Insider Secrets Casinos Don't Want Us To Know
One Stamfordsterling asked: 'What is something that happens at casinos that is hidden from the public?'
According to the American Gaming Association, there were 1005 casinos in the United States as of December 2022. They accounted for $328.6 billion in economic impact with $101.4 billion gross casino revenue.
With all that activity and cash, casinos have to be carefully crafted, well-oiled machines.
For an industry based on luck, they leave almost nothing to chance.
One Stamfordsterling asked:
"What is something that happens at casinos that is hidden from the public?"
Data Mining
"In Las Vegas, the sheer amount of data that is collected and analyzed on everything."
"From the weekend traffic coming from LA, the demographics going to see a concert/show and how that impacts staffing, everything about your slot or table play, down to how the size of the pans used in a buffet relate to food waste."
~ srslytho
Rat Heaven
"How much waste there is."
"Literal tons of food, paper products, stuff like soaps, shampoos, lotions, key packets/folders... It's obscene."
"We've got a lot of rats here in Las Vegas that appreciate it, though."
~ hypothetical_zombie
What Time Is It?
"Casinos hide the passage of time."
"No clocks on the walls and, in general, no windows with views to the outside."
~ HardRockGeologist
"UK government changed the law that all casinos have to have clocks now."
"They don’t make them very big obviously but they can lose their license if they fail an inspection."
~ stoofa69
The Ground Beneath Your Feet
"Casino carpets are intentionally designed with crazy patterns."
"They are distracting to look at, so you keep your eyes up and focused on the slot machines and gaming tables. They also make it hard to find the exits and are easier to keep clean."
"There is a whole science to designing casino carpet patterns."
~ Robbie-R
Scent Memory
"Some casinos add scents to the air (they do not pump in extra oxygen in as some people believe)."
~ HardRockGeologist
"The lobby at The M Resort south of The Strip is a patented scent they have with vanilla, pear, and other aromas that frankly, is one of the best things ever."
~ Shoegazer75
"Every casino has its own scent. They want you to associate that smell with the casino subconsciously."
"It's like going to the movies and you smell the popcorn and your brain is ready for the experience."
~ Icuivan
Slot Machines
"If you like to play slot machines never play penny slots."
"Those are the machines that make the casinos their most money."
"Play quarter or dollar machines—you spend just as much or less each spin and they tend to have better payouts. But your brain says penny slots are cheaper but they have machines that you can hit $20 a spin and higher."
"Where I used to work penny machines had a 14% hold while quarter and dollar machines had an 8% hold."
"The hold is how much the machine will win over the lifetime of the machine the higher the hold the more you are likely not to win."
"Also, a machine is never due. They use random number generators that act the moment you hit the spin button or pull the arm."
"The machine already knows if you have won or not as soon as you push the button and everything you see in front of you is for your entertainment."
"Always use your player's card. Yes, they track your play and try to lure you back based on how you play but it's also how they determine if they give you things."
~ Icuivan
"Penny slots are designed so you can play so many lines that virtually every single spin you make wins something, but rarely more than you bet."
"It gives the player the excitement of winning constantly while their bankroll keeps dropping."
"For some players they'll happily put in a dollar, get 86 cents back, get told they're a winner, and push the button again without realizing they just lost 14 cents."
~ NS8VN
Underneath It All
"I wandered down to the basement of MGM from a truck ramp and man, it was like a whole city down there, imagine a massive warehouse with roads and offices and supplies everywhere."
"The opposite of the glitz going on above it."
~ Renorico
"My ex worked for MGM for a while and she hooked me up with a comped room at NY/NY when I came to visit family. She met me at the check-in at NY/NY and then asked if I wanted to see her office."
"She took me through a door, down some steps and then through several corridors, passing by laundries, cafeterias, locker rooms, offices, storage, etc. She would point out all of these different areas and points-of-interest along the way and all I could think of 'where the hell are we? Are we even in the same hotel?'."
"We eventually go up some stairs and out a door and we're now at the valet at Aria next to where her office is located. Granted, we've only walked a few properties over but it's simply unbelievable how much activity there is underneath those hotels."
~ FopFillyFoneBone
Unclaimed Funds
"Just how much money goes unclaimed/uncollected."
"I worked in the accounting department at one of the main gaming conglomerates and was tasked with cleaning up their unclaimed property accounts."
"There were players aka 'whales' who'd deposited millions and just forgot about it for years."
