We pride ourselves on how-tos and explainers at Lifehacker, but some articles don't quite fit into either category. Perhaps they're personal accounts of life lessons, or maybe they're rants about a popular issue of the day. Here are some of the year's best features and essays along those lines.
This year we stopped giving a f*ck, hacked our way through our 20s, learned some survival skills, dealt with depression, and lots more.
How to Stop Giving a F*ck What People Think
We're all guilty. Every day from the moment we wake up, we live our lives caring what other people think of us.
Eight Things You Can Discard to Downsize Your Life
How much stuff do we really need to lead a normal life? Not as much as you might think. In 2009 I moved into a 200-square-foot cottage. The rent and location were awesome, but there was one problem: Half my stuff didn't fit in the place. So I got rid of it.
10 of the Most Important Life Lessons I Learned from My 20s
On my 20th birthday, I got drunk and peed on some old ladies' front lawn. A cop saw me and stopped me. Fortunately, I talked my way out of going to jail that night. I already had an arrest record, but he didn't bother to check. My 20s started out with a bang.
The Wilderness Survival Skills Everyone Should Know
A few hours watching the Discovery Channel can prompt extreme survival fantasies involving frog licking and urine drinking, but what basic skills would you actually need to survive in the wilderness? Here's a look at the basics you need to become an adult Boy Scout straight from a cadre of survival experts.
10 Lessons I Learned from a Year of Productivity Experiments
Over the last 12 months I have conducted countless productivity experiments on myself,interviewed some of the most productive people in the world, and read a ton of books and academic literature on productivity, all to explore how I could become as productive as possible. This is what I've learned.
Five Lessons I Learned From Dealing with Depression
Depression is a hard topic to talk about. It's an even harder thing to live through. I've lived with depression for more than two decades. After a while, there were a few things I learned about how to get by without giving up.
How to Decide What to Do with Your Life
When you're young, the world is your oyster and opportunities seem endless, but there can be a lot of pressure to decide on a life path. How do you know what career to pursue and what to do with your future?
Where to Start When It Feels Like Nothing Is Going Right in Your Life
Everyone has times in their life when they feel demotivated, lost, and unhappy. You're in a rut, and you don't know how to get out of it. Life may keep piling it on, but here are a few starting points for how you can climb out of your hole and get back on track.
Five Computer Security Myths, Debunked by Experts
We're no strangers to helping you secure your computer, but there are some computer security myths and stories that keep getting passed around, even though they're clearly not true. We sat down with a few computer security experts to separate fact from fiction.
How I Learned to Stop Being So Jealous and Finally Get on with My Life
Jealousy and envy are two of the most common—yet negative and useless—emotions many of us have. For a long time, I let both of these destructive feelings overwhelm and poison me. Here's how I finally gained control over them.
Stop Trying to Be Happy and Start Working Towards Your Ideal Self
If you have to try to be cool, you will never be cool. If you have to try to be happy, then you will never be happy. Happiness, like other emotions, is not something you obtain, but rather something you inhabit. It's the long-term pursuit of your goals and your ideal self that gives you fulfillment.
Why Empathy Is Your Most Important Skill (and How to Practice It)
Empathy is the most important skill you can practice. It will lead to greater success personally and professionally and will allow you to become happier the more you practice.
There's No Excuse for Not Backing Up Your Computer. Do It Now.
At least once a month, some friend or family member asks me how to recover data from a failed hard drive. I help them as best I can, but in my head, my answer is always the same: "go back in time and back up your computer like you know you should've."
Five Things I Wish I Had Known When I Started Working for Myself
Being your own boss is great! Being your own boss is also hell sometimes! After going from a (cushy) work-from-home salaried employee job to fending for myself as a freelancer, this is what I wish I had known when I started.
The Reasons People Don't Follow Their Passions, and What You Can Do
Pursuing your passion can mean different things to different people, but no matter your definition, it seems people always have a reason why they can't do it. If you're someone who has always wanted to follow your dream but never gained any traction, here are some answers.
The Financial Advice I'm Glad I Ignored When I Was Broke
There's a fundamental flaw with lots of financial advice: it assumes you have money. For some people, post-bills income just doesn't exist (and that number is only growing). So, when hard times make a 401(k) a non-option, you just can't follow all the advice you get.
Seven Things I Wish I Knew Before Getting My First Apartment
Every time you rent an apartment, you learn something new that you did wrong the time before. There are many types of landlords, maintenance people, problems, and laws that can throw you for a loop. While you can't prepare yourself for everything ahead of time, there are quite a few things I wish I knew before getting my first apartment.
10 Things I Wish I Had Known When I Was Planning My Wedding
Between the life-changing proposal and the tear-jerking "I do's," there's the unique stress known as wedding planning. Even if your big day is a year or more out, many things might will trip you up. As someone who's been there and lived to tell the tale, these are the things I wish I had known in advance before my wedding day.
Why We Need Apple
It's no secret that I'm an Android guy. I worked for two years at an Android-focused site and I own multiple devices with "Nexus" in the name. Still, I couldn't be happier about Apple's announcements yesterday. Why? Because what Apple does affects us all.
How Being Humble, Kind, and Calm Will Make Your Life Easier
You've heard it all your life: Being humble, kind, and calm is the "right thing to do." But if that isn't enough to convince you, consider this: humility, kindness, and calmness can actually help you get ahead in life.
There you have it. It was a good year for rants, essays, and features, but for more, check out our most popular features of 2013, too.
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