The term life hack became part of common parlance with the rise of social media. Its first recognized use was only 20 years ago in 2004.
Previously, such shortcuts were referred to as tips, tricks, or simply advice.
Now in the dictionary, Oxford's English defines life hack as:
"...a strategy or technique adopted in order to manage one's time and daily activities in a more efficient way"
Reddit user Consistent-Pick-8303 asked:
"What’s that one life hack you went from not knowing to using often?"
No Typos Now
"I created an autocorrect on my phone so that typing @@ will autocorrect to my email address."
"It’s such a small thing that has made my life so much better, especially since I have a long email address."
~ DaveTheFave
Easy Peasy
"When I'm done using the blender, I put a dot of dish soap and hot water into it and then run it for a few seconds and rinse it out."
"Voilà. Easiest damn dish to wash."
~ DoubleAmygdala
Just Do It
"If it will take less than 5 minutes to clean something, declutter, or fix something, do it immediately the moment you notice it."
"Game changer for my ADHD."
~ sionnachglic
The Final Boss
"While I’m on the computer for work, I listen to gaming background music."
"I enjoy listening to the tracks because they’re not distracting, unlike if I put a favorite playlist on which doesn’t help my concentration."
"I’m not a gamer, but listening to game soundtracks has made me more productive at work."
~ whothehellistony
Hang It Up
"When I put a shirt on, I put the empty hanger back on the left side of the rod, so all of the empties are in one place when I go to hang up my clean shirts, instead of hunting for them."
"It only saves a minute or so, but makes the chore a little less aggravating."
~ angryshark
Daily Routine
"Exercise light but do it every day."
- "just 10 push-ups
- just 10 squats
- but do it every day"
"I started doing 10, did that for about a month before I increased it. Now I'm at 50 squats straight and 50 pushups straight and I still do them every day."
~ SpoonFed_1
"I did this for about half of this year. I felt a lot better getting in this type of routine."
"I called it '10 for 10'. I'd do seven different—one for each day of the week—body/weight exercises for at least 10 reps, then I'd read a chapter of a book or 10 pages, 10 minutes of cleaning my place, and 10 minutes of meditation."
~ peteframp
Observation Skills
"Keeping my mouth shut and just observing."
~ p0tty_mouth
"This is a key one. Especially when someone is saying something messed up to you—insulting, belittling, on a bigoted tangent, etc..."
"After they're done, I just smile and ask if they're okay. They usually are very confused and go away."
"When you stop responding to people, you become a mirror that they can see themselves in. Usually those kinds of people do not like to see themselves for who they truly are, and they will leave you alone after a few interactions like that."
"There are exceptions to this of course, but usually it works. Especially with that coworker who doesn't mind their own business."
~ tinysc137
Wet Works
"When heating something in the microwave, add a little bit of water to it."
" Food will keep it's moisture and not dry out."
~ mustikkimaa
Cookies And ISPs
"Use a VPN to buy airline tickets."
"Make it look like you are booking from another country, save a huge amount."
~ ImprovementFar5054
"Also look for travel deals on one computer but book with another."
"Some companies will raise their prices if your cookies show you've been searching."
~ Responsible-Trifle-8
Bathroom Bashful
"If you have a shy bladder and cannot pee, do simple math in your head and you will go."
~ Galactus83
"If you're having 'stage-fright' you can also try imagining saying the weirdest thing you can think of out loud in the bathroom, for some reason this also works."
~ Responsible-Trifle-8
Jenny, We Got Your Number
"When traveling, type in (local area code) then 867-5309 whenever you're prompted for a loyalty program that offers discounts."
"It's always worked for me at gas stations and grocery stores because invariably someone signed up and didn't want to use their real phone number."
~ law_mom
"One time the clerk called me out on doing this and asked the name on the account. I said, 'It’s either Jenny or Tommy' and it worked."
~ joegetto
"Yeah, and then have a Jenny earworm for the next 30 minutes."
"Damn you Tommy Tutone!"
~ plez
First Instinct
"When I’m looking for something I misplaced, I make a mental note of the first place I looked for it."
"Once I find it, I put it in the first place I looked."
~ iesharael
Iced Coffee
"Freezing leftover coffee in ice trays to use in iced coffee later."
~ Love_babycute032
"You have leftover coffee? Rookie..."
~ macsalad
Screws
"Using a rubber band to keep a stripped screwhead in place changed my DIY game completely."
~ SweetAllyx
Cursor
"On your iPhone keyboard, press and hold the spacebar to be able to move the cursor around."
"Makes it easier to put the cursor where you want it."
"You can also press and hold within the text to get a magnified moving cursor."
~ Gail_the_SLP
What's a life hack you use all the time?
