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life hacks
We all have our own way of doing the day-to-day tasks, and honestly, it's hard to do dishes or laundry totally "wrong."
But there are hacks out there to make these tasks, and countless others, so much easier.
It's surprising how few people know about some of these.
The Redditor, who has since deleted their account, asked:
"What's a life hack that's so simple yet so effective, you're shocked more people don't know about it?"
Skip to the Recipe
"When looking at recipes online, click the print link. This cuts out the unnecessary backstory and random musings. You can also save the recipe as a PDF to your computer or even just the link to the printable version."
- FriedChickenDinners
"You mean to tell me after 20 years of having to read how this lasagna came to be after women (including the names, ages, and locations of 20 of them) all decided to get together at one huge party (the year was 1942, spring, almost, and the robins had just come back)... that I could have skipped all that?"
"ALL THAT? Shut the front door. I deserve to be sent straight to jail for not knowing this."
- FeedMeAllTheCheese
Habit Stacking for the Win
"Create a routine for BEFORE exercise. I do the exact same things every time I go to the gym. When I'm not motivated, those little pre-workout habits just trigger me into action."
- Elrond_Cupboard_
Sorted Cables and Cords
"If you get something that comes with a unique charger/power cable, label it with what it’s for."
- rhinofeet
"Adam Savage does this on his youtube channel. Has a bin or two of random DC chargers in his workshop and each one is marked (typically in silver paint pen) with what it originally came with."
- llort_tsoper
Write It Down
"Always write down momentarily good ideas. Don’t lean on your memory."
- The-Proud-Snail
"Yes, I have so many people tell me, 'Oh, you’re so good at remembering things.' No, I write it down, set an alarm, or create a reminder in the moment because I know I’m not going to remember and this helps."
- BeeBench
No More Arguments in the Comments Section
"To increase your peace of mind don't waste your time arguing with random strangers on the internet."
- SuvenPan
"Actually... according to studies that I won't go into any further detail about nor link to, you're wrong and they're right. Do your own research if you want to validate my point. Id**t and other assorted insults."
- crm115
Baked Bean Secrets
"Store cans of baked beans upside down so you don't have to scrape them out the bottom when you open the can."
- tonycocoacola
"Or open them upside-down!"
- Jpldude
"You just blew my mind."
- tonycocacola
Coffee Tips
"If you're making coffee in an automatic drip coffee maker, especially a cheap one, leaving a little bit of water in the carafe (about an ounce or so) will significantly improve the flavor."
"It prevents the first bit of brewed coffee from becoming scorched from the hot plate and flavoring the entire pot."
- i-sleep-well
Excellent High Heels
"If you want a comfortable pair of high heels, invest in a pair of dance heels."
"There are lots of beautiful designs and colors, designed to be flexible and comfortable, and they are worth every penny."
"Just make sure they’re not felt-soled if you plan on wearing them outdoors. A good quality pair from a company like Repetto is worth getting rubber-soled if they aren’t already."
"Your feet will thank you."
Watch for Negative Reviews
"If ordering something online, since places can fake a good review, only read the negative reviews, a bunch of complaining about shipping/damaged items/trivial s**t is good, whereas multiple broke in the first week/won't charge/leaks means the product is s**t."
- Smackulater
"You know you found the good s**t when all the complaints are about things that were clearly stated in the listing."
- thecrepeofdeath
Good Tech Support
"From working technical support for longer than I dare think about, most angry customers just want to be heard. Let them have their rant, do active listening, and make notes about what they're saying. They will eventually run out of steam."
"Then, read back everything they talked about and go through it step by step. Works almost every time, and often they are very thankful by the end of the call."
- zerbey
"Another tip: instead of asking the customer if something's plugged in ask them to check if the plug's prongs are corroded. After they check they'll unconsciously plug it back in."
- dewey-defeats-truman
Two Total Gamechangers
"Hack One: When you paint a room and remove the light switch plate, on the inside of the plate write down the color of the paint you used and the brand. Great for when you need to repaint a spot a couple of years later. You could also write down the circuit breaker number for that light switch!"
"Hack Two: After you wash and dry a set of sheets, put the top sheet, bottom sheet, and pillow case all inside of one of the pillowcases. Then you have the whole set together in one neat little package and don't have to look for matching sheets and pillowcases."
- marid4061
Ready to Take On the Day
"My grandmother always said that if you feel terrible, get out of bed, take a shower, do your hair and put on clothes, down to your shoes, and have a good meal. Either this will fix it or you're dressed and fed and in a better place to deal with the problem."
"She was right."
- LadyAlexTheDeviant
The Power of Library Cards
"Library cards are worth their weight in gold."
"My physical library comes with (mostly for free): Tool rentals, laptop rentals, studio rental space (video cameras, audio equipment), 3D printer usage in library, woodshop, sewing kits, and free classes. This is with the usual book rentals."
"Digitally/web-wise, my library card comes with a digital movie checkout, Hoopla, Libby, Kanopy, Free subscription to Skillshare, Free subscription to Linked Learning (Lynda if you're old), free ebook app, free online courses (very limited though), Udemy, Language learning apps, Virtual Workshops, along with other community events for people of all ages."
"Everyone should get a library card. Period."
- Gai_InKognito
"Also, load your Library card into the Libby app for a TON of content."
"If you travel a lot, many libraries allow you to sign up online and check that you are in the area via phone location. Use the address where you are staying, they don't check it. The Libby app will check all the libraries attached to your account."
- CatastrophicWaffles
Relieve the Itch
"If you have an itchy mosquito bite, hear up a spoon under semi-hot water (like 45-50°C), dry it off, and tap or press it on the bite. Just as short as you can tolerate it but also as long as possible."
"The heat dissolves the protein that makes the mosquito bite itch."
- CMYKawa
"There's a little battery-powered device you can use to do this as well. I think they call it 'bite away.' It's shaped like a pen. You put the little metal tip on your bite, press a button and it gets really hot for about five seconds. So hot that it makes you squeal and you're expecting burns when you take it away, but your skin is fine and the itch is gone!"
- FragrantKnobCheese
Let the Furniture Settle!
"If you're putting together furniture, leave all the screws a little loose."
"Finish the whole thing. Place it where it's going to be in the room."
"Wiggle it so it settles into place. THEN tighten all the bolts. No wobble!"
- Sendmedoge
"Adding to this: If your furniture comes with an assembly tool, tape it to the bottom of the furniture once you are done assembling it. If anything needs tightening/adjusting in the future the tool will always be right there."
- StrangeJane
Keep Showing Up
"The act of showing up, again and again and again."
"We all want to do new stuff, or get better at things, or master something, etc. So we start, we try some, and then we quit because it's not easy or the results are not showing up fast enough."
"My take: If it's something you really want, you just need to show up to it, whatever it is, again and again and again. You WILL get better at it, and at some point, things will get easier and the returns will start to compound."
"Show up and do your best, again and again and again, and if you flop around, fail at it for a time, good, that’s part of the process, the bump in the road you have to work around, or thru, to get to where you want."
"It’s life, forging you, molding you, into that YOU that you want to be."
- plytime18
Life is meant to be this wonderful, one-time experience, and it's important for us to spend more time doing the things we love and less time doing the simple, mundane, admin-like tasks.
There were so many helpful tips here, many of which could save us time and energy for the lovelier things.