People Share “Uncomplicated Yet Highly Efficient” Life Hacks, Here Are The 30 Best Posts
Sometimes you stumble across a life hack that is so brilliant, that you have to almost kick yourself for not figuring it out earlier. But better late than never, and the internet is a fantastic place to start.
Someone asked “Which uncomplicated yet highly efficient life hack surprises you that it isn't more widely known?” and people shared their best secrets. So make sure you are ready to take notes, get as comfortable as you can, scroll through, and be sure to upvote your favorites. If you have some ideas of your own to share, feel free to go into details below, in the comments section.
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You don’t have to get married. You don’t have to have kids. It’s a choice, and it’s your choice.
Too many people get pressured to conform and do what others do without questioning the rationale.
Never married, no kids. I never felt the need to run at breakneck speed down the aisle.
You don't have to answer the door just because someone rings the bell.
Old toothbrushes are the best tools for cleaning small and difficult to access areas
While most of us are probably familiar with the idea of “hacking,” as in cutting something with, say, a machete or hatchet, the idea of a “life hack” is considerably more modern and is probably closer to the concept of a trench-coat wearing fellow in a dark room, breaking into “the mainframe.”
It was most likely coined by Danny O'Brien, who is still sometimes called the “father of lifehacks.” The idea really did catch on, as people very quickly came to appreciate the concept. Indeed, in the mid-2000s, there were entire conferences dedicated to “life hacks,” although it had a focus on technology and coding. Nevertheless, the idea has expanded and is likely here to stay.
Make a copy of your passport, visa and any other important documents and email them to yourself. If something happens to the originals, you have enough information to apply for replacements.
If you use one of the free email services, this could make you very vulnerable to identity theft
If you’re ever learning something, whether at a work meeting or class or from a YouTube video, have a notebook where you take 30-60 seconds to jot down a summary, in your own words, RIGHT when you finish. Not detailed notes (which you can take while the class/meeting is going if you need to), but the equivalent of a TV Guide blurb summarizing what you learned.
Not only will rewording/summarizing help you retain whatever you learned, but over the years you’ll have your own personal book of knowledge to reference as a jumping off point for learning more.
Clean as you go when cooking.
Wipe down surfaces, clean a dish or pot or pan when something needs to simmer for a bit, wipe down your knives after use and dry them with a towel and put them back in the knife block.
I learned it from sister’s husband who is a chef.
It makes cooking so much more pleasant.
Also mise en place. Prep all your ingredients before hand and have them ready. Again, it makes cooking more fun and less arduous and the dishes turn out better.
I've taught myself "organizational baking." Start with a clean, uncluttered kitchen. Fill a sink with hot, soapy water. Rinse off used utensils and place them in the dishwater. Put away each ingredient as you finish with it. While goodies are baking, wash up dishes, clean countertops, sweep the floor, and take out the trash. Set up cooling racks and wash used pans. Works every time.
You don't have to answer your phone if you don't want to. Neither calls nor messages. It can wait. Playing with your kid, taking that bath, finishing the chapter or whatever it is you don't want to interrupt is way more important. If it's a life-and-death matter they'll call again. And again. And again, trust me, you won't miss it. I have a rule with my family in fact, when I don't answer the phone, but it's really REALLY important, they should call immediately a second time, then I'll know and answer. BTW, your phone has a silent mode too.
We do the same in my family, it's so convenient especially with the older folks. Thus they won't run to their phone and take the risk of a fall. My father always react to a phone call thinking "it could be an emergency, I should hurry to answer!"
White vinegar in the laundry-so much cheaper than fabric softeners and the clothes are cleaner and softer.
Exactly! If it builds up on your dryer lint screen, what does it do to your lungs?!
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I also used vinegar until a chemist once explained that vinegar is too aggressive for the rubber seals in your washing machine (read: the rubber seals get porous, and then your machine will leak water or, worse, break due to water short-wiring the electrics). Use citric acid instead. It has the same effect but is much better for any rubber in your washing machine :) You're welcome ;)
I did this almost religiously - until I heard that constant use of vinegar destroys the plastic parts of your washing machine. Now I only do this once every 3-4 loads because I'm afraid.
Use citric acid instead. 1 tea spoon per load is enough :)
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And the colors stay bright longer. Also, white vinegar can be used to clean windows and mirrors.
