“The art of getting through life relies on smoothing a path through the everyday rather more than finding a solution to profound philosophical problems,” she said.
Find out Lawson’s four simple secrets to a happier life below.
1. Apply dry shampoo before bed
She’s dished out plenty of cooking advice in her time, but Lawson has beauty tips to offer too!
Lawson reveals we’ve all been using dry shampoo wrong, with the cook suggesting you apply it before bed rather than in the morning, so that you don’t have to struggle to get rid of the powdery residue.
“Blast yourself with it before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning, it will have disappeared, taking the grime and grease with it,” she says.
Lawson uses Kevin Murphy’s Fresh Hair because she loves the smell, but she says budget dry shampoo products are just as effective.
2. Don’t feel guilty about saying ‘a quick no’
Lawson advises against delaying declining an invitation if it’s for something you don’t want to do – she says to simply say no immediately.
“If… you delay replying because you feel guilty about not giving the response wanted and worried about disappointing people, stop it now,” she says.
“It helps no one, least of all the supplicant who lives in deluded hope. So you must learn, in the words of the late, great Ed Victor, ‘to give the second-best answer: a quick no’.”
3. Don’t procrastinate
On the subject of delays, Lawson says to avoid them in other areas of life too. She suggests always taking action “immediately” – whether it’s with mundane life admin such as laundry or an exciting adventure.
“Do it now,” she says. “That’s the most important advice I could ever give, and I’m unembarrassed to say I give it often.”
4. Forget worrying about serving food ‘piping hot’
“Not everything has to be piping hot,” says Lawson, so stop stressing about the temperature of the food you dish up.
For meals that are hard to master, such as a Sunday roast or a Christmas dinner, she says to simply make sure the gravy is hot and the plates are warm.
