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As it turns out, having millions of people do similar tasks day in and day out will bring out the quickest and easiest ways to accomplish them. However, we all have to go through a huge amount of information every single day, so it can be helpful to find some solid tips and tricks all in one place.
Someone asked “Which life hacks/diy tricks actually worked for you guys?” and netizens shared their favorite examples. So get yourself somewhere comfortable, prepare to take some notes, upvote your favorite examples and be sure to comment your personal ideas, thoughts and experiences below.
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#1
I always say that half-a*sed is better than no-a*sed. Doing a part of a chore, half the dishes, some of the laundry, cleaning part of the bathroom, vacuuming 1 room, is better than letting the mess build up until it's overwhelming.
Kirsten Kerkhof 3 weeks ago
Also: doing something at 20% because you only had 20% to give, means you gave 100% that day.
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#2
When I wash my windows, I wash the outside horizontal and the the inside vertical.
This way I can easily tell if the streaks are on the inside or out. Huge timesaver.
#4
Doing a closing shift before going to bed.
Put everything in its place from the shelves/tables, take out the garbage and turn on the dishwasher - every evening.
I'm not a morning person, but getting up and everything is tidy makes a completely different start to the day.
#5
The no empty hands rule. There is always something that can be put away. Going upstairs, take something that goes there. Helps keep the clutter from building up in the usual spots aka any flat surface.
"Disembodied voice" 3 weeks ago
I do this with my glasses, I am allowed to put them in three spots in my house. Helps prevent me from losing them
#6
I write my grocery store list in the order I walk through the store. Keeps me organized and I don’t have to walk all over the store.
#7
If you’re asking someone to do something for you or give something to you, give them a reason why you want/need it. It can literally be *any* reason. The chances of them agreeing increase significantly if you attach a reason. It’s just something that clicks in people’s brains.
I cannot overemphasize how little the reason you give matters. Obviously a good reason is better, but a nonsense/basic reason works well too (and sometimes better). The most important thing is that you say it with confidence (like it’s a reasonable explanation).
For example:
- “Can I have the big slice of cake?” **[Bad, rude, greedy, yuck]**
- “Can I have the big slice of cake? I love chocolate cake. **[Good, grateful, let the boy have a treat]**
Another:
- “Can we move the meeting to 10:30 AM?” **[Ummm, can you stop being lazy and show up on time?]**
- “Can we move the meeting to 10:30 AM? That Tuesday is really busy for me.” **[Omg, yes, let’s make this work.]**
It doesn’t always work, but I’ve definitely gotten better results with it than people I know who just ask.
Raumpfleger 3 weeks ago
Some years ago a comedian on austrian tv demonstrated this in a very funny way: He went into the metro with a white labcoat and asked people: "Please get up, I need your seat, I'm a doctor!" and comfortably sat down a second later in 90% of the cases.
#8
90%+ of what I know how to do DIY is learned from YouTube. There is *so much* good free content out there.
A basic set of tools and some time has saved me enough money over the years that it became the down payment for a house.
Plus, I just like learning how to do things and get a sense of satisfaction from completing something challenging/new and knowing I was able to fix it.
Child of the Stars 3 weeks ago
A lot of DIY home maintenance can be learned from YT. Just leave the electrical stuff to licensed professionals because that s.h.i.t's dangerous.
#9
Adding the word "reddit" at the end of every question I search on Google. Theres always a person that ask that question 7y before me.
#10
Use a vegetable peeler to shave off thin bits of hard cold butter that will spread on bread/toast much easier!
Glen Ellyn 3 weeks ago
I like grilled cheese sandwiches and when the butter is hard, I scrape the butter knife along the top of the butter stick to get thinner pieces. But also, when I flip the piece of bread to butter side down in the already-warmed pan, I quickly slide the bread around in a couple of circles to spread the butter evenly on the bread. Much easier than coping with so much butter-scraping.
Raumpfleger 3 weeks ago
That is also the only thing the peeler in the photo could effectively be used to.
HTakeover 3 weeks ago
The one in the photo, when not having sat in your drawer for a decade, works extremely well. I'll take it over the Good Grips type any day. Works in both push and pull while many of the ergonomic wand style only have one.
