Do Not Link Links to Crappy Web Sites Without Improving Google Results

We're all aware that every time you link to a web site, you inevitably push it up in search engine rankings. Over time, that means a site will appear at the top of a Google search result. Sometimes you want to link to those sites without helping them boost their search results. Do Not Link is a service for just that. Do Not Link is easy to use. Just drop the URL of the questionable site into Do Not Link and it gives you a URL that won't push up those results in search engines. It's simple, but super handy for linking to those awful trolling articles you really want to talk about but don't want to push up in Google or to fraudulent sites you need to talk about but don't want to help out.

A Scientific Guide to Effectively Saying No

Learning how to say no is one of the most useful skills you can develop, especially when it comes to living a more productive and healthy life. Saying no to unnecessary commitments can give you the time you need to recover and rejuvenate. Saying no to daily distractions can give you the space you need to focus on what is important to you. And saying no to temptation can help you stay on track and achieve your health goals. In fact, not being able to say no is one of the most biggest downfalls that successful entrepreneurs claim as their own key mistakes. But how do we actually get past the urgencies of everyday life and avoid distraction, so that we can focus the things that are really important to us? It seems like a big task, I wholeheartedly agree. And yet, research is starting to show that even small changes can make a significant impact for a better way of saying no. How to Say No: Research Reveals the Best Way In a research study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, 120 students were split into two different groups. The difference between these two groups was saying “I can’t” compared to “I don’t.” One group was told that each time they were faced with a temptation, they would tell themselves “I can’t do X.” For example, when tempted with ice cream, they would say, “I can’t eat ice cream.” When the second group was faced with a temptation, they were told to say “I don’t do X.” For example, when tempted with ice cream, they would say, “I don’t eat ice cream.” After repeating these phrases, each student answered a set of questions unrelated to the study. Once they finished answering their questions, the students went to hand in their answer sheet, thinking that the study was over. In reality, it was just beginning. As each student walked out of the room and handed in their answer sheet, they were offered a complimentary treat. The student could choose between a chocolate candy bar or a granola health bar. As the student walked away, the researcher would mark their snack choice on the answer sheet. Here’s what happened: The students who told themselves “I can’t eat X” chose to eat the chocolate candy bar 61% of the time. Meanwhile, the students who told themselves “I don’t eat X” chose to eat the chocolate candy bars only 36% of the time. This simple change in terminology significantly improved the odds that each person would make a more healthy food choice. Makes sense right? Now the findings didn’t stop there, here's what happened next: How the “Right Words” Make It Easier to Say No The same researchers were also interested in how the words “can’t” and “don’t” affect our willingness to say no when faced with repeated temptations and distractions. After all, most of us can turn down a candy bar once, but eventually we slip up. Similarly, you might be able to focus on your work when you’re pressed for time, but what about avoiding unproductive behaviors on a daily basis? In other words, is there a way to say no that makes it more likely that we’ll stick to good habits and avoid bad ones? You bet! The researchers designed a new study by asking 30 working women to sign up for a “health and wellness seminar.” All of the women were told to think of a long-term health and wellness goal that was important to them. Then, the researchers split the women into three groups of 10. Group 1 was told that anytime they felt tempted to lapse on their goals they should “just say no.” This group was the control group because they were given no specific strategy. Group 2 was told that anytime they felt tempted to lapse on their goals, they should implement the “can’t” strategy. For example, “I can’t miss my workout today.” Group 3 was told that anytime they felt tempted to lapse on their goals, they should implement the “don’t” strategy. For example, “I don’t miss workouts.” For the next 10 days, each woman received an email asking to report her progress. They were specifically told, “During the 10-day window you will receive emails to remind you to use the strategy and to report instances in which it worked or did not work. If the strategy is not working for you, just drop us a line and say so and you can stop responding to the emails.” Here’s what the results looked like 10 days later: Group 1 (the “just say no” group) had 3 out of 10 members who persisted with their goals for the entire 10 days. Group 2 (the “can’t” group) had 1 out of 10 members who persisted with her goal for the entire 10 days. Group 3 (the “don’t” group) had an incredible 8 out of 10 members who persisted with their goals for the entire 10 days. The words that you use not only help you to make better choices on an individual basis, but also make it easier to stay on track with your long-term goals. Why “I Don’t” Works Better Than “I Can’t” Your words help to frame your sense of empowerment and control. Furthermore, the words that you use create a feedback loop in your brain that impacts your future behaviors. For example, every time you tell yourself “I can’t,” you’re creating a feedback loop that's a reminder of your limitations. This terminology indicates that you’re forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do. In comparison, when you tell yourself “I don’t,” you’re creating a feedback loop that reminds you of your control and power over the situation. It’s a phrase that can propel you towards breaking your bad habits and following your good ones. Heidi Grant Halvorson is the director of the Motivation Science Center at Columbia University. Here’s how she explains the difference between saying “I don’t” compared to “I can’t”: “I don’t” is experienced as a choice, so it feels empowering. It’s an affirmation of your determination and willpower. “I can’t” isn’t a choice. It’s a restriction, it’s being imposed upon you. So thinking “I can’t” undermines your sense of power and personal agency. In other words, the phrase “I don’t” is a psychologically empowering way to say no, while the phrase “I can’t” is a psychologically draining way to say no. How You Can Apply This To Your Life There are situations everyday when you need to say no to something. For example, the waiter who offers you a dessert menu, or the urge to skip a workout and stay home, or the distracting call of texts, tweets, and updates when you should be focusing on something important. Individually, our responses to these little choices seem insignificant, which is why we don’t make a big deal about telling ourselves that we “can’t” do something. But imagine the cumulative effect of choosing more empowering words on a consistent basis. “I can’t” and “I don’t” are words that seem similar and we often interchange them for one another, but psychologically they can provide very different feedback and, ultimately, result in very different actions. They aren’t just words and phrases. They are affirmations of what you believe, reasons for why you do what you do, and reminders of where you want to go. The ability to overcome temptation and effectively say no is critical not only to your physical health, but also for your daily productivity and mental health. To put it simply: you can either be the victim of your words or the architect of them. Which one would you prefer?

