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No one likes to waste unnecessary amounts of time and energy on things that can be done with a few quick shortcuts. Or find themselves in challenging scenarios and have no idea how to crack the code. Or do things the hard way when... You get it — "work smarter, not harder" is the way to go.

We naturally pick up small pieces of wisdom that allow us to overcome unexpected obstacles and complete demanding missions, but as you’ve definitely noticed, the game of life is often quite difficult. Sometimes, our brains struggle to unlock the secrets and find the little commands and hacks that would help us to move on to the next level. But thankfully, Redditors bacongobbler and Lurial decided to do us all a public service by sharing some very useful "cheat codes" with anyone who strives to make their days a bit easier.

So if you want to finally nail down this game we call life, we've got you covered! Below, our team at Bored Panda has wrapped up some of the best insights from these two threads to share with you all. But as the Redditors warn, remember to put your thinking caps on and do your own research before trying these moves in real life. So continue scrolling, upvote the hacks you didn't know about, and be sure to share your own bits of advice in the comments!

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#1

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Secretaries, tech support and janitors are the true power in office buildings. Make friends, remember birthdays and you can get anything you need or go anywhere you need.

AmbitionOfPhilipJFry , Patrick Amoy Report

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Henrik Schmidt
Henrik Schmidt
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Plus, they're human beings. You CAN actually be nice to people without any ulterior motive!

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#2

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones When commenting on something, whether it be reddit, facebook, etc. finish typing your comment, stop, re-read it twice and then ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish with said comment before posting

DysenteryFairy , Joseph Frank Report

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Moosy Girl
Moosy Girl
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Til that comments have to accomplish something, I have hereby accomplished making a bunch of strangers aware of my musings on above subject.

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#3

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Shut the f**k up.

Wait for the lawyer.

hxcloud99 , Gabrielle Henderson Report

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#4

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Turn it off, then on again.

Lurial , John Smit Report

Final score:
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NetworkMan
NetworkMan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a Network Technician at a huge University, I approve this message.

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#5

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones When you have forgotten someone's name, simply say : "I'm sorry, but what was your name one more time." They may act offended, but when they give you their first name you simply reply "No, I meant your last name." (more socially acceptable to forget).

Bingo. First and last names.

hxcloud99 , charlesdeluvio Report

Final score:
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BeHa
BeHa
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And 1 second later I have already forgotten both names...

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#6

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Buy things out of season, this can save you money. Unless its food, then buy it in season

Lurial , charlesdeluvio Report

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#7

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Cut negative people out of your life.

hxcloud99 , Christian Erfurt Report

Final score:
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#8

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones When you're giving a presentation, bring a bottle of water up to the podium. If you find yourself in a spot where you blank, taking a drink will allow you to gather your thoughts. Nobody will be the wiser.

hxcloud99 , Bluewater Sweden Report

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Mavis
Mavis
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you're speaking to a large group of people and dont know where to look, just look at a point over everyones head out past the back row.

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#9

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones When you buy something online, you usually get a chance to enter a promo code before you purchase.

Google the promo codes.

They're out there - you can get anything from free shipping to 25% off the purchase.

north0 , rupixen.com Report

Final score:
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Ivo H
Ivo H
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I almost always check for codes, not once the code I found worked.

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#10

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones If you have crushing chest pain, call 911 first. Then chew some aspirin. I work in cardiology.

hxcloud99 , Kateryna Hliznitsova Report

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Buren
Buren
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do you mean before or after I remove the bookshelf?

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#11

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones if you gently rock back and forth while pooping it will take significantly less time and make it easier to pass more "troublesome" movements. Best. Lifehack. Ever

thejesusfinger , 99.films Report

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Buren
Buren
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do I have to do this in toilet or any teeter totter would do?

