Easy plant replication

Most plants can be propagated by pinching off a bit and setting the piece in soil to grow into a whole new plant. You can increase the likelihood of success by dusting the pinched piece with plant hormone to speed root growth, such as Bontone II Rooting Powder. We have generally propagated our entire garden by pinching. We can increase success even more using the Hormex set of 3 different strengths of the hormone based on how woody the plant is. — KK

GardenClaudia Dawson
Find out if you’re close to burnout

IT Burnout Index is a 10-question survey that will tell you how close you are to burnout, and what your risk level is for Exhaustion, Self Inefficacy, Cynicism and Depersonalization. It only takes 2 minutes to get the results and you can then choose to check out Yerbo’s personalized insights and exercises. It’s anonymous, and doesn’t require an email. — CD

Cool Tools Show and Tell

Every week for 6 years we’ve recorded a podcast featuring the cool tools of a remarkable person. Earlier this year we paused the podcast, but we have now relaunched it as a video-cast in the same format. Every Friday I interview a remarkable person and ask them on screen to show and tell 4 of their favorite tools. This program, called the Cool Tools Show and Tell, streams on our YouTube channel. And the audio channel of each session will resume streaming on the old Cool Tools Podcast subscription for those who only want to listen. I really look forward to each session because I am always surprised by what interesting cool tools people will recommend. — KK

YouTubeClaudia Dawson
Reusable Furniture Sliders

We just got new bamboo flooring installed in our house, and before we rearranged the furniture, I put these reusable furniture sliders under the feet of heavy tables, couches, and credenzas. The bottom of the slider is thick felt and the top is grippy foam rubber. The sliders made it easy to move the furniture without marring the new flooring. They also have sliders that work on carpeted surfaces. — MF

Best plant burger

Plant-based burgers these days are way better than the veggie burgers of old. My favorite is the new McDonald’s McPlant, which I find the best among the fast-food variety. It contains a Beyond Meat patty and tasty sauces. It satisfies all my modest burger cravings, and is now my fast food of choice. — KK

Most useful podcast

I’ve been listening to the Tim Ferriss weekly podcast for 8 years, and I looked forward to each episode. The Tim Ferriss Show began as interviews with world-class athletes and entrepreneurs deconstructing their habits and techniques. But as Tim matured, his interests shifted to mindfulness, emotional well-being, enlightenment, and relationships. His interviews run long, some for 2 hours, as he applies his superpower of uncovering the how-do-you-do-it angle, which makes his show so useful. The range is so broad and relatable that I recommend it now for all listeners. — KK

Alternative to affirmations

I am very excited about this concept of pivoting from affirmations to iffirmations. Instead of saying to yourself something like “I am confident and strong” you ask yourself “What if I am confident and strong?” And by asking it in the form of a question forces your brain to search for evidence that this might be true. For me, this works because it conjures images and examples of ways I could be confident or strong or have been in the past, which then elicits positive and encouraging emotions. A lot more effective that affirmations. — CD

MindClaudia Dawson
Better toiletry bag

I’ve searched high and low for the perfect size toiletry bag that could fit all of my makeup and hygiene stuff, and I finally found it in this ZEEMO Dopp Kit for Men ($18). It has a main compartment where I can fit larger items, 10 mesh pouches and 2 zippered pockets. None of the unisex or women’s toiletry bags that I came across were as useful or well-designed as this one. — CD

Like Wordle, but a lot more challenging

There are lots of guessing games inspired by Wordle, but one of the toughest (and most enjoyable) is Semantle. Like Wordle, there’s a new secret word every day. Start by guessing a word, and the game will give you a score between 100 and -100, depending on how close in meaning your guess is to the secret word. Be prepared to make use of the hints! Fridays word was headphones. I got in it 73 guesses with 12 hints. (Take a look at my guesses.) — MF

PlayClaudia Dawson
Tutorials on maker components

The inventor Tim Hunkin released another season of his fantastic video tutorials introducing The Secret Life of Components, as in the motors, linkages, sensors and other parts you might use to build things. His hands-on knowledge is vast, and his BBC-perfected presentation skills are perfect for walking you through the plus and minuses of any part you ever might use. As fundamental as this information is, it is very hard to find, even on YouTube. — KK

LearningClaudia Dawson
A puzzling book

I’m a big fan of author A.J. Jacobs. He embarks on crazy self-experiments — like reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, or living according the the rules in the Bible for a year — and writing books about them. His latest book is called The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life. Jacobs entered puzzle competitions, explored the psychology of puzzles, and visited with famous puzzle designers. As part of the book launch, Jacobs created a puzzle contest with a $10,000 prize. I can’t wait to win. — MF

PlayClaudia Dawson
Find your personal style

I like to feel comfortable in whatever I’m wearing and have never considered what my personal style might be. For the past two years, it’s been loungewear, but this comic strip by NPR Life Kit inspired me to change that. It’s a cute, visual guide that will walk you through cultivating your personal style and developing a shopping philosophy. — CD

ClosetClaudia Dawson
Mindfulness exercises

I’m slowly trying out the odd little experiments suggested in this odd, used book I found, Astonish Yourself. The exercises are trivial, maybe even silly, such as following an ant for as long you can, or counting to 1,000, or listening to a recording of your own voice. It shifts your perspective for a small aha. The book offers 101 of these mindfulness moments. It prompted me to invent my own ways to astonish myself. — KK

ReadableClaudia Dawson
Visualize your day in blocks

Rectangles is a time tracking visual where each rectangle represents 10 minutes of your day and the ones shaded in green display the time that has already passed. You are left with a perspective of how many more 10-minute blocks are left in your 24-hour day. It is inspired by Wait But Why’s article 100 Blocks a Day, which asks you to visualize your life on a grid and assess how you spend your 10-minute blocks. CD