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.
This post may include affiliate links.
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.
Apart from the fact that it's basic human decency to treat them right, it also gives you benefits - whatever happened at my workplace, because I've been friendly to the janitors, I knew about stuff going down way ahead of anyone else. Be nice and be friendly!
It's true that this is basic human decency. Not sure it belongs on this list because it's not a "life hack that seems horrible at first"--unless you're Mr. Scrooge. But it's good to remember to be kind to everyone, nonetheless.
Load More Replies...I only look down at people who litter, pollute and mistreat animals. No job can make a person any less valuable, they are all needed.
Wish I could upvote you many times over Biba Little
Load More Replies...Not that it makes a difference(?), But when I pass by someone doing a job for me ( custodian, housekeeper, etc) I say hi and thank you as I pass by ( I smile at them also but with masks...). I really appreciate the jobs these people do. When I worked in an office, I used to get "teased" because I was friends with many of the warehouse workers, truck drivers and security ( which I guess were considered beneath us) I found them much more down to earth and not as judgemental as the upper management and sales, whom my co-workers tried to befriend.
This is a strange mentality to me. Not that I discourage it, I chat with all of our janitorial staff, I know their names and the names of their family members. We exchange Christmas cards and they get invited to retirement and office parties. The part I mean is this idea that by me treating someone as a human it is this life saving thing for them, like my saying good morning is such a honor in their obviously miserable lives (because of course they can't be fulfilled or happy when they are so lowly) that I have saved them. I have been poor for far longer than I have been financially stable and I think it is a strange mentality that someone would think I am 1) horribly miserable, and 2) that I care so much about someone above me saying hello that it could save my life. Saving a life is giving people a living wage, not being nice and expecting that to make up for the fact someone can't pay rent. Don't hurt yourself trying to make yourself feel better about the poverty that surrounds you.
I believe that the "one interaction that could save someone's life" would probably be if they are suicidal and you showing that you care is the one thing that makes them reconsider dying.
Load More Replies...I worked for a year at a crap big box department store. I befriended one of the cleaning ladies. Everyone else acted like she was invisible and gave me weird looks when I talked to her. She was by far the nicest person there and so hard working. Every day she would teach me a Spanish word or phrase and I would teach her the same in Swedish.
Working as a janitor I get dirty looks and ignored like I'm less than, there's a few people that are always friendly and have never made me feel awkward or ashamed about what I do and those couple of people make a difference for me.
ALWAYS! When I was in corporate I made sure we had cash gifts for the cleaning crew, for the security guys, and for building maintenance. Minimum $50 each. We always got excellent service from them - because we thanked them! :)
This one kind of brushed me the wrong way - first of all, I do not get the mentality of looking down on some jobs and I do not experience this here. Our cleaning lady would probably (and rightfully!) hit me over the head with her mop if I thought I was somehow better than her! And I do not want to "act kind" to other people to improve their miserable life? Or to get something out of it? Be kind. Without second thoughts. They are sentinent beings just like you. Just. Be. Kind. That's it.
I always, ALWAYS tried too have a nice, short conversation with our cleaning crew at my previous job. I also asked her what she wished we would all do to make her job quicker; easier. Just pull our trash cans out from under our desks. Easy request. I also would make her up a plate if we had catering leftovers (including sweets, sodas, etc,.) She said with the time she was saving with the trash cans, she was able to dust everyone's overhead bins and desks.
I don't feel right being nice to someone for my benefit. I'm nice to everyone regardless...
Being kind doesn't cost anything. You never know who may really need that smile or that moment of acknowledgement.
I asked a cashier at a grocery store once "How's YOUR day going?" She actually got tears in her eyes and said no customer had ever asked her that! So now I do it every single time.
Nice sentiment but I think people need to appreciate that they actually do an important job. For example, without the cleaners in your huge office blocks, scrubbing and cleaning toilets, emptying bins, picking up dirty tissues, etc., there'd be alot more disease and sickness around. So appreciate them for doing a nasty job on a small wage, but appreciate them mainly because they do an important job and keep you and many others safe.