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#12

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones For essays with minimum page requirements: If you finish your paper and realize that what you wrote is a shy of the minimum requirement, ctrl F your paper and search for ".". Change the font size of the periods from 12 to 14. They are the exact same size, but it causes the paper to be significantly longer (my 5 page original essay was stretched out to roughly 7 pages).

anon , Luke Southern Report

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#13

When I am in a large shopping centre (mall) I take a photo of the information board on my phone so I can look up how to get to stores without having to go back to the board

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DuchessDegu
DuchessDegu
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is even more useful in an airport. I saw someone taking photos of the connection gates and gates map and scoff to myself "ppfft that's what the app is for", just to have the app stuck and nearly missing my flight

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#14

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Easy splinter removal: dip the splintered body part in some Elmer's glue, let it dry, remove glue with splinter.

Easy lawn care: Pour "beer" (Bud Light, Coors, etc) on the lawn. Fermented sugars make great fertilizer.

Easy broken glass clean up: Get the tiny pieces up with a piece of bread, the consistency and texture picks up even the smallest shard.

ThePolymath , Molly DG Report

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#15

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Babywipes for the bathroom. Seriously, your life will be +1.

hxcloud99 , Towfiqu barbhuiya Report

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#16

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Never bring anything in to work. That way, when you leave (ie, earlier than usual) it doesn't look like you're leaving for the day.

cbexton , Jornada Produtora Report

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October
October
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why do I see so many posts about adults at work who behave like teenagers in highschool? Grow up.

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#17

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones I've got one. If you feel uncomfortable looking into someone's eyes when they're talking to you, look at their nose instead. They cannot tell the difference.

anon , Jessica Da Rosa Report

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#18

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones When you eat hard shell taco's, do it over your nachos. That way when they disintegrate, you can eat the bits you lost with your nachos

HumerousMoniker , Krisztian Tabori Report

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Monday
Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now THIS is the kind of cheat code I was hoping for!

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#19

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Avoid forgetting something in the morning by placing it in your shoes. (works best if you wear the same pair every day.)

anon , Jake Goossen Report

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#20

Try to use your non-dominant hand for more things, try to maintain an equal balance in your body. If you have paper and a writing utensil in front of you, try scribbling circles with your non-dominant hand. Stir things with it, open doors with it. Use your dominant hand for things that you'd usually use your non-dominant for.


Be conscious of how your body moves. Pick up your feet when you walk, pay attention to your posture, try not to lean to one side if you're standing for a long period of time. *Stretch.* Stretching is important in maintaining strength, balance and coordination. Try doing routine things in different ways, it'll help your body with the aging process and keep you in better shape.


If you want to develop certain traits as a person, live your life as if you've always been that way/had said traits. Eventually after a bit it will become so second nature that you won't even have to think about it.


Don't pretend to know something if you don't. You look ignorant if you're called out on it, and you force yourself to lose the opportunity to learn something new. If you're mocked for not knowing something and needing to ask, you're around the wrong people.


**tl;dr** Be conscious of how your body moves; try to stay balanced. Sometimes pretending to have certain traits will actually help you develop them. Be open to learning new things.

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#21

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones On flights, if you are fighting for an arm rest with a stranger. bring your arm (the one thats on the same side the arm rest you want) up to your mouth and sneeze/cough. Then place it by the armrest. The other person will move their arm. Has had 100% success rate

Princess335 , Suhyeon Choi Report

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Buren
Buren
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think unwritten rule is arm rest for the middle seater.

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#22

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Learn to cook. You will save money, eat better and feel better. If you are terrible at cooking, there is only one way to get better...cook. Think of cooking not as a chore, but as something that is fun and that brings joy to other people and to yourself. If you live alone, invest in some nice pyrex containers, put a few portions in the freezer, a few in the fridge.

anon , Conscious Design Report

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wendillon avatar
Monday
Monday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you don't like cooking it doesn't matter how much you think of it as fun, it will stay a chore. If simply thinking "This is a fun thing" worked we would all love our jobs.

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#23

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones If you get brain freeze from eating something cold too quickly, press your tongue against the roof of your mouth as hard as you can. Voila, instant brainfreeze relief.

fortuitous_bounce , Jed Villejo Report

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#24

If you're at home/work/party or GOD forbid your girlfriend's house and the toilet starts to overflow, take the lid off the back reservoir part and lift the long handle as far up as it will go. The water will stop rising and then you can quietly mutter curses at it till it goes back down (which it does, more often than not...)

