There is always a better way to do something.
Some may call that option lazy, others may say it's genius.
Think about it this way... the computer keyboard has tons of "hacks" which were engineered to save time.
The more time one saves, the more life to be lived.
Redditor rat-avec-london asked:
"What is a lifehack that seems fake, but is a true lifesaver?"
I love a good short cut. Enlighten me.
Rushed
"If you stand up too fast and your head starts to spin/rush/blackout tighten your abs as hard as you can and it’ll help drastically reduce the head rush. you can also do it preemptively to help stop it before it even happens."
54turtlelord
season 1 friends GIFGiphySplash
"Splash some water your face. As a mammal, you have a diving instinct, so water on your face triggers a response: you wake up, there's more oxygen to your brain, you feel better, plus your face is wet."
phargle
"My deceased grandmother told me to do this every morning. Now I know the science behind it, I will try to be more diligent in doing it. Cheers."
crusty_crabapple
"I do this driving long distances. I keep a wash rag and a bottle of water on stand by. Better than a loud radio or the windows down."
k-c-jones
Stains
"If you get food/grease stains on your clothes, cover the stain with dishwashing liquid. The stain will come off when you wash your clothes."
Magster56
"Always double check the stain is gone before sticking it in the dryer too! The heat will set the stain in even more. I love using dish soap for laundry stains, I even keep a tiny bottle in my laundry room."
"Lestoil works great for greasy stains too."
onetwothreefouronetw
break any fall...
"When it is icy or going through somewhere wet, always have both hands free to break any fall. When working with a job you know has safety hazard, always be on the look out. My coworker broke her wrist because someone forgot to put the pallet in the correction location. Sometimes people are out to get you or maybe not even thinking of you (or your safety) so always got to have your own back."
sweethomeall
Click First
"Turn your device on and off before contacting tech support."
Pochusaurus
"And restart your computer regularly, not a shut down, a restart. Shut down is now just a glorified sleep and will not solve your problem."
WaddlingKereru
light turn off GIF by Alexis TapiaGiphyI hate that off/on. I've spent half my life doing it. :(
Slip
"If your ring gets stuck on your finger windex will slide it right off. Worked at a jewelry store for five plus years."
coykoi314
married single ladies GIFGiphyLighten it Up
"Use whitening toothpaste and a little water with a paper towel to clean stained dry erase boards. It easily removes ink and doesn't spread it around like rubbing alcohol. Works on boards that have been stained for years.
VHDT10
"Also, if you accidentally use permanent marker on a whiteboard (we’ve all done in) you can use whiteboard pen to it. Once the permanent marker is dry, draw over it with the whiteboard pen, let that dry and wipe off."
LochNessMother
"Also works great on dirty white leather/fake leather shoes like Adidas Stan Smith."
planetary_dust
back and forth
"I saw a comment on one of these kinda threads that recommended gently rocking back and forth while pooping. I’ve never had any problems in the bathroom, but I happened to be sitting on the toilet when I read the comment so I decided to give it a test drive. I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and effortless the whole experience was and I haven’t gone back to my old stationary technique since."
"As a bonus... #1 and #2 now require the same amount of time in the bathroom!"
A**_LORD_666
kills stone dead...
"If you have funky armpits and need to fix them fast, use hand sanitiser. I figured this out years ago when I remembered that the smell comes from bacteria reactions - which antibacterial hand gel kills stone dead. Instant results and the medical smell lasts only a minute. Don't do this routinely though as it's delicate skin."
ihadanideaonce
And a Razor
"Use shaving cream as anti-fog. I used it on the inside of my motorcycle visor. Smear it on, let it dry, then rinse off and dry. It also works for bathroom mirrors. You can use it on a small spot so you can still see when you get out of the shower."
Caspers_Shadow
Season 2 Mess GIF by Paramount+GiphySurvival tips to know. I'm making a list.
In the words of every millennial who was once on Tumblr, adulting is hard. I've been a legal adult for nine years now, and I still don't fully understand taxes. I just let TurboTax do its thing and hope for the best. They REALLY need to teach that sh*t in schools.
But I'm not the only adult who still feels like a child! I think a lot of us can relate to that. And to be honest, we can be very unprepared for what life throws at us.
U/cracksandcrevices asked: What is an adult problem that nobody prepared you for?
The worst part is the cruel awakening that we actually have to, you know, do stuff on our own.
