ADVERTISEMENT

Most people have a certain skill that, even though very basic and mastered by most people around them, still doesn’t come easy for them.

Among the examples are activities and processes as basic as proper breathing or folding fitted sheets, while the reasons behind it may vary from a person’s innate qualities, lacking patience, good teachers, or practice to simply not caring enough about it.

And these people are listing these kinds of basic skills they aren’t very good at, answering one Redditor’s question: ”What is the most basic thing you are terrible at?”

Do you have something to add? Please, share your thoughts in the comments below!

More info: Reddit

#1

Three people with headsets at computer stations, engaging in teamwork and communication activities. Doing anything while someone is watching.

Silent_Decay Report

LizzieBoredom
Community Member
10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You have no idea how judgemental Kid Charlemagne is. Fuzzy bastard.

RELATED:
    #2

    Colorful name cards scattered, featuring a variety of names in bold calligraphy. Remembering somebody's name. If a person comes up and says, "Hi, I'm Jim Peterson," I will have forgotten it by the time I've said "Hey. I'm NoxWild."

    NoxWild Report

    #3

    Two people comforting each other over coffee, holding hands. Comforting sad people. I'll literally just stand there and be like, "you .. .you want some water?"

    Cressonette Report

    Ineke Pronk
    Community Member
    9 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If it is a person I am comfortable with my main go to is "Do you want a hug?" And hold them as long as they need it. Sometimes adding "It will pass, it might pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass." For those I am not comfortable with, I just listen. No interjecting, just letting them talk.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #4

    Two people at a café table, one pointing at a laptop, discussing basic skills. Small talk. I turn every casual conversation into an awkward dance of random facts and nervous laughter lol

    HallqPE03r4221 Report

    Roland Nijveld
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ok. First 5 and with all I'm like: same. Don't think this list is about basic things at all. More things that some people perceive as basic.

    View more comments
    #5

    Person writing in notebook with pen, illustrating basic skills challenge. Handwriting. It doesn’t seem to matter how hard I try it always looks like a drunk spider has stood in ink and wandered across the page. Edit: Not a Dr so please ignore any medical advice I give out

    SpankyBluePanda Report

    PhaseWitFact
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I grew up before computers. I thought cursive was dumb then. I print so it's legible and mostly use the computer for correspondence, notes, etc. so everything is legible, neat, and consistent.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #6

    Classic green car parked on a city street, showcasing a vintage vibe. Parallel parking. It's like my car has a force field that repels itself from the curb I swear

    AndersontUI49f6221 Report

    Feathered Dinosaur
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Omg a few years ago I needed to parallel park in a narrow street. A police car (!) waited behind me as it was to narrow to pass. In a feat of glory I have never since repeated I aced it and the two young cops (male, I'm female) cheered and gave me thumbs up when they passed. I took it as a compliment but hell, I was never as nervous or relieved in my whole life

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #7

    A person holding a compass in their hand, symbolizing being terrible at basic navigation. Sense of direction. I navigate around well due to memorization. I have no feeling of which way to go. I can get lost after using the restaurant bathroom easy. 

    Emergencymama Report

    #8

    Woman peacefully sleeping on a blue pillow, illustrating relaxation basics. Sleeping. It takes so long to fall asleep. And I wake up wide awake multiple times a night. Nightmares constantly. I’ve tried all the things. Dark, light, silence, noise (tv, fan, white noise). I’m exhausted. I have a sleep study on April 29th. Cross your fingers they can help me cause your girl is sleepy.

    nay2829 Report

    #9

    Person in a beige hoodie struggling to eat a chip from a bag, illustrating basic task difficulty. Eating just one chip.

    Playful_Sprinkles779 Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #10

    Man in white t-shirt and striped pants struggling to make a bed, illustrating a basic task challenge. My attempts at folding fitted sheets are a chaotic masterpiece. It's like wrestling an octopus into submission every time. Does anyone feel me?