And to clean out rabbit litter trays/runs!
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Adding fabric softener to your laundry can lower the flame retardant levels in your clothes causing your clothes to catch on fire instead of keeping you safe if you are ever in a fire. The better option is dryer balls, or other natural solutions to soften your clothes.
Plus you have an excuse to buy clothing more often as vinegar is highly acidic at eats away at the fibers!
You don't just put vinegar in, you're supposed to be mixing it with water
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Interesting. I wonder how/where you add this? I have a front-loading machine for the first time and I'm not sure what to do.
Unless you have an aversion to the smell of vinegar - I can't tolerate the stuff.
If you live in a soft water area like me, still use the white vinegar, it neutralises lingering odours. Haven't bought fabric softener for 25 years
Stopped using dryer sheets many years ago. Instead, I use dryer balls made of felt. The vinegar is very good for whitening clothes, as well as taking care of musty and yucky smells. Don't use it with bleach or on clothing with spandex or elastic.
Down side is your laundry room will smell like salt and vinegar chips. But otherwise this is an excellent tip. It also helps remove or at least lessen drool/sweat stains from pillows.
OOOOOOOOO, this is great news. I hate to admit that I drool, but I do. And my pillow shows this! : - D
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Nope. In my experience, clothes tend to have a sunshine-y smell, like they've been dried outside on a clear, sunny day.
Load More Replies...If you can’t get yourself to do something, get yourself to do just five minutes of the thing. Nine times out of 10, you will finish the thing immediately. Doing it is a hard, it’s just starting that’s hard.
If you have adhd, create a folder on your phone called Safe Places. When you put an item in a "Safe Place" so you wont lose it or so you can remember where it is for later, take a picture of it in its safe place and put it in that folder. Good luck remembering to do any of this.
Wear sunscreen
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it
Don't worry about the future Or worry, but know that worrying Is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum
When you take apart a piece of furniture, put the screws and hardware in a sandwich bag. Then write the name of the furniture and use of the screws on a notecard, and put that in the bag.
This keeps screws from a single item in one place, easily visible, and easily referenced for future use (instead of sitting in a large pile of similar, nondescript hardware).
Depending on the furniture item and its placement, you can also tape the bag to the back, or place it in a drawer, and it's right there for later.
1. Be kind
2. Sharpen your kitchen knives.
Paint the back of the switch plate when you are painting a room, that way you have an easy to carry, protected from fading swatch to color match later, if you need to.
I store the paper swatch from the hardware store somewhere in a cupboard in said room. That way not only do you have the original swatch, but its name, brand, and serial number.
This is really stupid, but put your socks on BEFORE your pants not only is it easier to put the socks on without your pants being in the way, but your foot slides through the pant legs much easier.
As a skinny jeans wearer, can confirm. Beats wearing socks over my pants.
Ice cube trays are good for more than water. I freeze cubes of tomato paste, coconut and goat milk, and pumpkin puree for the cat. Working on cilantro "pesto" cubes now. It's so handy!
Put your keys on top of the thing you need to remember to bring with you in the morning.
I'm actually doing that in reverse order - I am putting the things that I need to remember taking on top of my keys so I need to lift them to get to my keys.
The public library lets you stream movies and music for free. You just need a library card, which is free too.
depends on country. Our public libraries are derelict places stuck in the 1980s with card catalogs.
When navigating a crowded place with people going every which way, focus your gaze upon the spot you're walking towards.
We look at each other's eyes when trying to avoid bumping into each other and maintaining your gaze on the spot you're headed allows people to subconsciously see how to avoid you and will adjust their path accordingly. You won't have any more of those awkward encounters where you're looking at another person and you both keep trying to turn the same direction.
I read this trick on here years ago and use it all the time in stores, the mall, etc, and it really does work. Maybe it's because I look like a psychopath and people are trying to avoid me altogether, but either way it works.
The origin of the word "prestige" is "illusion." Don't waste excess time, energy, or money trying to impress other people. Focus on developing genuine strengths instead.
Oh! That makes the title of the movie just so much cooler, considering it's about illusionists! (I never watched it, it's probably explained in the movie? Still cool)
Using an hairdryer to remove stubborn stickers and labels
Different colored nail polish on various keys that look the same. Saves SO much time.