Choosing things is hard.
Having to not only make important decisions by myself (I expected that much) but also having to do so in a timely fashion uninhibited by indecision.
Having to make decisions is such a big thing for me. Intellectually, of course I knew I'd have to make decisions. I just want ready too make them without knowing the consequences and at the speed of life.
Errands eat up sooo much time.
season 2 your shoe's untied GIF by SpongeBob SquarePants GiphyHow much time you spend just doing stuff.
"Oh need to replace my tire and that's over by the store, so while I replace the tire I can do some errands and I'll save time and be home in no time" three hours later "Okay just one more errand before I head home"
Also how putting off a small task just a couple days in a row can quickly amount to a longer chore/responsibility later. "Eh I can just leave this in the sink, get to it later before bed" x 2 days "Why is this grime caked onto this plate still I've been scrubbing for 10 minutes straight!"
That’s what delivery is for.
Being sick and having to care for yourself. Like when you were younger your parents would get the medicine, or the medicine cabinet would just be stocked all the time, etc. But here I am with a cold having to build up the energy to go to the supermarket to buy some asprin and throat lozenges all by myself.
Underwear gnomes are the true pests.
The endless cleaning. I had chores when I was a kid, but I had zero clue how much actual work went into keeping house. I cleaned my house this morning and by midweek it'll be a war zone of pet hair, crumbs, and dust. I don't even have kids wtf it's like the underpants gnomes show up when I'm asleep and mess my house up.
Reddit Users Share Their Best 'It's A Small World After All' Experience
Another sh*tty thing is the crushing loneliness that comes with adulthood. Why didn’t they tell us that we would have no friends after the age of 25?
The only thing I miss about school.
motivating bart simpson GIF GiphyA lack of community. Growing up you have your elementary school. Each day you see your friends and participate in activities together. Sometimes they move away and sometimes you do, but it largely stays the same through high school and middle school. Flash forward to adulthood and you're just alone. You want to make friends IRL, but have no idea how to go about doing it without seeming creepy, desperate, or god knows what.
This is really hard when you are not overtly religious so you cannot join a religious community. My friend and I talk about this from time to time, it's arguably the hardest thing to deal with in life. It gets worse the longer you live, as you know you are outliving your generation.
The reason why I have cats.
You can go days on end without having to speak to a single person, at first it's a dream come true, after about 2 months you start talking to your toaster to pad the silence while waiting for your toast.
I literally haven't spoken to someone beyond saying thank you/no when buying groceries in months. At first it felt kind of freeing and now it's just kinda sad.
Ditto on this advice.
The inevitably of your parents dying. My dad just passed away and I'm 25...no one could have prepared me I guess.
I feel you. Mine passed away back in August when I was 28. There's nothing you can do to prepare for it, and I'm afraid I have no magic words to make it better. Just know you're not alone. I'll never say it gets "better," but it eventually starts to suck less and your hard days get a little less frequent. I'm so, so sorry.
The sad fact is, you have to start fending for yourself with no one to help you. And that’s terrifying.
Saving money is hard for this reason alone.
Basic home maintenance: when to change air filters, smoke alarm batteries, timing of lawn care, how often do you clean the gutters, are you supposed to clean under the stove, what is edging, how do you recycle, how to change locks, etc.
Not to mention the random costs that spring up. Trying to save up money? Good for you. Except your sink just sprung a leak so you need to pay a plumber to fix that. Now you can save money agai... Nope, car needs servicing. Okay, your can definitely save money now.... Wait, that leaky sink sprouted mold so now your bathroom needs to be gutted and redone.
We are all Squidward.
Being absolutely exhausted most of the time. I never thought I'd be the 'I hate everyone' guy. But I am and everyone can f*ck off.
We all become Squidward after hitting a certain age.
You either die a SpongeBob or live long enough to become a Squidward.
Me? I'm Patrick. F*ck your rat race.
You know what’s the one thing I wasn’t prepared for when I became an adult? Being an adult. This sh*t is overrated.
This is such a scam.
Work Out Exercise GIF by Lizzo GiphyYou can EASILY eat 1000 calories in ten minutes but it takes 1 hour of vigorous exercise to burn off..
Financial literacy is SO important.
Retirement. Saving and investing over many years. Start as soon as you can. Luckily I have paid off my primary residence and own investment property as well as a diversified portfolio with some good bets as in BTC DOGE and FMCC these last 3 will moon real soon. Good luck and happy travels in your investment career. Start early! Do your own due diligence before investing. Learn as much as you can along the way. Your financial freedom depends on it.
