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29 Life Hacks People Have Used Since They Discovered Them Because They Actually Work
As it turns out, having millions of people do similar tasks day in and day out will bring out the quickest and easiest ways to accomplish them. However, we all have to go through a huge amount of information every single day, so it can be helpful to find some solid tips and tricks all in one place.
Someone asked “Which life hacks/diy tricks actually worked for you guys?” and netizens shared their favorite examples. So get yourself somewhere comfortable, prepare to take some notes, upvote your favorite examples and be sure to comment your personal ideas, thoughts and experiences below.
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#1
I always say that half-a*sed is better than no-a*sed. Doing a part of a chore, half the dishes, some of the laundry, cleaning part of the bathroom, vacuuming 1 room, is better than letting the mess build up until it's overwhelming.
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#2
When I wash my windows, I wash the outside horizontal and the the inside vertical.
This way I can easily tell if the streaks are on the inside or out. Huge timesaver.
#4
Doing a closing shift before going to bed.
Put everything in its place from the shelves/tables, take out the garbage and turn on the dishwasher - every evening.
I'm not a morning person, but getting up and everything is tidy makes a completely different start to the day.
#5
The no empty hands rule. There is always something that can be put away. Going upstairs, take something that goes there. Helps keep the clutter from building up in the usual spots aka any flat surface.
#6
I write my grocery store list in the order I walk through the store. Keeps me organized and I don’t have to walk all over the store.
#7
If you’re asking someone to do something for you or give something to you, give them a reason why you want/need it. It can literally be *any* reason. The chances of them agreeing increase significantly if you attach a reason. It’s just something that clicks in people’s brains.
I cannot overemphasize how little the reason you give matters. Obviously a good reason is better, but a nonsense/basic reason works well too (and sometimes better). The most important thing is that you say it with confidence (like it’s a reasonable explanation).
For example:
- “Can I have the big slice of cake?” **[Bad, rude, greedy, yuck]**
- “Can I have the big slice of cake? I love chocolate cake. **[Good, grateful, let the boy have a treat]**
Another:
- “Can we move the meeting to 10:30 AM?” **[Ummm, can you stop being lazy and show up on time?]**
- “Can we move the meeting to 10:30 AM? That Tuesday is really busy for me.” **[Omg, yes, let’s make this work.]**
It doesn’t always work, but I’ve definitely gotten better results with it than people I know who just ask.
#8
90%+ of what I know how to do DIY is learned from YouTube. There is *so much* good free content out there.
A basic set of tools and some time has saved me enough money over the years that it became the down payment for a house.
Plus, I just like learning how to do things and get a sense of satisfaction from completing something challenging/new and knowing I was able to fix it.
#9
Adding the word "reddit" at the end of every question I search on Google. Theres always a person that ask that question 7y before me.
#10
Use a vegetable peeler to shave off thin bits of hard cold butter that will spread on bread/toast much easier!
#11
When I need to remember something, I put something out of place and tie it to the memory.
Like if I need to remember to bring something to work but I'm about to fall asleep, I'll put my water bottle on top of my phone, and when I wake up I notice it and wonder why it's like that, then I remember the thing.
This also works for me by visualizing an area of my home that I'm going to walk past. It usually happens when I'm in the shower and I remember that I'm supposed to do something. If I concentrate and imagine the space, then repeat in my mind "when you see x, remember to do y" Then when I get out of the shower and see x, I remember to do y.
It sounds like it wouldn't work but it does for me.
#13
Everytime I get up off the couch or toilet, I do a full, deep squat. It's the lazy man's way to keep your legs strong. It don't even feel like i do 20-25 squats a day.
#14
I can't remember exactly where online but I saw a video about a year ago saying have your condiments and sauces in your veggie draws in the fridge and have your veggies in sight in the door and shelves you can see veggies and fruit and tend to use them before they go off. You'll always use the condiments no matter what so them being out of sight doesn't matter. Been a good send of a hack for my partner and I who are neurospicy.
#15
A former GF called me unexpectedly a few months after we mutually broke up. She knew I was a freelance IT guy with lots of spare parts and asked me if I had an extra power supply for her laptop.
I don't mind letting go of something I got for free (when I can't fix a laptop, the clients usually let me keep it for parts), but I'm in a suburb, and she's in the city.
However, I had an upcoming plan to go into the city, but didn't want to make the effort to meet up with her.
So I painted her initials on the unit with correction fluid, and turned it into the Lost and Found at a major rail transit hub, pretending I found it in the food court, still plugged into a wall outlet.
It actually worked - she picked it up a day or two after I dropped it off!
#16
Clean your house before leaving on vacation so you can come home to a welcoming and clean house with no chores to follow up on.
If you live in a house with multiple stories, leave items that are to go to different floors next to the stairs so you can carry them down/upstairs when you're going that way anyway.
#17
I book flights, cars, and hotels by searching with the big aggregate sights to find the deals, then contact the firms directly to make the booking.
The price is frequently the same and sometimes lower. But the big advantage is if something goes wrong - it makes it a lot easier to fix because you don't need to go through the third party. This has saved me a couple of times when my itinerary changed.
It has also saved me a significant amount of money if the third party firm charges large 'service' fees - e.g., AirBnB (many holiday rentals put listings on AirBnB but have their own online presence too).
#18
I once read that putting a rubber band around a jar lid makes it easier to open. Tried it on a stubborn jar of pickles, and it worked so well, I felt like a superhero.
#19
I have a real problem with putting my washing away once it’s dried. So I shove it all into the “clean” basket and then later when I’m looking to put clothes on, instead of digging around the basket for the clothes I want to wear, I put away as many clothes as I can until I find what I want to wear.
Once I find what I’m looking for I tell myself I can stop putting clothes away. Sometimes it can take a day or two but by the end of it all the clothes are put away. Other times I can find a groove and just end up putting everything away.
#20
When parking in a big ramp (mall, airport, parking garage), take a quick photo of a sign that reminds you of the location.
#21
I squeegee my shower walls, door and floor after every shower. It takes less than 2 minutes while I’m drip drying and keeps my shower much, much cleaner.
#22
I’ve weaponised my procrastination. If I have 5 things on my to-do list I’ll procrastinate on the first or second item by doing another item on the list.
I’m not getting the first thing done, but I’m still progressing.
The true master hack is to trick your brain into thinking the thing at the top of time list is urgent or important when it’s not, so you don’t actually screw yourself over by procrastinating on that item.
#24
If you drill a hole in the wall that turns out to be too big, or if a wall plug has come loose, snap the red bit off of a couple of matchsticks, throw those away, and put the remaining wooden bit in the hole before reinserting the wall plug and screw the item back in. Learned this years ago from a guitar magazine (how to fix a loose strap lock pin) and turned out to be really versatile.
Edit: added clarity on which bit you put into the wall since I’m no arsonist.
#25
This is an old but loved one, you can clean rust off metal with coca-cola, oldest mechanic's trick in the book.
#28
Always checkout resale shops and thrift stores in nicer cities and towns, they always got the good stuff.
#29
Using a tortilla as a plate so I can just eat the mess after. Work smarter, not harder. 🌯😂.
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