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The term "life hack" has become sort of a gimmick. The tricks, skills, and shortcuts that were once shared to help people better their everyday life have been recycled so many times, they have mutated into unrecognizable monstrosities that are useful for the sole reason of milking clicks.

However, when a few Redditors (most notably, Casrok, hey_im_cool, and unripe_banana) wanted to find out if any of these tips were still applicable and asked people to share the ones they thought are worthwhile, quite a few users stepped up and provided legit advice they've tested out and were happy with. Here they are!

#1

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones Setting a 45-60 minute timer, getting rid of any and all distractions, and just doing as much as I can on a task in that period of time. It has kept me on top of assigned readings/schoolwork that tends to pile up, cleaning, and working out. The best part is typically once the timer is up I just keep going cause hell, I've already started!

10/10 would recommend for any procrastinator

sloom_ , Ralph Hutter Report

#2

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones I work at a bougie coffee shop. Instead of saying "thanks for waiting" or even "sorry for the wait" I always say "thank you for your patience."

People respond to it better because you are thanking them which means they did something right and saying they have a good quality like patience. If you say "sorry for the wait" you're apologizing which means you did something wrong and waiting is something people don't like doing so they respond more negatively and annoyed.

I deal with a lot of rich and entitled people so it's important to make them feel better about themselves and I make some pretty good tip money for it so I'm cool with it.

TheChadmania , Michał Parzuchowski Report

#3

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones When I want something and I don't know what it is, it's water. It's always water.

pgabrielfreak , Jana Sabeth Report

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Pungent Sauce
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“Usually when you’re hungry, you’re just thirsty” Don’t remember who, but it’s true.

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#4

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones Filling in the 'to' field of an email last. After I've written the body of the email and checked everything. Amazing how many stupid errors I HAVEN'T sent to people since I started doing this. So simple, so satisfying.

massivetambourine , Stephen Phillips - Hostreviews.co.uk Report

#5

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones I make lists all year long about gift ideas for the people in my life.

firfetir , freestocks Report

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DennyS (denzoren)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I try to buy gifts all through the year. Better prices and you don't have to rush around in December.

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#6

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones Saying something out loud so I remember it. Such as "I have locked the back door". Really helps you remember you did it.

[deleted] , gabriel barreto Report

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Robert T
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or writing it down. Even if you forget or lose the piece of paper, the act of writing it down helps you to remember.

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#7

For the ladies: if your mascara is drying up, put a few drops of saline solution in the tube. It'll last a lot longer.

Sugar cures a burnt tongue.

For mosquito bites: run a spoon under hot water for about 30 seconds, then press the spoon to the bite. No more itching.

Pour pancake mix into an old ketchup bottle for no-mess pancakes.

If you frequent a zoo, notice the color the employees wear and match it next time you go. The animals will come right up to you.

llamamama03 Report

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Paul Davis
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I gotta admit the tip about wearing same colors as the keepers at the zoo is pretty cool...except for encountering the occasional Karen who thinks you work there, doesn't understand boundaries or job roles, and doesn't listen.

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#8

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones Don't put it down, put it away.

Has thoroughly changed me around the house I must say.

moshiXmoshi , Kelly Sikkema Report

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#9

Nonzero days, for battling depression and feelings of worthlessness.

So many days, I feel like I did nothing. Entirely useless. I didn't do the laundry, I didn't wash the dishes, I didn't clean up the living room. What kind of person doesn't do the most basic of household tasks?

The principle of nonzero days brought some perspective to my situation. I don't have to clean the entire apartment to prove my worth or to make progress. I can take a deep breath and spend about 10 minutes walking around gathering dishes. My day is now a nonzero day, because that 10 minutes brought me closer to one of my goals (cleaning the apartment).

My favorite thing about it is that every single work day is automatically a nonzero day. I have earned my pay for the day, I have done my best to carry my weight on the team, sometimes I even work two 8-hour shifts, two or less hours apart.

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Penelope
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a great way to look at accomplishments. I know I get wrapped up in how much has to get done on any given day. Thank you for the reminder that I can look at what I DID do, and let go of the rest.

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#10

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones My son and I ride our bikes to fireworks displays, sports events, outdoor movies and park events. When the events are over, we ride past massive traffic jams and get home in ten minutes while everyone else is stuck in traffic for an hour. If the event is far away from home, load up our bikes and we drive to a location a few miles from the event and ride in, then ride back out. We make sure to be extremely careful. We don't trust anybody. We feel like geniuses when we do this.

TractorGeek , Kevin Grieve Report

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Deja Katz
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It was all sounding fine until: We don’t trust anybody. We feel like geniuses when we do this. Okayyy….

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#11

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones I throw some toilet paper before I go number two. Never been kissed by Poseidon since started doing that

_Pornosonic_ , Giorgio Trovato Report

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Celeste Grant
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It also acts as a muffler, so if you're in a public bathroom others don't hear you as much

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#12

I cancelled my Audible sub and signed up for a library card and now listen to free audiobooks daily through the Libby app

Sister__Vigilante Report

#13

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones Drinking a glass of water right as you wake up. Feels like my whole body gets hydrated, gives me energy, it amazing.