There really needs to be parenting classes.
Caring for your first baby. If you have experienced relatives or friends who can help, great, but we did not.
A colleague in a similar situation a while later said to me, "12 years of school, 4 years of college, and never once any lessons on the most important responsibility we will ever have!"
Yup.
YUP.
Comedy Central Lol GIF by The Jim Jefferies Show GiphyRealizing that so many people in the professional world are totally without scruples - totally dishonest, greedy, immoral and just out for themselves. What's more, they have absolutely no remorse about it.
We all secretly still feel like kids.
I'm 55, and am beginning to have grey hair and lines in my face. I'm amazed at how old I look, and physically, I'm a wreck (!), but inside, I'm still the Goth/Punk young woman of my twenties.
In fact, I'm mostly invisible to everyone in their twenties, which is something I've only recently understood. It's a mixed blessing.
As someone who has lost a parent, I can tell you that sometimes you will never be prepared for certain events in your adult life. Everyone's experience is different, and sometimes adulthood just means figuring it out for yourself.
You got this, grown-ups of the internet. I believe in you
Got the hiccups? Here's a simple solution.
Grab a glass of water and drink from the opposite side of the cup while tilting your head forward.
Try continuously gulping until the glass is empty. By the time you come back up for air, the annoying involuntary spasm should be gone.
Works like a charm, I tell ya.
Wanting to find out about other life hacks, Redditor Smileycircus asked:
"What 'one weird trick' actually works?"
Home Remedy
When you don't have commercial house cleaning products, check your fridge for solutions. No, really.
Other helpful hacks include using lint, gravity, and plain dish soap.
Glass Magnet
"need to pick up small pieces of glass out of a carpet? Use a wet slice of bread. The surface tension 'sticks' to the peices of glass and the bread picking them out of the carpet. Just remember to vacuum afterwards."
Removing Wood Stain
"If you get wood stain in your hands, rub any kind of kitchen oil on it then wash your hands with warm water and dish soap! Works amazingly, otherwise I think I would still have that stuff on me and it's been about three months since then."
"Edit: there seems to be a few confused people not knowing what wood stain is, it's basically just a really sticky/oily substance you put on wood to give it a darker color!"
– MoeK430
Use For Lint
"Save the lint from your dryer and roll in vaseline. My grandpa used these back in the day when we'd go on hunting trips. Hed make them quarter to half dollar size and keep in a metal tin and the vaseline also made them virtually water proof. What we used for our campfires being poor white trash lol."
Let Gravity Be Your Guide
"Dead batteries bounce when dropped on a hard surface. Good batteries don't."
"This is better than my older sister's method back in the day. She used to tell me to put the prongs of the battery on my tongue, and if it shot me with pain, it was still live. I fell for this a couple years in a row; I was not very bright, and longed to hang out with her and her cool friends!"
Don't Sweat The Small Stuff
These harmless cheat systems will make you sleep easier at night – both mentally, and physically.
Read At Your Own Pace
"If you have a Kindle and are renting e-books from the library, put it in airplane mode and when it's due back, the book will still return but the content will still be on your device until you turn off airplane mode."
"I don't usually finish my books before they are due back so this trick works great."
Breathe With Ease
"If your nose is stuffy and congested (or you can try it regardless, it works anyway) press firmly on the bridge of your nose for about 15 seconds. You'll feel your sinuses draining and it helps immensely if you've been crying for a while and it feels like your face hurts."
"There's other pressure points too but that's a good quality of life hack"
When You Can't Contain Yourself
"If you feel like you need to laugh or scream, but you are not in a place where this is appropriate, open your mouth and breathe out an entire lungful like 'haaaa.' It will mitigate the feeling, and it's barely audible."
The Right Head Space
No need to wrack your brain when writing dissertations or when you're trying to comprehend something that just won't sink in.
Because when all else fails, you can use your rubber duck.
It's All In The Font
"Learned this a while back and for some strange reason it's actually helped. When you have an assignment to type out like an essay to write, use the comic sans font and your ideas just flow out of you. As opposed to times new roman or any other official font, you're less worried about the 'correctness' of each sentence and you can just write without being too much in your head. Then of course before submitting have a read through and change it to the official font required."
