I cut back on the number of newsletters I subscribe too, but one that I am keeping is the weekly Brain Food from Farnam Street. It dispenses pithy — and sound — advice about living. In two minutes I get a refreshing reminder of age old wisdom. Free. — KK

How to professionally say is a list of things you might feel like saying at work and the alternative — more professional way — you should say it. Example: Instead of saying “That sounds like a horrible idea,” you can say “Are we confident that this is the best solution or are we still exploring alternatives?” This guide was inspired and compiled from content created by @loewhaley on Instagram, and while some of it might not flow comfortably out of my mouth, I’m inspired to adopt more neutrality and directness in my professional language. — CD

My friend Seth Godin, who hosts the terrific Akimbo podcast, recently posted a list of 10 “secret recipes,” including “Very famous tahini cookies,” “Informal cashew dressing,” and “(Mostly) raw brownies.” The one recipe I’m most exited about is his “Almost secret, no-sugar, all fruits and nuts Pacojet chocolate ice ‘cream’ recipe,” but I won’t be making it anytime soon because it requires a $5,000+ appliance I’ve never heard of — a Pacojet machine, which micro-purees solid blocks of frozen food without thawing. — MF

More people are working from home, or working from remote locations, or working while traveling, or traveling while working. We, the Recomendo crew, are launching a new newsletter dedicated to this realm. Nomadico is a weekly, one-pager emailed to you each Thursday which will have 4 tips for working beyond the office, and living in motion. Covers digital nomads, remote work, travel hacking, van life, FIRE, learning journeys and more. Nomadico is edited by Tim Leffel, who is the world’s expert on distributed living. Sign up here. It is free for now. — KK

Oldestsearch.com reverse-orders all Google search results so that you see the oldest webpages first. This is refreshing to use, because I so often feel like all the top results are repetitive. — CD

Mack’s moldable silicone earplugs are superior to squishy foam earplugs because they completely seal the opening to your ear. They do a fantastic job of blocking out sound. These silly-putty-like plugs have saved my sleep many times when staying in noisy hotels and Airbnbs. — MF

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

Budge Bytes is a recipe website of delicious meals that cost very little to make, other than your time. The recipes use fresh ingredients and are accompanied by tantalizing photos. Try the Comeback Sauce for roasted vegetables. — MF

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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