  We discuss a few simple modifications to time-dependent density matrix
renormalization group (DMRG) algorithms which allow to access larger time
scales. We specifically aim at beginners and present practical aspects of how
to implement these modifications almost effortlessly within any standard matrix
product state (MPS) based formulation of the method. Most importantly, we show
how to 'combine' the Schroedinger and Heisenberg time evolutions of arbitrary
pure states |psi> and operators A in the evaluation of
<A>_psi(t)=<psi|A(t)|psi>. This includes quantum quenches. The generalization
(non-)thermal mixed state dynamics <A>_rho(t)=Tr[rho A(t)] induced by an
initial density matrix rho is straightforward. In the context of equilibrium
(ground state or finite temperature T>0) correlation functions, one can extend
the simulation time by a factor of two by 'exploiting time translation
invariance', which is efficiently implementable within MPS DMRG. We present a
simple analytic argument for why a recently-introduced disentangler succeeds in
reducing the effort of time-dependent simulations at T>0. Finally, we advocate
the python programming language as an elegant option for beginners to set up a
DMRG code.