The Listener
"If you want to make sure you understand something, try to explain it out loud to a rubber duck."
"(Not kidding.)"
"Edit: Y'all, I'm a programmer. I know the origins. But it's useful in learning anything - not just debugging!"
The Right Portion
"Serve your food on a smaller plate. Tricks the brain into thinking its a large portion."
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade OR use the lemon juice to get ride of unwanted highlighter markings.
Just cut a lemon in half, get a cotton swab and soak the tip with the magical citrus elixir and glide it across the unwanted stain and watch it disappear.
All the previously mentioned "tricks" may or may not be 100% effective for you, but what have you got to lose? Lint and bread?
It's a small price to pay, if you ask me.
The unique crowd-sourcing capabilities of the internet has changed the game for most of the niches and corners of people's interests that exist.
Cooking techniques are a prime example.
The world of cooking techniques and secret recipes no longer looks like it once did. Just a few decades ago, obtaining a secret recipe was a monumental act.
You had to get in touch with your parents or a relative, look at a 60-year-old index card covered in your great-grandmother's illegible script, and make blind guesses at the measurements--which were noticeably absent.
Then, after two or three attempts, you finally work the dish out perfectly. After all that work, it's a fat chance that you'd ever pass an earned heirloom like that along to even your closest friend.
Now, you click around for about 10 minutes until you find a very well explained recipe on a website that's hidden just enough to ensure not everyone at the upcoming potluck read it. Boom, secret recipe.
One Reddit thread went so far as to quicken the process even more. It's a helpful forum full of techniques and casual recipes. It's as beneficial as it is existentially threatening to the "secret recipe" altogether.
speakthat asked, "What is your personal and unique quick recipe/food hack?"
Little Touches
"If you can afford actually good balsamic vinegar, just a little drizzle can be amazing."
"People have regularly been like, 'Wow, I don't usually like salad but this is awesome' or, 'Damn, you make the best vegetables.' ... It's literally just a bit of pretty decent balsamic (not the insanely expensive stuff, but not off the shelf of your average grocery store), olive oil, and salt."
"Also works to brush on stuff like roasting carrots for a glaze."
Tabula Rasa
"You can throw nearly anything on pancakes and most times it will taste good." -- Red_Distruction
"Pancakes and burgers is the fun, but ugly, cousin to chicken and waffles." -- johnnycakeAK
Thickening Agents
"When making mac and cheese, blend up some (cooked) carrots and cauliflower with some milk/water so you end up with an orange-y liquid, add cheese and then mix in some cooked macaroni. It makes it creamier, healthier and thicker and you barely taste any difference."
Split and Unite
"If you're making an omelette, separate the yolks and the whites before you cook them. Whisk them both up individually (do the whites until they become frothy), mix the two back together and then cook them as normal. It'll make it super wobbly and fluffy as opposed to a patchy dry mess."
Doctoring Up
"Crack an egg and stir (or not) into the boiling soup of any cheap-a** (or not) instant noodle and you've now got some tasty ghetto fabulous broth to enjoy. Use two eggs if you're feeling naughty."
-- SoulSonick
GiphyFor the Warm Weather Coming
"Sliced cucumber with no fat Italian dressing, salt, pepper, paprika. Its healthy, bright, and has a little kick. A nice, cheap summer time snack."
-- ButtersHound
Still Thicc
"I substitute unsweetened, plain Greek yogurt for sour cream all the time. On home-made tacos and burritos most often, but even with a bit of ranch seasoning for veggie dip."
"It has more of a bite than the sour cream, which I like, and I feel like I'm getting a better nutrition bang for my buck. I don't like sweetened yogurt, so this has been a nifty way to work it in to my diet still."
A Take on the Flatbread
"Naan bread, any type of sandwich meat, tiny tomatoes, spinach, gouda cheese. Throw in random spices of the day, usually garlic salt, paprika, Italian seasoning, and ground black pepper."
"Throw everything to half a side of the naan bread, fold over bread, throw naan on pan with lid to grill and melt the cheese. Serve with taziki sauce or mayo sriracha. 👌 sounds like a lot of work but it takes me less than 10 minutes to have a easy semi healthy dinner."
The Open-Faced 1970s
"A can of tuna mixed with a can of cream of mushroom soup. Scoop it onto halves of hamburger buns. Sprinkle it with cheddar cheese. Bake open faced in oven at 350 until cheese is melted. My mom learned this in Home-Ec in junior high in the 70's!"
