Any self-proclaimed jack of all trades knows there’s always room for improvement. And you don’t have to invest years of dedicated study to drop the “master of none” part—not with any of these easy-to-learn man skills, at least. Below, a shortlist of crowd-pleasing or otherwise deeply satisfying skills that will make your journey through life a little easier and a lot more enjoyable.
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Sharpen a knife with a knife steel
Cooking with a dull knife can turn an enjoyable experience into a chore. Keep the kitchen cutlery sharp by properly honing blades with a steel. Here’s how:
1. Hold the steel in your non-dominant hand and press the tip straight down on a clean cutting board.
2. Grip the knife with your dominant hand and place the back of the knife at the top of the steel so both handles are close together.
3. Angle the blade to the steel at about 20 degrees. (Pro tip: Start at 90-degrees, then half the angle, then half it again.)
4. Maintaining the 20-degree angle, slice down the steel, pulling back on the knife so that you run the length of the knife just before you’ve reached the cutting board.
5. Repeat about five times on each side.
Tie a bowline knot
Tying a rope is one of the most practical skills to have in your arsenal, and 99 percent of the time, a bowline is the best knot for the job. Not only does it offer a rock solid hold, it can be tied and untied in seconds, even after bearing tension.
1. Create a loop.
2. Create a second loop behind the first and partially feed it through that first loop.
3. Pass the end of the line (fed through whatever you’re hitching) through the tip of the second loop.
4. Tighten.
Turn heads with a whistle
Getting someone’s attention is not only incredibly useful—depending on the circumstances, it can be lifesaving.
1. Form a V by pointing the index and middle fingers of both hands towards your face and touching your middle fingers together.
2. Pull your lips in over your teeth.
3. Insert the V into your mouth, touching the bottom of your tongue with your fingers and pulling your tongue back so it’s folded over itself.
4. Blow through the space between your fingers. If you don’t get a sound at first, try moving your fingers in and out a little until you find the sweet spot.
Boost confidence and reduce stress
You might think that taking on a posture wouldn’t really work, but trust us (and the researchers over at Harvard) when we say it does.
1. Find somewhere private (a bathroom or a closed office).
2. Stand up straight and lift your chin. Taking on a tall, expansive posture makes you feel more powerful than shrinking into a drawn-in position. Plus, the superhero stance releases confidence-boosting testosterone, so you’ll literally, instantly get a hit of chemical confidence.
3. Hold the position for one minute prior to an interview, review, or public speech.
Run a faster mile
Sure, you have your regular jogging route, but you feel like you’ve plateaued when it comes to speed. This half-minute drill will get you well on your way to shaving some time off your mile. Start by repeating it two times a week, and work your way up to four or five.
1. Once you’re fully warmed up, find a hill with a 6 to 10 percent incline (enough to tire you out at a walking pace), and note your position.
2. Sprint up the hill for 30 seconds.
3. Walk or jog back down to your starting position.
4. Repeat as many times as you can, depending on your fitness level, working your way up to 20 hill sprints.
Cook on an open fire
Whether you’re out camping or want to cook a full meal on the grill, this simple trick opens up a world of culinary possibilities.
1. Come ready with prepped and/or seasoned ingredients (chopped veggies, a piece of fish, a couple slices of pizza, etc.)
2. Lay out a piece of foil large enough to fully enclose your ingredients. If you think less direct heat is needed, use enough to wrap your food twice.
3. Seal in your food, rolling or twisting the seams of the foil to keep the moisture in.
4. Place the packet on the grill or in a bed of coals. (Avoid putting it directly in campfire flames.)
5. When enough cooking time has passed, extract the little package and enjoy. (Long, thick oven mitts work well for retrieving food from campfires.)
Courtesy of esquire.com