Dispensing Trash Bags, Storing Earbuds, and Fixing Squeaky Hinges

Readers offer their best tips for dispensing trash bags, storing earbuds, and banishing squeaky hinges. Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips in our inbox, but for various reasons—maybe they're a bit too niche, maybe we couldn't find a good way to present it, or maybe we just couldn't fit it in—the tip didn't make the front page. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favorites for your buffet-style consumption. Got a tip of your own to share? Add your tips or the comments. 1-Turn Your Box of Trash Bags Into a Dispenser 2-Store Your Earbuds Tangle-Free with Baby Socks 3-Keep Your Doors Squeak Free with Vaseline 4-Build a Quick iPad Mini Stand With Two Gift Cards

1-Turn Your Box of Trash Bags Into a Dispenser

Fmauricea shares an easier way to dispense trash bags: This trick works with a lot of brands. Cut a slit in the side of the box so you can pull trash bags out from the center of the roll. It works just like a tube of cleaning wipes, letting you cleanly pull one bag out at a time.

2-Store Your Earbuds Tangle-Free with Baby Socks

Michael shares a fun way to store different sets of earbuds: If you're like me, you have several sets of earbuds; you may have one set for regular use, one set for sport, one for the beach, another for HD sound. However many you have, and however you carry them, you've probably spent many hours of your life untangling their cords. There are all sorts of ingenious devices available to keep them neat, but none come close to the cost, comfort, or cuteness factor of my preferred device. You can buy baby socks for next to nothing. You get them in all colours and designs. They're comfortable in your pocket, easily spotted when rummaging in your bag, efficient at keeping your chords untangled, and best of all - never fail to raise a smile when you unravel your buds.

3-Keep Your Doors Squeak Free with Vaseline

Monroe shares a better way to lubricate those squeaky door hinges: Instead of using WD-40 (which isn't actually a lubricant) on your door hinges, turn to another household staple: Vaseline. It leaves no greasy mess on door and won't drip on your floors. A quick smear will often do the job, but you can also remove the hinge pins one at a time, clean them off, wipe on some Vaseline, and replace for an even more effective solution. Old carpenters can be life hackers too. :-)

4-Build a Quick iPad Mini Stand With Two Gift Cards

Rusty shares a quick way to build an iPad stand when you need one: Hey guys, here's my 1-minute iPad mini DIY stand. All you need are two gift cards (or old debit/credit cards) and some tape. Adjust the top bend for a bit more height if you like. And if you want even more height, just prop it up against something heavy like a stapler.