A Premium Extra Layer
"When I bake banana bread, I always butter the loaf pan, then throw in a tbsp or two of sugar to coat all of the butter. Gives the bread a really nice sweet finish on the outside without the use of a glaze."
"I tried this with dark brown sugar once and ended up with a loaf soaked in molasses, which was disgusting so definitely stick with normal granulated sugar for this one lol."
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.
People Share Which Part Of Their Daily Routine They Love The Most
What the best part of your day?
Before I go to sleep for the night, I tuck my dogs into their bed and give them some pets and kisses goodnight. It's my most favorite part of the day. I get to be with my cute dogs, and it also signifies that I can finally lay down and relax. I also love when I'm early enough to be alone in the elevator at work.
Redditor u/Penguin_Pingu was curious about the little things that people enjoy, and so asked... "What's something you love about your daily routine?"
20. Taking time to learn
"drinking coffee while watching/reading something informative, it's an absolute delight"
19. Wholesome lunch
Giphy"Eating my peanut butter & jelly sandwich at work that was made by my wife."
18. Half days are my favorite
"Coming home on a half day with my lunch in the fridge, sitting in the living room with my lunch watching Parks And Rec"
17. Finally living with your S.O.
"waking up and going to sleep next to my SO every day since we both moved in together and he changed his work schedule. i'm thriving in it because we hadn't done that for so long because he worked overnights. i love that he's the first thing i see in the morning and the last thing i see at night."
16. Get that cardio in
"I get to bike to work 60 minutes everyone morning and evening along bike paths that border one of our rivers that snake through town. It is a fantastic way to get ready for the day or decompress after a hard one. Regular Cardio keeps me sane and healthy!"
15. Sit back and relax on the bus
"I dont drive, but generally I love taking the bus. I like just waiting to get to my destination and hanging out."
14. Multi-tasking like a pro
"Brush teeth while in the shower, listen to music, do homework and still have 4-6 hours of free time. Heck yeah!"
13. When your kid is too adorable
"My 6 year old waving and blowing kisses from the bus window on school days. She didnt do it the other day and I was sad about it all morning!"
12. When your pet shows you love
"Getting into bed at night and having my cat come and snuggle up with me, purring. She's the best."
11. Gaming by candlelight
"The evenings, I put on my candle and play on my Nintendo switch. Super peaceful :)"
10. Quality daughter time
"My 3 year old likes to wake up super early ... but since she mastered door handles she doesn't cry for me anymore, she just pitter-patters her way into my room and will snuggle with me for like 15 or 20 minutes while telling me about her dreams."
9. Unwinding alone
"I get off work at 5pm, my girlfriend/roommate gets off at 8pm. So until she gets off, I have time to unwind, play some video games, watch a movie, do what I want. And then she comes home and I get to see my favorite person"
8. The one happy person at work
"At around 3 PM everyday, the cleaning lady comes to my office. She greets me with a big smile as she gets through the door. While cleaning up the trash cans she sometimes talks about her family or her sons. Sometimes she wishes me luck with my work. You can tell that she loves her job and a great person. Meeting this sweet old lady always brightens up my day a little."
7. That would really be fun
Giphy"Choosing a wig. I get to chose who I'm gonna be for the day and it's exciting. One of those black girl perks."6. Singing really lets out tension
"Singing in the car on the way home. I have about a 40 minute commute. I probably get weird looks from other drivers, but I don't care. Still gonna belt it out."
5. Eight wonderful minutes
"Every morning after I get out of the shower I sit in front of my heater for 8 minutes while checking my phone and dry off like a car going through the blowy part of the car wash."
4. The cutest "cheers"
"I'm a stay at home dad with my toddler son. Every day first thing we do after waking up is go downstairs and he sits on my lap and we watch cartoons while he drinks his milk while I drink my first cup of coffee. He's sometimes goes 'cheers' and we clink cups."
3. Give yourself some time to reflect
"Every morning, before I start work, I write about my day before.
It's amazingly therapeutic, and probably my favorite part of any day. I get my first cup of coffee and just write. It's the best."
2. I hate getting out of bed, but it's the best to be the first one up
"Waking up early and getting to the world before anyone else does. Its like a permanent 1st! prize."
1. That feeling when you finally have nothing to do
Giphy"Coming in after the final walk with my dog. It means the day is over and that I can now relax."