33 "Secret Life Hacks" People Think Everyone Should Know To Make Life A Little Easier For You And Those Around You
Nothing is better than learning or trying a life hack that makes a world of difference. Since I'm trying to enter the new year strong, I loved this Reddit thread filled with people's favorite life hacks. Here is some of what people shared.
Let me know if you try any of these! Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
1."If you really want to help someone in crisis, be concrete. Don't just say, 'Let me know if you need anything.' Instead, offer specific help you'd want in their shoes. 'Can I come do your dishes?' or 'I'm going to the grocery store later. Can I get you anything?' or 'Do you need someone to watch the kids for a bit?'"
"Organizing tasks so you can tell people what you need is it's OWN task, so lift a little of the mental load. Plus, a lot of people feel weird about asking for the things they really need, especially if it would cost money or if they're worried about overstepping. Being specific makes it clear what kind of thing you're willing to do and makes it easier to say yes."
2."If someone is yelling at you, like a coworker, family member, customer or random stranger, you are not obligated to just stand there and hear them out until they’re done. You aren’t being fucking detained. You can literally just turn around without a word and walk away."
3."You don't have to put up with friends who are assholes toward you. They are weighing you down. You don't have to keep them. Getting rid of them will make you feel much lighter and happier."
4."A company will toss you in a heartbeat if you don't make them enough money, or someone will do the same work for less. Treat them the same way. Always take the highest offer, and be ready to leave if you get a better offer."
5."Other people’s discomfort doesn’t have to make you uncomfortable. Not because you have no compassion for a houseless person or someone else’s suffering. More in the context of some pushy person at the store that’s in a hurry or someone who is tailgating you when you’re going ten over the speed limit."
6."If it takes under 5 minutes, do it now."
7."Buy only one kind of socks, so you never again have only one sock from a pair."
8."If you ever need to find small items like earrings or screws that you’ve dropped on the floor, put a piece of pantyhose over the end of your vacuum cleaner’s hose and secure it with a rubber band. Then, vacuum the area where you think the item fell. The pantyhose will catch the small item without it getting sucked into the vacuum."
9."Drinking a full glass of water after every two servings of alcohol makes the next morning MUCH better."
10."The person you marry is the biggest decision of your life. Do not settle. Find someone who will lift you up."
11."Compound interest. Save when you're young, even if it is a few bucks at a time."
12."There is, to this day, no enhancement drugs that improve your capabilities more than being well rested. Yes, you can function at 5 hours of sleep and get through your day. But if you sleep two extra hours, you'll be twice as productive the entire day. Getting a good sleep schedule is not easy, but it is certainly rewarding. Go take a nap."
13."Don't go broke pretending you are rich and always act like you're broke, but don't accept money or pity for it. This way, people won't come around asking for money."
14.'It’s absolutely okay to say 'I don’t know' and 'I don’t have enough information to have an opinion.'"
15."You should learn to make homemade versions of your favorite fast food. People disdain homemade food as if it's only healthy stuff that you can't look forward to eating. You like Taco Bell crunch wraps? You can make those yourself, only with better ingredients."
16."Be kind. You never know when you will see a person that you were nice to give you help right when you need it the most. Never gloat at the misfortune of others. Remember, you could be them sometime."
17."People at work are friendly, not friends. Bribing people in advance makes asking for favors way easier down the line. Everything is easier to start on if there's a deadline."
18."Keep a small notepad by your bed for those midnight ideas — trust me, it'll save you so many 'oh crap' moments later."
19."Adding a small amount of peppermint oil to most of your cleaning products makes for fantastic bug repellant"
20."Work hard to make your default interaction with others to be 'nice and respectful.' You can do an amazing amount of selfish things while still being 'nice and respectful' to others, and it's easier to move from 'nice and respectful' to 'stone cold bitch' — if necessary — than it is to do the reverse."
"My meaning when I wrote 'an amazing amount of selfish things' was that you can be nice and respectful without rolling over and being a doormat for people; I just took the sentiment farther than intended."
21."You don’t need a Costco membership if you use home delivery."
22."You are in control of who you let into your life. You are free to cut out friends AND FAMILY that are not there to support you."
23."It's better to do things half-assed than not all. Not with everything, of course, but say you're too tired or sad to brush your teeth for two minutes, it's better to do even just a quick 30-second brush than not brush at all."
—Co9w
24."Buy a lot of identical socks. Buy lots of underwear. And plates. That's the stuff you wash the most, so have lots of it so you don't have to force yourself to wash stuff. It's worth it."
"I bought 40 identical pairs, and it is VERY quick to find, match, and have spares. No more hunting for the red shark in a sea of red, blue, and green dinosaurs. Drink soft drinks and match them pint for a pint when on alcohol. Plans backward. Need to be somewhere by a set time? Find out when you need to set off. Always put your keys, wallet, cards, and phone in the same place."
25."More a relationship life hack: separate blankets! My husband and I each have our own quilt, we don't use top sheets, and it's a huge sleep saver."
26."Ask the three 'H' questions to achieve better outcomes in emotional conversations: 'Do you need a hug? Do you need my help? Do you just need to be heard?'"
27."Take a CPR/BLS (basic life support) class. You never know when you’ll need it. My family was at Costco on Friday. I took a bite of a hot dog. I started choking, with no air. I couldn’t breathe. I was TERRIFIED. My amazing husband jumped up and did the Heimlich; it took NINE times to do it, and I was passing out. He saved my life."
28."Put your phone in airplane mode while charging. It'll charge faster!"
29."If you have a clogged drain, try pouring baking soda and vinegar down it, followed by hot water after a few minutes. It’s a natural way to clear minor blockages and freshen things up without needing harsh chemicals!"
30."Make your goal a habit to never miss two days in a row versus doing it every day."
31."Have an emergency code to use with your family. Ours is ‘99,’ meaning if one of us says that, in theory, the other knows that something bad has happened and is ready to act. Teach your kids to do the thumbs down if they are choking, if you’re choking you can’t speak and people asking ‘are you ok’ is bloody useless so I taught my kid to do the thumbs down."
32."If you're writing an email, always wait to put in the recipient(s) until you are done and positive you double-checked everything. That way, if you did have an embarrassing typo or wrong attachment or accidentally hit send before you were done writing, it wouldn't have been sent."
"If you just can't sleep but really need to, lay down in your bed in a dark room, close your eyes, and try to sleep. It's not as good as sleeping, but resting will still give you some sleep/rest."
33."Put ends of carrots, onions, garlic, and celery in a bag in the freezer as you cook (other herb stalks too) and then make into a stock. I also put cooked chicken or roast bones in there too. Cook when the bag gets too full, and you have a stock to use for almost no cost."
Do you have some sort of life hack you love? Share it with me in the comments below!
