People Share The Best Life Hacks That Actually Work

Want that easy fix now? Try these. Stand up from your computer, put those clothes in the laundry basket, and buy a tray.

No. Seriously. Trays.

We Do Sit Down A Lot...

"Stretching. Fixing a general feeling of lousiness or discomfort is usually just as simple as stretching for a few minutes I've found."

ExpertRule

"People don't realize it, but sitting all the time actually makes your quads and lower back very tight. Leaning forward to look at a screen, or looking down to look at a phone, also really screws up the muscles in your neck."

"Everyone should be stretching and doing some range-of-motion exercises like yoga, or tai chi... but most people also think this is stupid and they have zero interest in even trying it."

amadeus2490

Get It Done Now

" Cleaning a little bit every day"

fantasticmrben

"Get your sh-t done in the morning, future you is already cheering"

Factal_Fractal

"If it can be done in less than 2 minutes, do it right away. Saved me from so many undone chores that waited around for days before."

Rarely_Trust

"the shirts hanging on the back of my chair right next to the hangers has entered the chat."

followtheears

Seriously. One Word: TRAYS

"OK I'm going to put a relatively boring one: I got a tray. Not a fancy schmancy one but one from a dollar store but it's super sturdy (made from some kind of wood) and I literally use it every day. One trip up and down stairs safely transporting hot drinks for my SO and I. It can carry multiple snack bowls. I can deliver food to the table faster when I have guests over. Afterwards I can stack dirty dishes and it's one trip to the kitchen sink. I can keep my drinks on it at my office table and because it has sides if anything spills, it's contained on the tray and not on my table."

"I got another tray when I was fostering kittens and it was one of the best tools for fostering. I can transport all the food dishes so no one is left behind during feeding time. I have all the meds and syringes and towels and wipes all ready and together on the tray when it was time to give meds."

"I highly recommend getting a tray, even a small one. TRAYS."

octoriceball

Visualize The Improvement

"When cleaning the house, always take before and after photos. It gives you an extra dopamine boost to look at them when you're done (especially if you're slightly adhd)."

humanoid1013

...wait, what?

"The tip about using a pistachio shell to pry open other, not-open-enough pistachios is literally the best thing I've learned in the past year. I have not had much of a year"

tramb0poline

Former Anti-Vaxxers Explain What Actually Made Them Change Their Mind | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Some life hacks need a little readjusting, a change to your current way of thinking. This can feel strange, like you're going against the grain, but the outcome on the other side is well worth the change.

Turns Out They Can Do A Lot More Than That

"Train your dog. When I was a kid my parents definition of 'trained' was sh-tting outside, a very low bar to meet. So as I got older turns out you can teach them to not jump up, charge though the door, pull on the leash, actually come when called, leave the room on command, get off the couch, even keep them off the couch when you aren't there, and hold still when you clip nails. A year or two worth of consistent training with positive reinforcement will give you a life time of stress free pet ownership."

APotatoPancake

Manage Their Expectations

"Underpromise, overdeliver."

Kunkyskunts

"I'll have this over to you tomorrow evening!!"

"Awesome! Thank you!"

"Send it at 8:00 pm the same day. It's the first thing in their inbox, you are SUCH a hard worker!! Gobble gobbble, more bizz."

Kunkyskunts

Treat Yo Self

"Date yourself, as in take yourself on dates."

"You're the only person you'll spend every moment of the rest of your life with. It's worth developing your relationship with yourself. Treat yourself to nice evenings where you do nice things for yourself. Make yourself a steak dinner and eat by candlelight. Take yourself to that show you want to see."

"If you treat yourself like someone you love, you will love yourself. When you love yourself, your life will feel incredible every day."

_MaddestMaddie_

Set Up That Safety Net For Yourself

"If you have friends that you rely on to have fun but they are always unprepared, make a few plans you can do on your own and enjoy, then ask them if they want to join you or do something else. If they don't have the time, you still won't be disappointed (works 95% of the time)."

Maximize13

These ones are a different cut. They're not so much changes to something like your home organization or how you interact with people at your job, but more philosophical. Change the way you think, they way you observe your world, and watch the positivity flow in.

Write It Out

"When I overthink, I write. The length or the grammar doesn't matter. Just let it out whatever you're feeling too."

"It helped me while I was recovering from covid-19."

90sLevi

Look For The "Desire Paths"

"There's a concept called the "Desire Path:"

It is a path created as a consequence of erosion caused by human or animal foot traffic. The path usually represents the shortest or most easily navigated route between an origin and destination.

"There are two ways you can handle the Desire Path:"

• Trying to fight them (i.e. re-plant grass, block them, etc).
• Accommodating them (i.e. turning them into real footpaths).

"I've found that life is much easier if I look for "Desire Paths" elsewhere day to day and try to accommodate them. For example:"

• I'd often not untie/re-tie my shoes, and bend the back out of shape. Instead of assuming I'll one day get the motivation to do it correctly, I just purchased Moccasins.
• It was inconvenient to charge my phone, so it would often be dead when I go to use it, so I put wireless chargers in the "lazy" places I often set down my phone.
• Adding small trash bins to areas where trash would sit. Adding small trays to areas with loose bricker-brac. Etc.

"The Desire Path is a human psychology phenomenon. My only point is that it applies to all walks of life, rather than just walks of life."

TimeRemove

25 Minute Segments To Get It All Done

"Pomodoro technique."

"Got a task you keep procrastinating on because it's too hard, boring or time consuming?"

"Set a timer for a short amount of time (no more than 20 minutes) and just get started, knowing that when the timer goes off, you get to stop."

"Set another timer (maybe ten minutes) and do something rewarding or enjoyable for a bit."

"Repeat until you've had enough, and then realise you've actually made a huge dent in that task."

"Seeing a job that's gonna take you four hours of boring grind is daunting. Knowing that you only need to do ten or fifteen minutes makes it far more approachable, and the alarm will go off quicker than you expect. And when you see how much you've achieved in that fifteen minutes, you get a nice dopamine hit that helps you come back to it for another fifteen minutes. And the breaks mean you're regularly doing something enjoyable."

"If you've been putting things off for a long time you might need to change the timings, but even five minutes of chores and 25 minutes of pleasure will still get you 45 minutes or so further into that tedious job over an afternoon than you would have otherwise."

ExcessiveGravitas

Iron All The Kinks Out

"If you are having a problem or have to make a decision, explain the situation to someone or talk to a toy out loud. A lot of the times you'll find your solution."

hawkdanop

"AKA rubber-ducking (talking to a rubber duck to vocalize their problems)"

vespene_jazz

I have practiced many presentation by giving them to my cats. They're usually pretty good audiences. Although I do sometimes have to bribe them with treats and ear scritches to keep their attention.

gt0163c

There's Too Much Going On In The World To Think You Can Fix Everything

"Just focus on things that you can control. Trying to care about things you just can't do anything about will lead you to burn out."

pepitoshow

"This is Stocism. This practice really is a game changer."

imaginarycjay

"Lord, please give me the strength to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference."

"That last part is the tough one for me..."

Scaphismus

Categorize The People In Your Life

"I've reduced how I categorize folks in my life to three areas:"

• People I love
• People I wish well
• People I hope heal

"Nothing else. No grudges, no lingering anger, no longing lust, no wishful thinking - if we interact in a way that leaves you memorable, there's only one of those three places to sit."

"It's been therapeutic to not need to hold on to things."

thatswhatshesaidxx

Time to get to work and start making the shifts to have a better day.

And buy all the trays you can find.

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