Also focusing on breathing. So I used to have a lot of chest pains, doctor wanted to send me to a cardiologist. I just stopped for a minute thought about the situation and began doing controlled breathing exercises. Haven't had chest pains since. Having trouble falling asleep? Breath. Stressed? Breath. The human body is really amazing.

troutburger30 , Manki Kim Report

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Poultry Geist
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This can’t be stressed enough! We’re all over here taking little half breathes wondering why we don’t feel good!

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#14

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones Ask questions. Don’t criticize or patronize a person instantly.

Ask for clarification when something is not clear.

Provide options in your questions.

Sometimes an argument is not about winning. It’s telling about how you feel and if the other person respects you or not.

AnalUkelele , Christina @ wocintechchat.com Report

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#15

I feed my cat on a dish instead of a bowl now, she's eating much better, turns out she had sensitive whiskers.

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Son of Philosoraptor
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same thing here, but only for wet food. My cats hate eating wet food from bowls but happily scarf down the dry in a bowl no problem.

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#16

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones I keep a bowl of lemons out in my kitchen.

People really think I have my shit together.

CappnKrunk , Tatiana Rodriguez Report

#17

Clean out your car when you stop to get gas. You can just grab a couple things out easily and there are always garbage cans there. It's kept my car clean for the past year.

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LDYNREDD
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a small recycle bin in the back seat of my truck. I empty it out every time I stop for gas. Keeps my truck clean.

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#18

Fry left over pizza in a pan with a lid on it,crust down! The crust goes amazingly crisp, the toppings heat up and you don't have soggy disappointment. It is arguably better than fresh pizza in my opinion.

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#19

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones Freezing a quarter full water bottle horizontally and pouring water in to it, to get cold water whenever I need.

unexpected532 , Serenity Mitchell Report

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Jo Morris
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I put the bottle on a 45 degrees angle in the freezer so the cold water I pour onto it goes right down the bottle. This prevents ice being on the bottom half and water on the top half.

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#20

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.

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#21

Put your socks on first. They're like lube for pants.

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Robert T
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The bottom hem of jeans seem specifically designed to catch on ones toenails, so yes, definitely!

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#22

Not daily per se, but a few weeks ago I read a comment saying we should be putting a HUGE amount of salt in our pasta water, way more than we think, and my pasta has been much better ever since. Thank you, anonymous pasta-salter!

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#23

“Fake it ‘till you make it.”

Surprising success rate.

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#24

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones Wash dishes/pots/pans as you finish with them and never go to bed leaving anything in the sink that is dirty. Helps keep the kitchen so clean.

GKinslayer , Marek Studzinski Report

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Robert T
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But then the sound of the dishwasher crying because it no longer has a purpose will keep me awake all night!

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#25

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones If someone walks in the opposite direction as you (walking towards you) you can start walking slower and they'll move out of your way. I don't know why but it works.

voiceoresurgence , Ryoji Iwata Report

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Claire Stanfield
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You do not have to change your speed at all, just look at where you are going instead of the people/stuff around you. Look like you're on a mission and people will evade you.

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#26

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones I saw this video on Facebook where they had saved vegetable peelings and ends that are edible but not appetizing. You take the bits and toss them in a pit of water with seasonings and make veggie stock. I do this all the time now and I always have the best veggie stock.

Mahovolich13 , Chandra Oh Report

#27

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones Well my brother told me this but he found this on reddit. Have 6 seconds of courage and you can get many great things in life

Ceraph- , Toa Heftiba Report

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Deborah B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's if you are scared to do something. It's easier if you tell yourself you just have to have courage for 6 seconds. That's time to get up, or to make eye contact, or ask someone if they'd like to grab a drink after work. It's enough time to say "Hey boss, I need a 20% raise - we both know I'm worth it." or "Boss, I resign."

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#28

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones If you want to have a seat on the bus/train to yourself, when the doors open and the new people get on just smile at the door and pat the seat next to you almost inviting them to sit there.

No one ever does.

GoBTF , Ant Rozetsky Report

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Ruby
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sorry but no, you're on public transport, don't feel entitled to have a seat for yourself and do stupid "tricks" to keep people away

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#29

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones I read a thread about how to fall asleep in 5 minutes. The trick was to blink until your eyes get so tired that you can't blink anymore. Can confirm that it works beautifully.

YellowWhales , Kinga Cichewicz Report

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ElenaK
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well the problem usually is not keeping the eyelids shut, but drifting to sleep. I can stay awake with my eyes closed for hours, ocassionally.

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#30

People Share Life Hacks That Actually Work, And Here Are 30 Of The Most Useful Ones Someone here told me to put salt in my coffee and it really does kick it up a notch

greeperfi , Jeremy Yap Report

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Paul Davis
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People don't realize that one of salt's biggest functions is to block bitter taste receptors. So it really should work to make any bitter food more palatable.

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