Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
27submissions
1week left
30 Awkward Realizations That Turned Lifelong Mistakes Into Breakthroughs
It’s never too late to teach an old dog new tricks. And the same goes for all of us! Just because your mom taught you one way to do laundry decades ago or you’ve never seen someone come up with an innovative way of folding fitted sheets does not mean that there is no room for improvement.
Redditors have been discussing the things that they were doing the hard way their entire lives, until they suddenly realized that there was an alternative solution. We’ve gathered their best life hacks down below, so enjoy scrolling through, and keep reading to find a conversation with Ruth from Play Work Repeat!
Click here & follow us for more lists, facts, and stories.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Peeling boiled eggs. Always peeled off part of the egg white with the shell until my neice, who was 14 at the time, told me I need to roll it around on the counter to seperate the shell from the egg. A 14 year old taught me such a simple trick.
RELATED:
#2
Laundry. I had always been taught that you need to wash a shirt, pants, or whatever else after wearing it only once. So I have been doing this for years and years. Going through tons of laundry every week. Finally a friend mentioned to me that he only does laundry maybe once a month tops. I asked how that was possible and he explained the logic of wearing things a few times before washing them (so long as there’s not stains on them from the first wear). Can’t believe I didn’t figure this out sooner.
#3
I have a heavy, thick beard. For about a decade, I served in the US military, and as such, was required to shave every day. I probably spent thousands on Gilette Sensor Excel blades, I'd use one for about a week before my beard growth mangled it.
At the risk of sounding like a f*****g hipster, I now use a safety razor. My wife bought it for me about 3 years ago, and it's one of the best gifts I've ever been given. Had I known of these years ago, I would have saved incredible amounts of money. I spend pennies to the dollar on blades, and they last longer.
Sometimes, the old ways are the best.
To gain more insight into this topic, we reached out to Ruth at Play Work Repeat. She was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and discuss some of the things that she had been doing one way her entire life until she realized there was an easier solution.
"I love a cup of tea, especially in the evenings after a long day—it’s such an ahhh moment. I used to make a mess with my tea bag, dribbling tea everywhere, until I found the best, easiest, and tidiest way to deal with it," Ruth shared. "Now, I scoop up the tea bag with a teaspoon, then use the string to wrap it around both the bag and spoon (like you’re strangling it). This squeezes out the last bit of tea and stops it from dripping all the way to the bin."
#4
I learned how to eat a kiwi correctly. About a year ago I was peeling a kiwi like I always have and my aunt gave me a funny look and said: "why don't you just cut it in half and eat it with a spoon?" It had never occurred to me to eat it that way. I felt so dumb.
#5
Eating pistachios
I've only recently learnt to use a shell to open the others without hurting my hands by wedging it open. Helps my salt addiction.
#6
Literally just learned about the snipping tool on Windows today. Up to this point I had done a screenshot, then paste into paint, then crop my selection from there. I'm a second year grad student.
Ruth also revealed some of her favorite life hacks, and you might want to try these too!
"My favorite life hack is to have a designated place for your keys, wallet, glasses, and other essentials right near your entryway," she noted. "It’s such a simple hack that saves so much time because it means you’ll always know exactly where your items are when you’re ready to leave the next morning. No more frustration and yelling, 'Where are my keys?!'—definitely not the way you want to start the day!"
#7
Reheating pizza in a frying pan
SOOOOOOOO much better than the microwave
Edit: some instructions (may vary depending on the type of pizza crust)
Lightly grease the bottom of the pan. Cooking spray is fine.
Place pizza in pan, cover, and set to medium-high heat
occasionally slide the pizza in the pan to prevent sticking.
Heat until the cheese is melty, and the crust is crispy.
#8
For years, washing laundry with liquid laundry detergent, and the old soap sludge on & around the little cap/cup used to measure the detergent would build up and get nasty and get on everything. Then, I realized I could just toss the cup into the washer too.
#9
I used to stand in the shower and suffer that first blast of cold water. Did not consider any alternatives until I saw my partner patiently waiting outside the shower for a few minutes until the water warmed up. Life changing!
"Another simple hack I swear by is keeping my alarm across the room," Ruth continued. "If you’re like me and struggle to get up, it forces you to actually get out of bed to turn it off (instead of hitting the snooze button over and over). Those few extra minutes make a huge difference in the morning—just leaving five minutes earlier can be the difference between hitting traffic and avoiding it! It’s a small change, but it can have a real domino effect."
#10
Whenever I got the washing from the line I used to take the pegs down too and put them in a basket. When I got married, I found my husband would always leave them sitting pegged on the line. At first it would irritate me but then I thought about it. You don’t have to always be reaching up and down and up and down. The pegs are already waiting on the line for you. It changed my world.
#11
Your microwave has power levels, and they're super useful.
Tired of having half your food on fire and the rest frozen? Hit that power level button. It cycles the microwave emitter on and off for a percentage of the cook time that you choose. This gives the heat time to diffuse throughout the food. Just remember to increase how long you cook it for and voila! Trust me, your leftovers will thank me.
#12
Switched from my dominant hand to my non-dominant hand.
It's almost like someone else is doing it.