Guess you never heard of colored silicon rings you can put on keys. 61CG40zkPP..._QL80_.jpg 
The adage: “do what you must before you do what you may”.
As someone with serious ADHD, just saying this phrase before I or as I get distracted has saved me hours of lost productivity.
I apply it to everything. Getting on my phone at work? Not before I send that email. Finished dinner and want to go veg? Not before I clean everything up.
I repeat it to myself constantly throughout the day to keep me focused and taking care of the little things that otherwise would build up.
I am very open to bribery. If I wash the dishes, then I can play on my computer for 30 minutes. If I send 3 emails, I can have a lovely mug of hot chocolate. Of course, I could play on my computer, and not wash the dishes. Of course, I could have the hot chocolate, and not send the emails, but if I do the task, then I get the reward, and a reward hot chocolate tastes better than an ordinary one.
Learning to cook. Started way too late in life. You're paying a fraction of the cost to make something specifically tailored to your taste. And the process is fun, creative, and experimental in the way that the best hobbies are. I stopped drinking and learned to cook during the pandemic. I can not express the difference its made to my finances and health. I suddenly have so much more money for fun stuff, and never worry about a belly sticking out anymore. Start young and learn to love doing it. Your life will improve *dramatically*.
Crumpling your parchment paper into a ball then smoothing it out before using it to line a pan makes it easier to fit it into your pan nicely.
Turn the pan upside down and form the paper or foil using the pan bottom as a mold.
You can bypass a lot of paywalls on mobile websites by simply switching to reader mode before the page finishes loading.
If you exchange holiday or birthday gifts with your loved ones, keep a list on your phone throughout the year of ideas of what to give and when the time comes to buy gifts you’ll have almost everything prepared
Isn't this pretty obvious? I hate that we call every mundane tip a "hack". Someone in a video said they had a "hack" for crossing the US/Mexico more quickly and it was literally just signing up for the equivalent of the TSA Precheck program. THAT'S NOT A HACK. A "hack" is literally in the name: it's literally hacking something aka "using it in a non-standard manner" or something along those lines. Sorry, this whole thing is just a pet peeve.
If you use a computer for a majority of your work, get a second used monitor off Craigslist or a local sales site. Complete game changer having a work monitor and a reference one. It's never cost me more than $20, and most video cards have multiple outlets.
You can get garlic and other smells off your hands or out of jars etc by covering the surface in water which is also in contact with a metal such as steel. That is, rinse your hands under the tap while rubbing a teaspoon against the skin or fill the jar with water and stand a fork in it.
When putting screen wash in your car.
Turn the bottle sideways.
Maintaining a service log. I have a spreadsheet where I log any service I have done, who did it, the date, what it was and how much it cost. Auto repair, medical, dental, vision, veterinarian visits, appliance repairs, etc. Being able to refer back to this has saved me a lot of hassle (and in some cases money) over the years.
- Don’t put it down, put it away (soon as feasible)
- Don’t leave a room empty handed. There’s usually something in the room that belongs somewhere else, if it’s on the way, take it with you and put it away.
- Pomodoro. Generally set time constraints for doing a task. Work for 10-20 mins, take a 2-5 minute break. Adjust as necessary. This is best for getting started on a task.
I immediately forgot everything I had just read when I got to "Pomodoro". Huh?
If you always smell bad when working out, take a shower beforehand. The reason we smell is (usually) because of the bacteria on our skin. Washing it off before will significantly cut down on the odor. Everyone smells when we work out, so don't get too worked up about it. But if you feel like you smell especially bad, or if you're getting complaints, this works.
Also, hang your gym clothes up to dry as soon as you get home. When you wash them, replace the fabric softener with vinegar. Use about half as much vinegar as you would fabric softener. Vinegar has some antimicrobial properties and will also release any leftover soap. This will kill most scents trapped in your clothes. When you dry them, avoid dryer sheets; all these will do is help trap any remaining odor in the fabric.
If you have a little ketchup or whatever left at the bottom of a bottle and can’t shake it down to the nozzle…make sure the cap is tightly secured, hold the bottle firmly at the base and windmill your arm a few times, nozzle pointing outwards.
Centrifugal force pulls every last drop to the nozzle.
My big bro taught me that one, never seen anyone else do it!
MAKE SURE THE TOP IS CLOSED. This is how the famed "Mustard and Ketchup Fight" started between me and my brother aeons ago.