    KarmaKittenKiss Report

    PhaseWitFact
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My husband and I work together to fold them. Still, or cannot be done.

    View more comments
    #11

    Hand signing a document with a fountain pen, representing a basic skill some people struggle with. A signature that doesn’t look like a child forged it.

    Sup3rB1rd Report

    Huddo's sister
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My signature, except the first two letters, just looks like me writing my name normally. It takes so long to write it!

    #12

    Person using a drill on wood, showcasing basic construction skills. Any DIY. I grew up with a father that could do anything and really well, electrics, plumbing, plastering, carpentry, mechanics, you name it. I can drill a hole in a wall, and that's about it.

    Mark-Might-Lose Report

    ENSJ
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wanted to learn from my father and grandfather (both handy), but they either "never have time" or "you're a girl you don't need to know it" and now I'm a renter so it's not like I can experiment a lot with video tutorials since the risk is too high I'd f**k up and lose my deposit.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #13

    Child learning with abacus and woman assisting, surrounded by colored pencils and notebooks on a table. mental arithmetic

    5minbeforemidnight Report

    Huddo's sister
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My brain just shuts down if it's anything more than simple addition. Yet my highest score in year 12 was for maths, because it is mostly knowing which equations to put into the calculator. We had two exams, one open book and one not. Still did well enough.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #14

    Child holding a microphone, speaking on stage, representing the theme "basic thing you are terrible at." I'm Filipino, I'm supposed to sing like an angel. I'm part of the 10% of the population who cannot sing to save their life.

    ikaimnis Report

    Ace
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Is there some sort of assumption or stereotype that all Filipinos can sing? I've never heard of it if there is.

    View more comments
    #15

    Woman in robe applying lotion, with skincare products on the table. Self-care.

    llc4269 Report

    #16

    Children playing jump rope, smiling and having fun indoors, with basic gym equipment on walls. Well, as my mom will tell you, in kindergarten I failed at skipping. They even put a note on my report card. So don't ask me to skip for you, I can't do it.

    TwoAmoebasHugging Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #17

    Car dashboard with steering wheel and GPS, related to basic driving skills discussion. Driving. 29, never learned.

    coqueluxo Report

    Roland Nijveld
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So many with a license are bad at it. If it was up to me, the standards would be way higher. It shouldn't be something that everyone should be able to do. It's a skill. And that's coming from someone where the standards are already pretty high compared to some other countries.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    #18

    Person in an orange sweater scrolling on a smartphone at a wooden table, wearing earphones. Replying to messages.

    walphriggum69 Report

    #19

    A poorly peeled soft-boiled egg in an egg cup with pink dye on a blue background. Peeling a hard boiled egg.

    dopm_me_your_strange Report

    Jac Carr
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Straight into cold water, leave for 20 seconds, smash on the counter and roll the skin off

    View more comments
    #20

    Where oh where do I start. Let's see:
    Comforting People
    Doing things when watched
    Explaining things to someone without speeding up cuz if I slow down I start losing all thoughts
    Handwriting
    Acting normal
    Holding a conversation with a stranger
    Staying still

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #21

    Person in blue tracksuit holding a whistle near lips, in a gym setting, focusing on basic actions. Whistling

    Huge-Butterfly7344 Report

    Karl der Große
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    There was a woman who worked as a cleaner at my college. The part of Guatemala she was from had a tradition of amazing whistling that could be heard from quite far away. I learned to imitate her well enough that I could impress many people (unless they had heard that woman herself - then my imitation made them sad). Somehow, I lost the ability and can't whistle beyond making a hissing sound.

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #22

    Woman enjoying sunlight with eyes closed, standing near flowering bush, reflecting on basic skills improvement. Breathing. My lungs have collapsed twice to fatal levels. Spontaneous Pneumothorax. I had to have surgery to permanently glue my left lung to the skin of my back. I still occasionally feel them have "mini collapses" once or twice a year. But Anything less than 25% or so (I am not a doctor) can fix itself. This makes strenuous activity, like going for a jog, a bit difficult. If I feel that familiar pain, everything stops for that day.

    gummby8 Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #23

    Two people in a conversation, sitting on chairs with a small table between them, discussing basic skills. Holding a conversation.