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Jill Rhodry 3 weeks ago
Or warm up a knife under running hot water first and don't forget to dry it of course
Ace 3 weeks ago
I guess this is in the US here butter comes in sticks. Elsewhere the width of the butter is greater than the length of the blade.
UKGrandad 3 weeks ago
Turn the butter on it's side and take it from there.
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#11
When I need to remember something, I put something out of place and tie it to the memory.
Like if I need to remember to bring something to work but I'm about to fall asleep, I'll put my water bottle on top of my phone, and when I wake up I notice it and wonder why it's like that, then I remember the thing.
This also works for me by visualizing an area of my home that I'm going to walk past. It usually happens when I'm in the shower and I remember that I'm supposed to do something. If I concentrate and imagine the space, then repeat in my mind "when you see x, remember to do y" Then when I get out of the shower and see x, I remember to do y.
It sounds like it wouldn't work but it does for me.
Rachel Pelz 3 weeks ago
I came, I saw and I forgot what I was going to do. (Not Julius Cesar but me entering another room.)
#12
Vinegar and Dawn soap will clean pretty much everything in your house. Everything.
Child of the Stars 3 weeks ago
Yup. I make my own multipurpose cleaner with a drop of Dawn, a cup of warm white vinegar, and hot water (the vinegar and water temp is important when mixing it up). I use it for mopping, countertops, light switches, baseboards, everything. Also, peanut butter is great for removing things like crayon from your fridge or walls!
#13
Everytime I get up off the couch or toilet, I do a full, deep squat. It's the lazy man's way to keep your legs strong. It don't even feel like i do 20-25 squats a day.
BM Khalid Hasan 3 weeks ago
It looks normal when you leave alone or with someone who knows exercise! Otherwise, people give a weird look!
#14
I can't remember exactly where online but I saw a video about a year ago saying have your condiments and sauces in your veggie draws in the fridge and have your veggies in sight in the door and shelves you can see veggies and fruit and tend to use them before they go off. You'll always use the condiments no matter what so them being out of sight doesn't matter. Been a good send of a hack for my partner and I who are neurospicy.
#15
A former GF called me unexpectedly a few months after we mutually broke up. She knew I was a freelance IT guy with lots of spare parts and asked me if I had an extra power supply for her laptop.
I don't mind letting go of something I got for free (when I can't fix a laptop, the clients usually let me keep it for parts), but I'm in a suburb, and she's in the city.
However, I had an upcoming plan to go into the city, but didn't want to make the effort to meet up with her.
So I painted her initials on the unit with correction fluid, and turned it into the Lost and Found at a major rail transit hub, pretending I found it in the food court, still plugged into a wall outlet.
It actually worked - she picked it up a day or two after I dropped it off!
#16
Clean your house before leaving on vacation so you can come home to a welcoming and clean house with no chores to follow up on.
If you live in a house with multiple stories, leave items that are to go to different floors next to the stairs so you can carry them down/upstairs when you're going that way anyway.
#17
I book flights, cars, and hotels by searching with the big aggregate sights to find the deals, then contact the firms directly to make the booking.
The price is frequently the same and sometimes lower. But the big advantage is if something goes wrong - it makes it a lot easier to fix because you don't need to go through the third party. This has saved me a couple of times when my itinerary changed.
It has also saved me a significant amount of money if the third party firm charges large 'service' fees - e.g., AirBnB (many holiday rentals put listings on AirBnB but have their own online presence too).
Child of the Stars 3 weeks ago
My sister worked for a well-known upscale hotel chain years ago when third-party bookings were just becoming a thing. She HATED them because about half the time, the bookings wouldn't even come through to the hotel.
#18
I once read that putting a rubber band around a jar lid makes it easier to open. Tried it on a stubborn jar of pickles, and it worked so well, I felt like a superhero.
#19
I have a real problem with putting my washing away once it’s dried. So I shove it all into the “clean” basket and then later when I’m looking to put clothes on, instead of digging around the basket for the clothes I want to wear, I put away as many clothes as I can until I find what I want to wear.
Once I find what I’m looking for I tell myself I can stop putting clothes away. Sometimes it can take a day or two but by the end of it all the clothes are put away. Other times I can find a groove and just end up putting everything away.
#20
When parking in a big ramp (mall, airport, parking garage), take a quick photo of a sign that reminds you of the location.
