Let’s talk about life hacks. And before you start rolling your eyes, let me tell you, I’m on the same page. I think we are all better off without the weird advice on how to “peel onions without shedding a tear” and “open a stubborn banana from the bottom.” So it’s safe to say, internet life hacks don’t particularly have the best reputation out there.
But what if a small fraction of them out of that whole sea of absurdity do indeed work? I’m not implying anything, I am just wondering if we’d all give them one last chance. Last one, bottom line. Would we get to know something genuinely useful?
Well, we’re about to find out, since people in this r/AskReddit thread have been sharing some pretty interesting life hacks that sound crappy but actually work.
#1
Befriend the “invisible” people that everyone overlooks, the hotel maids, the janitor at your office, anyone doing a thankless job that people often look down upon. Treat them like valuable human beings because they are. These are people working far harder than most of us can imagine, taking care of themselves and their families and often barely scraping by. You never know in this life when you’re going to be the one interaction that saved someone’s life, or at least made it a little bit better for a day or a moment. And you never know when some person who nobody paid attention to could end up being there for you, especially if they know and like you.
Image source: IronChicken68, Pixabay
#2
I call it the power of “might as well”
Gonna get up from my desk and go to the kitchen? Oh well, might as well take this plate with me.
Going to pee before bed? Oh well, might as well brush my teeth.
Going to brush my teeth? Oh well, might as well floss.
Going outside? Oh well, might as well bring the trash.
Its ridiculous, but it works.
Image source: ForwardSpinach, cottonbro
#3
Writing things down by hand helps you remember them better.
Image source: SigourneyReaver, picjumbo.com
#4
If something’s worth doing, it’s usually worth doing badly.
Half-assing the dishes is better than leaving them to fester in the sink. Sending old friends a happy birthday message when Facebook prompts you is better than losing touch entirely. Taking a quick shower without soap is better than not showering at all. Piling your laundry up in a basket instead of putting in the wardrobe is better than leaving it scattered over the floor.
Also applies to self-improvement stuff as well as maintenance. Don’t worry so much about doing 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and a 10km run that you do nothing, just walk around the block and do one of each of the others for now. Just write one page a day of that novel, and allow it to be terrible. Write simple, buggy programs. Draw badly. Watch youtubers cook or fix their car or put on makeup or build something, even, if you can’t find the energy to yourself.
If you’re having trouble finding a date start pre-emptively assuming that everyone is off-limits and just focus on finding genuine friends who match your orientation.
Somewhere along the line you’ll lose your discomfort and start getting better at doing what you want or need to do.
Image source: Pseudonymico, MART PRODUCTION
#5
Don’t ask someone ‘do you need anything?’ when they are going through something. Ask them ‘what can I do for you?’ and stop talking. Sometimes listening is enough. Being a good listener isn’t easy. You have to stop waiting for your turn to speak and just be there for them. Source: father of daughters.
Image source: ownersequity, cottonbro
#6
Stop setting needless rules for yourself. You can shower in the dark, eat the parts of a sandwich seperately in fistfuls from the bag, run the dishwasher twice. There is no “proper” way to do the mundane things in life so long as they are done to a standard you’re okay with.
It sounds like bulls**t but as an adult slowly realising they have ADHD and fighting chronic illness and long term MH issues, this s**t was life changing. I can just find a way to get the job /done/, it doesn’t need to be perfect from step A to Z. If I end up only ever putting laundry on at 2am and putting the machine on a timer so it starts at 7, that’s fine because it /still gets done/!
Image source: Hazie144, Sarah Chai
#7
Take two to ten minutes to tidy up your home before you go to bed. The next morning, you’ll feel way better not having to look at all the junk/things you still have to do.
Image source: Greenest-fingers, Pixabay
#8
One of my favorite is to bring a couple of new disposable diapers to the beach (lake, river, etc.) If you decide to leave your towel to hit the water, you can wrap your cell phone, car keys, wallet up in diaper, then fasten it up and I promise you NO ONE will mess with your stuff! You’re welcome! Hee!
Image source: 4steph, Nathan Dumlao
#9
Clear packing tape over the speakers of plastic children’s toys. It muddles the sounds enough that I still have some of my hearing.
Image source: glowworm2k
#10
I started saying ‘silly’ instead of ‘stupid’ like for example ‘Oh I’m so stupid’ or ‘that was stupid’. I’ve noticed that it helped improve my self esteem
Image source: OddDogWarrior, Andrea Piacquadio
#11
Taking a break when you get frustrated with a task. Seriously!
Image source: AllYouLeftMe, Andrea Piacquadio
#12
At the start of the year I’ll flip all my clothes hangers around so they’re facing the wrong direction. As I wear random items, I’ll flip it back to the normal direction. If by the next year I haven’t worn something, I know I never will, and so I donate anything that’s still flipped backwards.
Image source: crazymadryantist, Rene Asmussen
#13
If you always put your keys in the same place, you won’t lose them.
Image source: goat-of-mendes, George Becker
#14
Being genuinely nice and appreciative with people. They’ll 100% help you out in any way they can.
Image source: Skirnex
#15
Ignoring toxic family members or work calls can improve your mental health when properly spread out. Sometimes it’s okay to set your phone aside and unplug.
Image source: Squaragus_Asparagus
#16
Using leftover bags from grocery stores or whatnot for trash bags. Idk why, but whenever I tell people this, I get a funny look. It works well.
Image source: BlueTrapazoid
#17
the quickest way to cool the inside of your car down is to open one door, then go to the opposite side and open and close it a few times. this forces the hot air out and draws the cooler air in. I have a black car with black interior, and a few weeks ago when the high was 94 and it had been sitting in the sun for 6-7 hours i tried this before getting in, and holy hell it worked better than i could have ever imagined. i had heard about this before but never tried it.
Image source: ecallawsamoht
#18
Taking two steps at a time when walking up the stairs.
You take half the time to get to the next floor, and you get a good glute work out at the same time.
Image source: S**ttyFoodP**nRater, Ali Arapoğlu
#19
Had a pigeon problem on my balcony. I live in front of a church, so a lot of them gather there. At night and early on the morning, they would come to my balcony, leaving s**t and feathers all around and biting my plants.
One day I saw a plastic raven at a store, that supposedly scares them away. It was expensive and I didn’t have much money, so I grabbed a bunch of black plastic bags and some wire, made a fake raven and attached it to the railing.
It’s been like seven months and I haven’t seen a single pigeon on the balcony since.
Image source: LlaneroAzul
#20
Deleting social media of your phone does wonders for your mood and overall mental wellbeing
Image source: [deleted]
#21
A knitted fake wasp nest. Our wasps buggered off the same day, haven’t been seen since.
Image source: KamahlYrgybly, David Hablützel
#22
When someone you like or respect does something confusingly infuriating, imagine the most-favorable-to-them possible explanation, and pretend that’s true. Wait until you know more before getting reflexively angry.
Image source: floon, Vera Arsic
#23
Not necessarily crappy per se but I always encourage people to befriend the hospital employees that bring you your meal trays. They’ll hook you up with the good stuff so you’re not stuck eating crappy food.
Image source: SheepherderUseful241, Oles kanebckuu
#24
Choose your reaction before your emotions can.
I was always jealous of people who naturally had a great response to problems (like “I forgot something at home. Oh well, it happens to everyone. I’m sure they’ll understand why I’m late.”). I began really noticing how much easier that must make life, so I started trying to imagine the “right” reaction to situations.
If you make yourself pause to think of a good reaction, you can kind of choose it like “Yeah, that would be a good one” and then you don’t give your stupid brain an opportunity to throw out a sh**ty reaction.
(Someone made me remember something I think is important to add, so I’m pasting it here so it won’t get lost)
I learned to do it despite it seeming impossible. The trick for me was to recognize that I was enabling and feeding my own emotional responses, like “My car won’t start, I should be upset! Why wouldn’t I be?! This will cost me money!” I was choosing to be upset because I was “supposed” to be, or I was entitled to be upset. But I didn’t really want to be.
Image source: Delica
#25
In facing dilemmas, I ask myself, “What would smart me do?” The answer is usually obvious. Smart me still sometimes gets vetoed, but genuinely helpful tool.
Image source: Kipsydaisy
#26
Don’t save your banking information on online stores. Makes impulse buying much more difficult if you have to track down your wallet.
Image source: Mikeavelli, Ivan Samkov
#27
Putting kiwi on a steak.
Kiwi juice has enzymes that break down meats, tenderizing the steak. Pineapple does the same thing, but has a much stronger flavor. So put a bit of kiwi mush on your steak about 30 minutes prior to cooking it and it will be amazingly tender without a strange flavor added.
Image source: culb77
#28
Never shop when hungry.
Habits are formed over a few weeks.
Look after your feet, even a blister can screw up your week.
Image source: EdwardLennox
#29
If you keep forgetting if you locked your door/car/lock, do something silly after locking it. It will help you remember if you have to think back.
Image source: deroobot, George Becker
#30
For electronics: Turning it off and on again
Image source: funk_anonymon, Isaac Li Shung Tan
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