    EducationCommon1635 Report

    RamiRudolph
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Same. Replying to stuff works ok for me, but I couldn't start a conversation if my life depended on it.

    #24

    A person playing water polo in a pool, wearing a white cap and holding a ball. Throwing. I can throw a ball, but not far or fast. Never been able to. I'm in good shape, I got a good build, but don't count on me to be QB in your football game or pitcher on a baseball team. Something about my arm I just can't get it very fast.

    OrangeChihuahua2321 Report

    #25

    Person wearing headphones and glasses, taking notes on a laptop while seated on a bed with pillows. Studying

    Intrepid_Thanks_7312 Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #26

    Sewing

    taekookieberry Report

    Jan Moore
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In HS I took Home Ec. The part was cooking, I did OK in that. In Sewing, we had a list of what we had to do, a set-in sleeve, a zipper, a collar, darts, and others I don't remember. I made a dress. We had a fashion show and hated it. Two other students were good enough to make several outfits, one of them made a lace-covered tunic with hot pants, I'm old, and lace pants. They looked fabulous.

    #27

    Man in kitchen attempting to cook pancakes, showcasing his struggle with basic cooking skills. Cooking, like I'll literally mess up the most basic stuff. I even managed to burn instant noodles once lol

    Designer_Primary_144 Report

    #28

    Person chopping onion on a wooden board, highlighting basic kitchen skills. Cutting anything in half,no matter how even it seems it will be, it ends up stupid.

    crowfren Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #29

    Swimming

    zeblootothdivais Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #30

    Breading. For whatever reason, no matter how many times I see it done or practice, I can never bread meat correctly. It's almost a running gag in our household at this point.

    Report

    #31

    Spailing. Splelling. Spehling. Ah, hell.

    Report

    TheForrestGreene (he/they/it)
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    same here actualy. I try my hardest 2 spell corectly on this site, but the truth is, since I grew up with techers always telling me 2 saound out the word I want 2 spell, this led 2 me spelling evrything, and I mean EVRYTHING, foneticly. Wich is why right now, I'm typeing this coment wile spelling evrything how I normaly spell stuff. I don't no how many other people have this same problum, since no one ever talks about it. heck, for all I no, I'm the only one in the world that has this isue with saounding out evry word 2 figer out how its spelled. I don't no why my freands aren't like this, but my mother is curently blameing the American educkation sistum for this lol

    View more comments
    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #32

    Stack of pancakes topped with caramel, strawberries, and a mint leaf, with whipped cream on the side. Making pancakes. I can cook otherwise, I can bake, but for whatever reason, I can’t make pancakes.

    Horror-Lion111 Report

    #33

    Two people clinking glasses of beer, highlighting a casual moment with drinks. Grabbing just one beer.

    Thin-Air2055 Report

    Montanavanna
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If I have 1 I will probably have 2. But if I have 3 it will always become 8.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #34

    Cooking rice well

    deezirae Report

    RamiRudolph
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's what a rice cooker is for.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #35

    Big Ben clock tower with detailed architecture against a cloudy sky, highlighting timekeeping. Reading an analog clock. I am 30. I am a teacher. Edit to clarify: I know how it works. I can tell the time but I can't look at it and tell instantly. I have to go through a whole process, the same as when you're learning this. So it goes like this in my mind: okay, the big clock hand is at 6 so it's half, then look at the small one.. I taught myself how to read and write when I was 4 and have an iq of 124 but my brain won't let me tell how to read a clock instantly.

    JulesFGM Report

    Roland Nijveld
    Community Member
    10 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Start with looking at the small one first

    #36

    Time management.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #37

    Hanging anything on the wall level. I know how, even use the right tools. Always crooked, every time.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT