Riffing on last week’s hip trick, there are of course more sophisticated ways of hanging things, which include using shelves. Getting those shelves straight on the wall without pulling your hair out can be tricky for the average, non-carpenter.

This hip trick might be just common sense, but I’ll not judge you if you haven’t already thought to do it (seeing as I just figured it out yesterday). I always mark off with a pencil where I hope my shelf will sit, but getting the exact location of the screws just right and where they’ll wedge into the shelving bracket is stressful, especially if you’re using an anchor. Start with a small nail and mock hang the shelf to see if it sits straight, if not, move your nails and get it just right. Then perform operation drywall anchor on your unsuspecting wall.