#21
I squeegee my shower walls, door and floor after every shower. It takes less than 2 minutes while I’m drip drying and keeps my shower much, much cleaner.
#22
I’ve weaponised my procrastination. If I have 5 things on my to-do list I’ll procrastinate on the first or second item by doing another item on the list.
I’m not getting the first thing done, but I’m still progressing.
The true master hack is to trick your brain into thinking the thing at the top of time list is urgent or important when it’s not, so you don’t actually screw yourself over by procrastinating on that item.
Rachel Pelz 3 weeks ago
Hmmm but if the first item is rearranging the socks in the drawer, might as well get that done before I do taxes, with is next on the list...
#23
Sniffing an alcohol swab will help cure nausea most of the time.
#24
If you drill a hole in the wall that turns out to be too big, or if a wall plug has come loose, snap the red bit off of a couple of matchsticks, throw those away, and put the remaining wooden bit in the hole before reinserting the wall plug and screw the item back in. Learned this years ago from a guitar magazine (how to fix a loose strap lock pin) and turned out to be really versatile.
Edit: added clarity on which bit you put into the wall since I’m no arsonist.
#25
This is an old but loved one, you can clean rust off metal with coca-cola, oldest mechanic's trick in the book.
Foxes forever! 3 weeks ago
Coca Cola does so many different things it should be called “ kinda soda but also fun science experiment and cleaning mixture cola”
#26
Hair conditioner works very well as a shaving cream. Smells better, too, usually.
#27
Studying actually helps to improve mental health.
#28
After taking a shower I initially dry myself using hands. Just run your hands along your body to get rid of excess water. Especially good when you have a hairy body. I got this from reddit years ago and I’m using it to this day since.
qkppyrxvfx 3 weeks ago
I do this, and then squeegee the shower cubicle. Squeegee body, squeegee shower 🤓
#29
Always checkout resale shops and thrift stores in nicer cities and towns, they always got the good stuff.
#30
Using a tortilla as a plate so I can just eat the mess after. Work smarter, not harder. 🌯😂.
What do you think ?
Earonn - 3 weeks ago
Have your repeating chores tied to a day. Eg. for me it's Monday = dishes, Tuesday = laundry, Wednesday = hoover.... Because you do it weekly, it doesn't become too much = is quicker done = you 'fear' it less. Further, you are kinda primed for it. It's Monday? You already feel like doing the dishes. But mostly it helps me with anxiety. So, there's dishes on the sink? Nothing to worry about, because I know that they will be dealt with next Monday - in the past I would have seen them every day and thought "Oh, I need to do them, why didn't I do them yesterday, I should do them today, but I also need to hoover, oh, this is so much..."
Cosmos in your eyes 3 weeks ago
How to clean tea stains out of your mug: sprinkle in some baking soda, a drop of dish soap, and a couple tablespoons of vinegar. Once it simmers down, fill it up with hot water. Let it sit while you go live your life. When you come back to it, dump out the water then clean it like you regularly would. The tea stains comes right off without any elbow grease.
Tyke 3 weeks ago
I do that but just a teaspoon of clothes washing powder. Works to get tea stains out of flasks too
Load More Replies... Earonn - 3 weeks ago
Have your repeating chores tied to a day. Eg. for me it's Monday = dishes, Tuesday = laundry, Wednesday = hoover.... Because you do it weekly, it doesn't become too much = is quicker done = you 'fear' it less. Further, you are kinda primed for it. It's Monday? You already feel like doing the dishes. But mostly it helps me with anxiety. So, there's dishes on the sink? Nothing to worry about, because I know that they will be dealt with next Monday - in the past I would have seen them every day and thought "Oh, I need to do them, why didn't I do them yesterday, I should do them today, but I also need to hoover, oh, this is so much..."
Cosmos in your eyes 3 weeks ago
How to clean tea stains out of your mug: sprinkle in some baking soda, a drop of dish soap, and a couple tablespoons of vinegar. Once it simmers down, fill it up with hot water. Let it sit while you go live your life. When you come back to it, dump out the water then clean it like you regularly would. The tea stains comes right off without any elbow grease.
Tyke 3 weeks ago
I do that but just a teaspoon of clothes washing powder. Works to get tea stains out of flasks too
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