Lurial Report

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#25

Always walk like you know where you are and what you're doing. Most people will just let you go on through/by/away. Works on most rent-a-cops and campus police.

jetpackRocktane Report

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Thanatos Charles
Thanatos Charles
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Go anywhere at all with a high vis jacket, a stepladder and a small toolbox, can add a hard hat for extra effect, even easier to carry a bag with some light bulbs, incase anyone asks. You can literally get in anywhere

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#26

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Give yourself half an hour of downtime in the morning, between being ready to leave and leaving, and your day won't feel so rushed

anon , Aaron Burden Report

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sturmwesen
sturmwesen
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where do you get that extra hour? I am happy if I can fit a 45min walk in instead of 15min.

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#27

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones To get through tech support quickly with an ISP, choose the option for becoming a new customer. Then when you get there ask to transfer to tech support. Usually they won't put you on hold because they see the number coming from the new customer line.

anon , Marília Castelli Report

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sturmwesen
sturmwesen
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In somehotlines it helps to talk gibberish to the machine. Others kick you out for it.

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#28

If you drive stick and the battery s dead, get some friends, put the key to the on position, put the car in 2nd and push the clutch down. have your friends push your car. when you get a decent speed going let the clutch up. (this is called "Popping the clutch." your car with start and you can drive around for a while to recharge your battery(provided nothing is wrong with the battery or the alternator)

Lurial Report

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Vix Spiderthrust
Vix Spiderthrust
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is called a jump start. EDIT no it isn't. Stupid brain.

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#29

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones If you are quitting something e.g. smoking, drinking etc. Everytime you feel the urge to do said addiction : Go for a run, do 20 sit ups, 20 push ups etc. This way you can start to associate exercise with quitting and you get fitter the more you quit which can make you feel better

Thedarkfallenone , Ayo Ogunseinde Report

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Buren
Buren
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or I associate quitting with exercise and don't want to quit anymore.

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#30

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones If you are driving an unfamiliar car and you don't know which side the gas tank is on, just look at the little pump icon next to the gas gauge on the dashboard. The pump handle on the icon will be on the side of the tank

Lurial , Jaromír Kavan Report

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TheAquarius1978
TheAquarius1978
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also lmao, if you drive an electric vehicle, don't try to fill its tank at the gás station... ( Google Tesla woman gás station, and be amazed )

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#31

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones When you go to a restaurant where they bring you your drink in a cup/glass, ask for no ice or for ice on the side. Often what they do is load your drink with ice so that it seems as if there's more in there, especially at bars

MrCassiBro , Nancy Hughes Report

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wendillon avatar
Monday
Monday
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most bars have a set amount of alcohol they serve you. If you ask for no ice you get a half-filled glass. At least that's how it works here.

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#32

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Try to put yourself in as many socially awkward situations as possible. You will be desensitized to it which makes you more outgoing.

hxcloud99 , Priscilla Du Preez Report

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Tess
Tess
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just seem to improve my ability of finding new ways to be even more socially awkward.

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#33

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones If you spill any liquid that will stain on your carpet (red wine, juice, etc), pour some salt on it. Work it into the carpet - just rub it in with your hands. Leave it there for a few hours (for serious stains, up to a day) and vacuum it out. Voila, stain gone.

Weebles_Wobble , Stephani Spitzer Report

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wendillon avatar
Monday
Monday
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's not what a stain is....if it's a fresh spill it's not a stain. So this method won't remove stains, just prevent them.

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#34

When you're talking to someone and can't tell if they are interested in the subject/their mind is elsewhere, cross your arms. If they cross theirs as well, they are truly listening

Cirquedecircle7 Report

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Monday
Monday
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Except if they have social anxiety and are very attentive to body language in which case crossing their arms is something they'll never do since it could also show disinterest or disagreement.

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#35

People Are Sharing "Cheat Codes" They've Found That Work In Real Life, Here Are 35 Of The Most Useful Ones Talk to everyone like you would your best mate, and smile.

Goldsie , Ashley Piszek Report

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Henrik Schmidt
Henrik Schmidt
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the American way. In many countries this will make you come off as pushy and weird.

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