The Best Real-Life 'Cheat Codes' People Have Discovered

There are easy ways to get what you want in life.

You just have to know some tricks.

Though we all usually lead with emotion and more baser feelings (myself included), it can be more prudent to use other tactics.

Sometimes, kindness really does kill, in the good way.

There are methods for procuring success.

A smile, a laugh, a compliment... a brilliant little white lie can change everything.

Redditor dark-deals729983 wanted to take notes about all of the best life hacks, so they asked:

"What's a 'cheat code' you discovered in real life that actually works?"

HELLO

"Speak to your maintenance ppl. Say hi. They know everything."

- joelaz72

"Maintenance, security, cleaners, admin. As you said, they know everything. If you treat them with the kindness and respect they deserve, you won't believe what they can do to help you out. Admin in particular, get on their good side and they are bloody magic."

- quokkafarts

Penguins Of Madagascar Hello GIF Giphy

Nice Shoes!!!

"Compliment people in minor ways. Don't make it weird. Just if someone is wearing something they clearly went to some effort to pick out (a noteworthy watch/ necklace/tie/pair of shoes) and if you genuinely like it (this makes it easier, so you aren't lying), then tell them. 'Nice shoes!' or 'That color really suits you,' and then leave it. They will be pleased, and if it's someone you see often, I promise they will remember that you said something nice."

"For example, I bet you remember the last time someone complimented your shoes or whatever, right?"

"So go be that person for someone else 😁."

- teapigsfan

Conspiratorially

"'From the customer service side of things, aligning yourself with an upset client/customer can cause them to make a total 180.'
We had a lady who came into our Starbucks on a regular basis and constantly bi**hed about how long her drink took, or how ridiculous it was that we had to make the drinks in the order they were received, etc."

"One day, I decided to go over to the handoff counter and leaned over and started 'conspiratorially' commiserating with her. I talked about how all the Starbucks employees know how awful [given policy] is, and it's so sucky that our hands are tied and we're not allowed to do anything different. The second she felt like I was on her side, I became her favorite barista, and she stopped harassing the store."

- UnicornVoodooDoll

Actively avoid it...

"Never say something to a person who is unable to hear it. Stay silent on the subject. Actively avoid it. Usually, they will get curious and ask your opinion. When a person has had to work for information, they are more likely to consider it honestly, even if it's criticism."

- RogueNtheRye

STEPS

"Walking daily clears your head more than half the advice online."

- uwuvxdh

"The best way to solve complicated problems you're stuck on is to take a step back and let your subconscious work on it. Walking or running is great for this. Even playing video games can work. I see people all the time trying to grind through stuff. I can't count how often I abstracted myself from a problem, and the solution came to me."

- Mobile_Throway

Talk 2 U

"Whenever I’m tired and my inner negative voice comes out, I’ve started announcing to myself, 'Oh look, the a**hole is here,' and it shuts it up, and I have a much nicer internal dialogue."

- Sooperstanky

Harley Quinn Joker GIF Giphy

Let's Talk

"When I sense that my wife is feeling a little down or when I feel like we’re not connecting emotionally, I ask her about something she is passionate about and just get her talking. And I will ask questions that cannot be answered with a yes or no. She will go from sitting back with her arms folded to leaning forward, talking excitedly."

"Often, people feel closer to someone simply by talking to that person and being heard. And everyone feels good talking about their favorite things."

"Also, if you have something difficult to talk about, wait until they are in a good mood."

- Johanneum1906

Choose Wisely

"Pick your battles!!! This applies to every aspect of life. School, career, friendship, marriage, etc. Omg, the amount of time I see people win the battle but lose the war astonishes me. Do you really want to stress your child because he prefers to wash dishes after everyone is done eating, versus cleaning as dinner goes? Do you really want to annoy your spouse because he/she chose to do laundry instead of brushing toilets ? Do you really want to ruin a meeting because your colleague booked a meeting room on the 6th floor instead of the 5th floor?

"Pick your battles! Sometimes it’s just not worth it, let the other person be right and move on."

- 54niuniu

FREE!!!

"I have received free replacements when things are out of warranty. I’ve received great customer service. I’ve received free stuff. I’ve received discounts."

"Be nice to your fellow humans. If you are nice to customer service in person or over the phone or even online/email, they will go out of their way to help you because you are not yelling at them or making their day hard."

"But this isn’t a cheat code. Just be nice people."

- holdholdhold

Hot Ticket

"Here’s one: when buying tickets for a raffle that you get to place your own tickets in the ticket receptacle, first give them a gentle diagonal fold. This prevents them from lying down flat. I have won so so much wonderful stuff cause my tickets get drawn so frequently!"

"Is this the kind of ‘cheat code’ you were looking for? If not, apologies."

- Mellow-Seclusion999

Manners...

"Saying 'please' and 'thank you,' and treating others with respect."

"Just be kind to others, and it is much more likely that others will be kind to you."

- Diesel-King

First Chance

"I once messaged someone on marketplace for a cabinet they had listed for super cheap, saying I was sorry to add to their list of people to respond to because I was sure there were a lot considering the price, but on the off chance I was the only one, I just wanted to reach out with interest."

"She messaged me and told me she did have several messages before me, but because I was the only one who acknowledged the stress and was kind to her, she wanted to allow me the first chance. It made me feel so good to know I hadn't made her night more stressful and to get the cabinet because of it."

- rTicky-Sprinkles-807

The Fall Outs

"Place a tortilla under your tacos so when you eat them and stuff falls out, you get an extra at the end, and it keeps the plate cleaner."

- THE_LEGO_FURRY

Hungry Saturday Night Live GIF by HULU Giphy

Say My Name

"6 of us are flying from LA to Boston. Flight canceled. Had to wait for another flight. Watched people constantly harassing the agents at the counter. I spoke to them a few times. I always treat workers with respect. After a few hours, my name was called. The agent gave me 6 business class tickets for the next flight and told me just to show the tickets and say nothing to anyone. We all stretched out in the reclining seats and got a decent meal."

- Fantastic-Surprise98

Brink of Tears

"I ordered a pizza one time from a local chain on a public holiday, and after two hours had passed, I phoned up to get an update."

"The lady who answered the phone sounded on the brink of tears and was super apologetic. I guess everyone else in the city had the same idea. I told her not to worry about it, I was just concerned it'd been lost and that it wasn't her fault, then apologized for taking up her time while she was obviously busy."

"My pizza came with a voucher for two free pizzas. Not hard to have a little compassion, and most of the time it works out well for you."

- torolf_212

A Dozen

"Bring a dozen donuts. Dropping a car off at the mechanic? Bring them a dozen donuts. Work meeting? Bring in a dozen donuts. It improves any and all situations and outcomes. It's like magic."

- Oracle365•

"I once brought a dozen donuts to the warehouse staff of the main supplier I worked with. After that, they would bend over backwards to make sure I was taken care of. It made me their favorite customer. I formed relationships with them. They gave me special discounts and free supplies. Over the years, I saved tens of thousands of dollars, but it started with a simple dozen donuts."

- OptimusOpifex

Be Kind

"If you act like the kind of person you’d want to bump into on your worst day, life gets way easier. People open doors, literally and figuratively."

- Real_Bluebird_8509

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So in the end, life is simple.

Be kind and rewind.

Keep it simple and rewind.

I think we should all make t-shirts.

Also, donuts are always the answer.