In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Yusef, Life Hacks 111 | Modern Wisdom Podcast 145 explores three Friends Swap Hilarious Life Hacks, Food Obsessions, and Routines This episode of Modern Wisdom’s recurring “Life Hacks” series features Chris Williamson with Johnny and Yousef sharing a chaotic mix of practical tips, diet hacks, travel tricks, and productivity systems, all wrapped in relentless banter. They discuss everything from cereal and protein cheats to SodaStreams, travel bags, Kindle workflows, money automation, and morning routines. The conversation also veers into personal quirks, like granola addictions, precise sleep schedules, and using trampolines or handstands to wake up. Throughout, they crowd‑source listener hacks, critique the bad ones, and surface a surprising number of genuinely useful ideas amid the comedy.
Three Friends Swap Hilarious Life Hacks, Food Obsessions, and Routines
This episode of Modern Wisdom’s recurring “Life Hacks” series features Chris Williamson with Johnny and Yousef sharing a chaotic mix of practical tips, diet hacks, travel tricks, and productivity systems, all wrapped in relentless banter. They discuss everything from cereal and protein cheats to SodaStreams, travel bags, Kindle workflows, money automation, and morning routines. The conversation also veers into personal quirks, like granola addictions, precise sleep schedules, and using trampolines or handstands to wake up. Throughout, they crowd‑source listener hacks, critique the bad ones, and surface a surprising number of genuinely useful ideas amid the comedy.
Key Takeaways
Use protein shakes and ‘diet’ versions of treats to painlessly increase protein or control calories.
Swapping milk for a Barebells protein shake on cereal, using low‑fat Eatlean cheese, or choosing Ben & Jerry’s Moophoria over regular ice cream can significantly improve macros while preserving enjoyment, especially helpful when appetite or time are limited.
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Match your food environment to your psychological tendencies around portions.
Johnny prefers single‑serve or ‘whole pack’ portions so he can finish everything without restraint games; consciously buying foods in unit portions (e. ...
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Standardize your daily timetable before layering on complex habits.
Johnny’s approach is to fix wake/sleep times, training days and meal timing first, then add small optimizations; once your body anticipates hunger, sleep, and work at consistent times, new habits are easier and require less willpower.
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Move deep reading off your phone and laptop onto Kindle for focus.
Using the ‘Send to Kindle’ Chrome extension to push long articles to a Kindle (with proper formatting, custom titles, and cross‑device syncing) transforms random web pieces into book‑like reading, separating skittish phone use from concentrated reading time.
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Exploit simple physical triggers to change state quickly in the morning.
Ideas include bouncing on a small trampoline, brief inversion (handstand against a wall), cold showers, or sparkling water to jolt yourself awake without immediately leaning on caffeine while adenosine receptors are still inactive.
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Use small, cheap objects to dramatically smooth travel and daily logistics.
Drawstring day‑bags, a small travel safe, improved laptop/phone cases, simple windscreen covers, and micro‑tools like Citymapper can reduce friction on holidays and commutes, lowering cognitive load and stress for routine tasks.
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Automate repetitive cognitive tasks like finance and chores.
Linking Monzo to IFTTT to auto‑save, putting all bills on direct debit, pre‑loading bin bags, or always washing pans immediately after cooking removes mental overhead and future annoyance, converting one‑off decisions into default systems.
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Notable Quotes
“Eating all of something is a very satisfying way to organize your day.”
— Johnny
“I haven’t had something that’s changed the workflow and improved my life that much in ages. Send to Kindle for Chrome is incredible.”
— Chris
“Pick the most basic-bitch version and do it perfectly for 14 days, then add one thing in.”
— Johnny
“Granola and just putting grated cheese on everything is very good… my weight tanks when I’m busy.”
— Yousef
“Bills don’t need to be paid manually. If you don’t automate your finances, you’re a willy.”
— Chris
Questions Answered in This Episode
Which one or two of these life hacks would have the biggest impact if put into practice consistently, rather than just tried once?
This episode of Modern Wisdom’s recurring “Life Hacks” series features Chris Williamson with Johnny and Yousef sharing a chaotic mix of practical tips, diet hacks, travel tricks, and productivity systems, all wrapped in relentless banter. ...
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How can someone with the opposite tendencies to Johnny (e.g., someone who leaves food unfinished) design their environment just as deliberately?
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What is the right balance between optimizing routines and leaving room for spontaneity, especially for self‑employed people?
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How effective are tools like greens powders, SodaStreams, and water flossers in reality compared to their perceived benefits in this conversation?
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Could the ‘Send to Kindle’ deep‑reading workflow and journaling reframes meaningfully change how we consume online content and process daily setbacks?
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Transcript Preview
Life hacks 111. One-
A hundred and eleven life hacks episodes.
(laughs)
(laughs)
Wow. (laughs) Just to recap, you've-
Yeah.
... bought a trampoline.
Yes. Like a ... it's ... if you imagine a big trampoline-
It's a little one.
... smaller one.
Yes. And you're going to ... that's going to be your thing?
I am doing that.
Bouncing?
I've been ... yeah.
Okay.
Is it-
(laughs)
What is funny? Oh. Oh, the condoms.
(laughs)
(laughs)
No. No.
No? What? (laughs)
No. No. (laughs) See, in that bag you have-
Mate-
... a MacBook-
I'm crying.
... condoms and croissants.
And stethoscope.
(laughs)
Oh. Absolutely brilliant.
Yousef bought me and Johnny for Christmas, a one hour beautiful brass and glass-
Mm-hmm.
... hourglass, uh-
Good name for a brand. That's nice.
Brass and glass, yeah, it would be. Would it be for-
It'd be a trend.
... prostitutes to shit on tables in front of you?
(laughs)
Brass and glass. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. Johnny and Yousef in the building.
Oh.
Welcome back, gentlemen. How are we doing?
Hello. Very good.
Good.
Very good.
Life hacks 111.
Is that what it is?
One-one-one.
A hundred and eleven life hacks episodes. (laughs)
I ... (laughs)
Wow. (laughs)
That's a lie. We started on 101. Um, and Johnny, you've actually got some for once.
I do. I've done some preparation, but don't you dare hot us over here to me. (laughs) I'm not going to do that.
Um, what I am going to do though, if you know what Barebells are, they are a protein shake, pre-made protein shake. Absolutely fantastic, tastes lovely. Partnered with the company from NOCO and you can win a crate of them. All that you need to do is share this episode, tag me in the share, @chriswellex, wherever you follow me, uh, share this episode up, and I'll choose someone and send a case of Barebells out to you. Um, and my first life hack is-
Can I ask a question first?
Yeah.
Are they not protein bars?
They also make milkshakes.
Do they?
Yeah. I've got some in there. Do you want one to take away?
Yeah.
Yeah. So my first life hack is, replace milk on cereal with Barebells white chocolate.
Okay. I'm on board with that.
20-
You have a lot of cereal, don't you? I have a lot of cereal.
20 grams, 20 grams of protein instantly added onto whatever your cereal is for the day.
Oh, my God. I'm going to have to make it my life hack.
I'll just give you one. I'll just give you one.
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