You've heard someone say it to you before: "Just five minutes a day and it can change everything." Whether it be stretching, Yoga, reading, personal hygiene, meal prep or whatever else, those "just five minutes" really add up. The truth is that life is a series of compromises; choosing what is most important to you because there is simply not enough time to do and learn everything else. Between work, family, social life, exercise and hobbies, you're doing great if two of those are going well.
But even if you're tight on time, there are a few underrated and basic skills that everyone should know. You might not use all of these every day, but when the time comes, you'll be glad you know them. For example, do you know CPR? You won't have time to learn it on the fly, but knowing how can save a life. Are you a decent swimmer? You don't want to find out in choppy waters next to a capsized boat.
Learning each and every one of these might be a daunting task, but remember that just a bit of practice for five minutes a day can make a huge difference.... yeah who am I kidding? Here are 22 underrated skills you should consider mastering.
1
Research. It's a skill I use on a daily basis. It's more than just being able to look through articles or websites, but understanding what you're looking for and filtering the stuff that doesn't matter. But heck, I'd be out of a job if people started taking 5 seconds to look up their problem.
2
Conversation and a little networking. As much as Reddit likes to demonize it, a little schmoozing keeps the wheels turning.
3
Driving a manual car, or at least knowing how.
4
How to study efficiently! There are so many different ways to study and take in information. Find a way that works for you.
5
How to tie a few basic knots. The number of young men who don't know how to tie down a load is insane.
6
Anything related to fixing your own house.
7
Swimming. Be able to swim 100 yds, it can save your life.
8
Excel. Had very minimal lessons on Excel in college, but it’s the only thing I learned in college that is used in my job.
9
Typing. Touch typing to be exact.
10
Reading comprehension. People who get into a routine of not reading, fall victim to carefully worded contracts and terms and conditions.
11
CPR. I heard a medic say that even bad CPR by an amateur is better than no CPR.
12
Listening. You'd be amazed what you can learn when you're not just waiting for your turn to speak.
13
Conflict resolution. You don't even need to be a master at it, just having some basic proficiency can turn a lot of things that would have been fights into friendly talks or, at least, avoiding an unneeded conflict.
14
Patience. I feel like nobody has this anymore.
15
Cooking. Even the basics should be something everyone can do.
16
The ability to naturally and genuinely converse.
17
How to Google. I’m a software engineer. Periodically I’ll get stuck sitting next to an intern. The amount of times I’ve had to explain how to Google things is unbelievable. Just because I know more than you, it doesn’t mean that you should ask me everything.
19
Just simple and basic personal financial skills. Things like how to do taxes, how banking and investing works.
20
How to self sooth. It’s a childhood milestone that some people fail to master.
21
Critical thinking. Education now isn't what it used to be. We used to actually learn instead of prepping for state testing.
22
Sharpening a kitchen knife is always handy, but no one seems to do it much.