Meal prep + freezer + Instant Pot.
My life is changed. Once every two months, prep a bunch of frozen meals that you can just throw in the instant pot. You literally just throw raw meat, spices, etc into ziplocks and freeze it. When hungry, you pop this meal popsicle into the instant pot for 30 mins and have amazing hot meal. Minimal dishes (both during prep since it’s just chopping and throwing in bags, and after cooking), so easy non-cooks in the house can throw it in, and cheaper since you buy everything in bulk and spend less throughout the month. Less food wastage too.
Pinch of Yum has a bunch of great recipes.
You can put almost any raw vegetable into a smoothie and as long as there's enough sweet fruit in there too (apples, bananas, pineapple, oranges, whatever) it will taste good. You don't even need a recipe, just throw a bunch of healthy stuff in the blender and hit the button, you can get way weirder with it than you'd expect and still not mess it up. They're expensive at restaurants but cheap and ridiculously easy at home. I'm 40 years late on this trend because I didn't discover how shockingly simple it was until about a week ago.
Smoothies are not as healthy as you expect - they make all the sugar imediately accessable, taking the fruit from a low GI food to a high one, and destroying a lot of the fibre. You're better off eating a salad and a fruit plate, than putting the same ingredients thru the blender.
Windows key + D minimises all open windows.
Alt+tab switches between current window and last window used.
Those flat, thin plastic bags which are sometimes hard to open (here in Germany they are often used for fresh produce) - just stretch them a bit at the opening and voilà!
Go to bed at a normal time and create a decent sleep pattern. Everything is easier when you're not tired. Also, sleep is free.
Using a damp cloth or sponge to steam clean your microwave. Grandma taught me this one
Use your hands to squeegee any excess water off your body before drying with a towel for ultimate dryness satisfaction.
Apply lotion to your body right after you dry off. You'll use less and your body will be moisturized better.
Just aim to be average at something or most things that you want to try/do. You'll get better at everything you do.
Be really good to a few solid people at your workplace, lend them a hand here and there, bring them their favorite small treat here and there; therefore, if you break bad with your supervisor, you have references from colleagues who would happily vouch for you. Currently in this position right now. I am so thankful I made great connections. They have all either called or messaged me that it’s not the same without me after I had had enough; again, it’s super uncomplicated to just be nice to people. People will remember that you were kind more than theyll remember your favorite color.
Use a sharpie to write on the back of your switch plates and outlet covers which breaker turns that thing off. Saves you the trouble of all the trial and error.
Or label the distribution board in your garage with a label above each switch as to what room it serves.
If you are given a task that takes 5 minutes and you can squeeze those five minutes in, right now, do it. This kills procrastination. For anything outside of that, write it down, create a calendar event.
Wrong wrong wrong. Any true procrastinator knows that it doesn't work like that. First, I know damn well that it will take more than five minutes just to get started, and will take three times the time I expected, Secondly, task reminders for things that don't actually have a firm fixed deadline will just be put on pause multiple times and eventually turned off, cos you don't want to be reminded/nagged about the things you're not going to do today.
When you get married instead of sending save the date cards, send fridge magnets. You'll have some left over and you'll always have one on your fridge to remind you of your anniversary.
The one I live by is ‘Be good to your future self’ which is similar to some of the ones above. For example, cleaning up the dishes after dinner now so your future self will wake up to a clean kitchen
Or don't clean up the kitchen and your future self can remember the fun stuff you did instead.
Load More Replies... Which isn't common, hence the entire f*****g point of the article.
Load More Replies... yes and no. there are something here that make life more complicated, and somethings that are just not life hacks at all.
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Practice lazy housework. Clean as you go that way you never have to do 'housework' just a quick once over with a vacuum
The one I live by is ‘Be good to your future self’ which is similar to some of the ones above. For example, cleaning up the dishes after dinner now so your future self will wake up to a clean kitchen
Or don't clean up the kitchen and your future self can remember the fun stuff you did instead.
Load More Replies... Which isn't common, hence the entire f*****g point of the article.
Load More Replies... yes and no. there are something here that make life more complicated, and somethings that are just not life hacks at all.
Load More Replies... Practice lazy housework. Clean as you go that way you never have to do 'housework' just a quick once over with a vacuum