Ruth also believes that there's often a better way to accomplish exhausting or time-consuming tasks. "While some tasks may require patience or a bit of extra effort, many things can be streamlined with the right approach," she told Bored Panda. "It’s all about finding that hack that works for you!"
#13
I never knew you can take the basket out of the dishwasher that holds the utensils and carry it to the drawer to unload.
#14
To be honest, drinking water before and after bed. I used to just bring some soda or iced tea with me and drink similarly sugary beverages in the morning (I wake up at 5am and work 2 jobs getting home around 8:30). Drinking a quick glass of water especially before I leave the house greatly improved my mood going into work where I just wait to get our first break to get something in my stomach. Feels much better and I don't wake up feeling like s**t or anything negative.
#15
Cooking bacon. Apparently cooking it in the oven is the best way to cook it.
Goodbye bacon grease splatters! My arms are no longer under siege whenever I want some bacon. All hail whoever figured that out.
"For example, cleaning as I cook has been a sanity saver for me," Ruth shared. "While waiting for something to boil or the oven to heat up, I wash and pack away the things I’ve already used. Sometimes, I can even use this time to tidy up little things around the kitchen, like sorting through the utensil drawer or wiping down the counters or fridge. This way, I’m not left with a pile of cleaning at the end of the day, and it keeps the kitchen consistently tidy. Some things do take time, but I believe there’s usually a smarter, more efficient way to handle them if we’re willing to look for it!"
#16
I wear my socks inside out on purpose. The seam is on the inside, and it puts a lot of fuzz on your toes and you can feel it against your toenail.
Flip those bad boys inside out and you've got yourself a smooth, smooth sock. And (with ankle socks) no one will ever know the difference.
#18
I'm sure there's lots I'm not thinking of but one is cleaning. It used to be so hard and take so long to do just one thing. But at some point I realized that at least part of the reason is because I thought of cleaning as a negative thing, I'm not sure how to word that out, but cleaning was never fun and seemed like a drag. At some point I quit thinking of it as a bad thing, it's good because it makes things look nice, smell fresh etc. That change makes cleaning way more positive and I get it done faster now.
Finally, Ruth shared some words of wisdom. "We’re always learning! Just because we’ve been doing something a certain way for years doesn’t mean there aren’t other, simpler ways to approach it. Small wins go a long way!"
#19
Opening jars. I used to try everything - running it under hot water, using a dry cloth, using a rubber band around the lid... literally every method I could find on google. After five years in food service and thousands of jars, I finally figured out what I needed to do.
Just hit the s**t out of the lid.
Take the lid of whatever jar you have to a hard surface, and forcefully tap around the lid in a small semicircle. The lid will practically fall off and still be able form a sanitary/protective seal when you put it back on. Never opened a jar another way since.
#20
This sounds so f*****g stupid, but I was never told how to "flash" my lights whilst driving. For the first ~3-4 years of driving, I'd turn my full beams on and then off again really quickly. Then one time, I accidentally pulled it towards me, made it flash, and my life changed.
I noticed one of my friends doing my same old trick a few months ago, and when I pointed out the actual, correct way to do it, one of the girls in the back was like "NO F*****G WAY!" and the other one was like "Yeah that took me a while to figure out but was too embarrassed to say anything"
I'm not saying this is a widespread thing that people didn't know, but I guess driving instructors in my town just don't tell you that s**t.
#21
I am two handed. Been using the scissor in my left hand for 20 years.. Always struggled in shcool projects.. Then, my gf made me put it in my right hand. Turns out I am a god-tier scissor user.
#22
Mixing natural peanut butter. Took me years to realize that if you store the jar in the pantry upside down, the the oil rises to the bottom of the jar, making it a breeze to stir.
#23
Let's be honest guys, eating with a spoon is way more efficient than eating with a fork or chopsticks.
#24
Washing my hair and drying my hair. Not necessarily doing it wrong but my hair used to be constantly greasy even after showering despite scrubbing my hair as much as possible to remove grease. One day I was hungover and had a shower, shampooed my hair but forgot I did it and did it again before conditioning. My hair has never been cleaner. I even use half he normal amount so I’m not using too much shampoo and it works.
And I used to just put my hair up in a towel without actually trying to get water out of it (this was mostly when I was younger though).
#25
Opening bananas. Not the stem end, the other end. Push the end between your fingers. Opens right up, never have an issue and no more mashed ends at the stem.
Monkeys and apes do it this way or some s**t.
#26
I always right clicked, then opened a new tab. I just realized I can middle click on the mouse wheel and it does that for me.
#27
Doing sit ups for better abs. I used to do over 500 sit ups a day every day because I thought more was better. In reality I was just destroying my lower back.
I was told that doing a "proper plank" for 5 minutes is just as good. I don't believe it though. I can hold a plank for 20 minutes no problem, but I used to be able to do 500 sit ups no problem before I destroyed my back... there has to be a 'better' way to work those muscles...
Add Your Answer! This post is a community curated
Add Your Answer!
You May Like "If It's Stupid And It Works, It's Not Stupid": 61 Ridiculous Fixes That Don’t Need Explanation Simple Life Hacks You Might Wish You Always Knew 50 “Cheat Codes” People Use To Make Everyday Life Easier
Mantas Kačerauskas
Žydrūnė Trukanavičiūtė
Justinas Keturka
Related on Bored Panda