It’s sad that this is suppose to be a life hack, this is just human decency- thanks for the reminder though
That's so true. I've been there and done that, so I know how hard they work and live. So now not only I reapect them, talk to them, and try not to overwhelm them with more work, I also taught my kids to do it.
I remember one guy in our building who it seems I was the only one who talked to him. He gave me chocolates that Christmas. Treat people as you want to be treated people.
Where I used to work the fact that I was on really good terms with the facilities guy and shared snacks with him when most people didn't bother to say hi, meant the ice got cleared to where I parked pretty quickly as I was handicapped. Before him it was always a hassle
Housekeeper here, especially be nice to us if you want your office cleaned. One lady went out of her way to make my job harder so I didn't vacuum her office for 3 weeks. Then one day she said "have a nice weekend" and BOOM suddenly her office got vacuumed. One man was extremely helpful when my badge wouldn't work one day, so BOOM I make sure I wipe off his desk regularly and vacuum. I'm sure it sounds petty but IDGAFFFFFFF. Also we hear EVERYTHING so if you're genuinely nice to us we'll give you the tea. Also if there are office sweets and you let us know we can have some you have earned a lifetime of "I'll go out of my way to make sure your space is clean" I might even die for you idk JUST OFFER ME A DAMN OFFICE DONUT ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE JUST GONNA THROW THEM OUT
My mom taught me that from a very young age, so I used to think it was the norm. I end up befriending everyone. The maintenance crew at school, at work, on my building complex, uber drivers, fast food employees (I was on a WhatsApp group with the girls from Subway a while back, we used to swap hair and skincare tips.) Being courteous and nice, smile, joke around, wish happy holidays, is natural to me. Breaks my heart when people thank me for being nice to them.
Volunteer at a soup kitchen regularly, you will be surprised what you learn.... Particularly about yourself.
I work in a hospital. The environmental service people are very important. Unfortunately they've routinely not been treated like they are as important to the safety of the patients and staff as they are. It's starting to happen with their pay going up because people have lots of options these days.
Whenever i see a cleaning lady i imagine my mom. She never was in this industry, but her slave-owner-like boss sure seem the comparison
This professional hacker is absolutely reliable and I strongly recommend him for any type of hack you require. I know this because I have hired him severally for various hacks and he has never disappointed me nor any of my friends who have hired him too, he can help you with any of the following hacks: -Phone hacks (remotely) -Credit repair -Bitcoin recovery (any cryptocurrency) -Make money from home (USA only) -Social media hacks -Website hacks -Erase criminal records (USA & Canada only) -Grade change Email: cybergoldenhacker at gmail dot com
The garbage man, the janitor, the cleaning man or women are the most important people in our world. It is when they are not there to clean our mess, that we come to realise how discusting we can be.
I tell new joiners that the most important people in the company are the receptionists, the canteen staff, the cleaners, the post room and security. Without those people the company would not be able to operate. People look at me funny when I tell them, but I insist on introducing them to the new guys and sooner or later the new guys see how being civil and knowing someone by name can be a benefit. Not least the time I left a 6 month contract role and the canteen staff insisted I eat free for the whole of my final week.
As the Office Manager, I had to call our landlord because some moron stuffed a diaper down the toilet and flooded the office. I called and thanked her for getting it fixed so quickly. She said no one had ever done that before. After that, our office got stuff fixed pretty quickly. That wasn't the purpose of my call, but that felt good.
I work in a hospital we'd be up the creek without our housekeepers!
Cooks, cleaners, security guards, the person who empties the trash. Be polite to them.
Always leave a tip and yes even basic motels. ,5-20 bucks at least. And dont leave a mess
I'm a teacher and on great terms with all these people...guess who gets what ever they want moved in their room first, who gets a free hot lunch when they need one, who gets their parking spot plowed first...yeah you know it. I treat these employees, like the people they are, THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING!!!
Worked at a hotel where at the start of their shift the management (of which I was one) would walk around the hotel and see as many members of staff as they could, shake hands and ‘waste’ some time catching up on how families are, what’s going on in the hotel and have a chat about things that were not to do with the business but to do with the individual. We were a family and every member of the family mattered. Those at the sharp end know more about the guests and how the hotel feels that day, they observe more than we ever could, their opinion matters. If they had concerns away from work we could help, giving them a bit of time to go home early or give them a lift to hospital on a day off could make a huge difference to their lives. The team wins or loses on how the staff behave, if you are all valued then you want a win. It was the best workplace I’ve ever been in and apart from the guests it was a breeze 😂
My boss did this for awhile. We all thought it was just weird and trying too hard to be our "friend".
Load More Replies...One of my favorite photos is of President Obama fist bumping a janitor as he's walking down the hall. Guarantee he knew that gentleman's name too. Guarantee 45 never even acknowledged 98% of the people in the White House. What I have learned in my adult life is that everyone plays a part. If one link in the chain breaks then we all break. Perfect example is happening right now with our supply chain, it's still working but at a snails pace than we have become used to.
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.
Writing things down by hand helps you remember them better.
It seems like life hacks have been everywhere lately, on TikTok, Instagram stories, Facebook feeds, even Linkedin. It doesn't take you long to realize that most of them are utterly useless, like “peeling onions without shedding a tear,” which basically means you have to use a bunch of extra weird gadgets, or “opening a stubborn banana from the bottom,” because damn those stubborn bananas! It’s only fair to wonder what’s up with this modern obsession and whether there's anything it tells us about ourselves.
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.
This is actually a really good one that I've stuck to over the last few years. It helped me lose weight and get my savings looking healthier. I was always the "I can't afford to save 15% of my wages so there's no point in doing it at all" or "I can't run 5k so why bother" kind of person. Little improvements quickly build up to bigger ones.
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.
Yeah. Sometimes some people just need to rant. They don't need your advice they just need to get things off their chest and they'll be fine
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/!
Exactly! And let people do things their own preferred way. You can just comment on how you do it without judging their way (like " interesting you wash dishes like that! I wash them like this. Cool people have different ways of doing things"). Then they are given the option to consider a different method. But if they are happy doing it their way, it's fine, even if it takes them more time or the result isn't perfect.
Interestingly, life-hack content in itself is not a new thing. According to Refinery29, the genre can be dated back to roughly 2500 B.C. It’s the time when the “Instructions of Shuruppak,” one of the oldest pieces of “wisdom literature,” came to being, giving people advice that was passed from a father (the king Shuruppak) to his son (Ziusudra). This is an early Sumerian text and it contains practical and philosophical wisdom bites, such as “Don’t pass judgment when you’ve been drinking beer; don’t buy an ass that brays too much; and don’t place your house next to a public square—there’s always a crowd there.”
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.
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!
Sees Ökos walking around looking sus....they walk up to my diaper bc "wHY diDn'T sHe pUt iT in THe tRAsh?!?! Shes killing the environment!!" And then proceeds to throw my diaper away...(you know...the kind of militant people who rescue/free a land turtle and thinking doing it a service throw it "back" into the pond.
Clear packing tape over the speakers of plastic children's toys. It muddles the sounds enough that I still have some of my hearing.
This should be higher up. And yes, I did this when mine were little!!
So giving one person advice and receiving it from others is the most basic and ancient form of passing knowledge. This is a human thing to do—we share things we’re good at, or that we have knowledge of through experience and skill. I mean, that’s how the education systems work, and that’s how leaders are born.
But life hacks take the concept of sharing something that’s supposedly valuable to us to the extreme. The problem is not giving a hack per se, but rather the content of it. While we may want to know how to start the car in freezing temperatures with a simple trick, we genuinely don’t need a tip on making storage boxes out of coconut shells. Or do we?
Refinery29 suggests that our fascination with life hacks spreading around the internet may have to do with our “deep-seated need to learn more information, without actually requiring that we engage our brains.” If anything, the internet has taught us we can accomplish things without sacrificing our time and effort too much. And if that’s one more weird life hack, so be it.
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
Taking a break when you get frustrated with a task. Seriously!
And stop thinking about the problem. Let your underlying thought precesses do the work in your subconscious. Works wonders.
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.
If you always put your keys in the same place, you won’t lose them.
Being genuinely nice and appreciative with people. They'll 100% help you out in any way they can.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Deleting social media of your phone does wonders for your mood and overall mental wellbeing
So does eating chocolate, binge watching your faveroute show, alcohol, sex, music.....ect.
A knitted fake wasp nest. Our wasps buggered off the same day, haven't been seen since.
Do you think you could maybe find the time to knit me a fake Jehova’s Witness?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Don't save your banking information on online stores. Makes impulse buying much more difficult if you have to track down your wallet.
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.
Never shop when hungry.
Habits are formed over a few weeks.
Look after your feet, even a blister can screw up your week.
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.
For electronics: Turning it off and on again
Note: this post originally had 68 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Heard an Army type chap explaining the psychology behind always making a bed in the morning. The Army puts a lot of pressure on recruits to conform to certain standards, it’s obvious why they do that, the perfectly cleaned boots, the razor sharp creases etc but the bed thing is more than discipline and attention to detail. You’ve been sent out on a 20 mile, wet, windy and gruelling route march, you’ve failed tests, you’ve been shouted at, eaten cold food, and generally had a rough day. You get to the time for bed and it’s perfect, you achieved something right at the start of the day that benefits you at the end of a day. You’ve bookended a rough day with something good, that lifts you, even a little bit of positivity will help you. So straighten your bed first thing, it takes a second or two and it’ll be worth it. Be more kind to yourself and others, it works ❤️
Except that studies have shown that leaving your bed to air out in the morning is much healthier. Making your bed creates just the type of warm, humid environment that dust mites love, complete with your shed skin cells for them to breakfast on.
Load More Replies...GOOD ADVICE AND HELPFUL TIPS ARE NOT HACKS!!!! STOP CALLING EVERYTHING A 'HACK.' A HACK IS USING SOMETHING FOR A PURPOSE OR IN A MANNER THAT IT WASN'T DESIGNED OR INTENDED FOR.
now deep breaths. it's also a life hack for calming down:D
Load More Replies...I used to get in to a tizzy about getting things done, then I wouldn't get anything done because I tizzy'ed the day away. A friend said "What do you need to do by the end of the day, end of the week, end of the month". It helped me to organize better and I stopped tizzying quite so much.
Heard an Army type chap explaining the psychology behind always making a bed in the morning. The Army puts a lot of pressure on recruits to conform to certain standards, it’s obvious why they do that, the perfectly cleaned boots, the razor sharp creases etc but the bed thing is more than discipline and attention to detail. You’ve been sent out on a 20 mile, wet, windy and gruelling route march, you’ve failed tests, you’ve been shouted at, eaten cold food, and generally had a rough day. You get to the time for bed and it’s perfect, you achieved something right at the start of the day that benefits you at the end of a day. You’ve bookended a rough day with something good, that lifts you, even a little bit of positivity will help you. So straighten your bed first thing, it takes a second or two and it’ll be worth it. Be more kind to yourself and others, it works ❤️
Except that studies have shown that leaving your bed to air out in the morning is much healthier. Making your bed creates just the type of warm, humid environment that dust mites love, complete with your shed skin cells for them to breakfast on.
Load More Replies...GOOD ADVICE AND HELPFUL TIPS ARE NOT HACKS!!!! STOP CALLING EVERYTHING A 'HACK.' A HACK IS USING SOMETHING FOR A PURPOSE OR IN A MANNER THAT IT WASN'T DESIGNED OR INTENDED FOR.
now deep breaths. it's also a life hack for calming down:D
Load More Replies...I used to get in to a tizzy about getting things done, then I wouldn't get anything done because I tizzy'ed the day away. A friend said "What do you need to do by the end of the day, end of the week, end of the month". It helped me to organize better and I stopped tizzying quite so much.