~ Swole_Troll
"My dad, who died last month at age 90, was awfully good at finding machines that had money accumulated on them."
"Most of the time, it was basically pocket change, but he found a couple of 3-figure jackpots over the years. Of course, he would play a round so nobody could accuse him of deliberately breaking rules."
~ wilderlowerwolves
"This was huge when electronic slots were first introduced. Many had a button you had to press to 'pay out' winnings that accumulated."
"But many people had no idea and thought they had lost all the time."
"I'd walk around and look for Pay Out buttons that were lit up, hit them, and rake in the money."
~ Rougaroux1969
The Inside Scoop
"I worked at a casino (well, the resort portion of the casino) for a summer. I don't have any sordid secrets, but general interesting things I learned:"
"The security cameras are scary good. Like can read your name off your badge hanging off your waist good."
"You aren't doing a damn thing the camera can't see."
"At this casino, employees were required to wear badges clearly visible at all times when on the premises, even if not on the clock."
"Escorting your grandma to the bingo hall after your shift? Badge still better be visible."
"In the parking lot? Badge still better be visible."
"At this casino, employees were only allowed to gamble there 1 day a month. You'd think it'd be money right back into the casino's pocket, but they don't want the risk of an employee being heavily in debt."
"Which leads to the next point..."
"Anyone getting a job within the casino itself is getting background checked, especially for bad credit and outstanding debts."
"If you're a guy down on his luck, with some maxed out credit cards and you want a job to get back on your feet, the casino doesn't want you. You're a liability, you're not worth the risk."
"All the cash goes into 'The Vault'."
"I assume it's a literal bank vault. But I've never seen the vault. Most employees have never seen the vault. You don't f*ck around when it comes to the vault."
"You better have a real good reason why you're approaching the vault. Security will turn your a** around and send you on your way, and you'll probably be flagged for questioning."
"People don't just stumble onto the vault, you end up there knowingly. And unless you were specifically, by name, called to the vault, or you have an urgent reason for being at the vault, for which you've already radioed ahead, showing up at the vault is a red flag."
~ thattoneman
I've been to a couple casinos in my life, but aside from the entertainment and food they offer, the experience doesn't appeal to me.
I guess I don't have the gambling bug.
Do you enjoy casinos?
Have you worked at one?
Share your stories in the comments.
We want to believe the world is a good place, and it can be. However, there are still those who seek to deceive us.
They prey on the innocent and naïve and run scams that take advantage of us and our assets.
Some of these scams are as old as time itself, and most people have wised up. They can recognize the tricks and protect themselves. However, every now and then, someone still falls for one of those stupid scams.
Redditors identified some of these scams and are ready to share.
It all started when Redditor MrTenBelow-1 asked:
"what's a scam so stupid yet people keep falling for?"
Gift Card For Bills
"People who fall for phone scammers telling them they can pay an overdue utility bill in Apple gift cards. WTF?"
– AdmiralBofa
"My client got taken for 40k in gift cards and a bit coin machine scam over the course of 2.5 days. The bank held her and begged her not to leave because they thought she was in danger but the scammer told her to tell them she has a right to her money and they gave up. They never called her husband which would have helped. The second Kroger refused to sell her the gift cards and told her they would call the cops and called her credit card company to tell them to close the card. Kroger was the hero in this situation. It helped snap her out of it but most of the money was gone."
"Talk to your older relatives. This is so common."
– pamidawashername
Bail Them Out
"As a teller manager, I have had a few elderly people who actually believe their grandkids are in jail, and need to take out 20k out of their accounts in cash, in order to bail them out."
"Literally tell them they are falling for a scam, and to call their grandkids in front of me. Of course the kid then answers."
"Their hearts are in the right place, but they need to think before they take large amounts like that, but also if they gave the scammers their personal addresses."
– Nouls
"Thank you for looking out for them! My grandma’s attempt to bail me out of jail with target gift cards was foiled by a kind bank teller like you. My grandma doesn’t have a cell phone so she called the police and me from the bank to make sure everything got sorted."
– gingersnap9210
Money, Money, Money
"Any get rich quick subscription program. The actual get rich scheme is launching a subscription program for a get rich scheme."
– Kretuhtuh
"Subscribe to my courses to learn how to get rich quick. I'm only offering this because I don't want to use my tricks to get rich quick and want to share it with you instead."
– eggtart_prince
Love = Money
"Sending ppl on dating apps money"
– marvelwonderwoman
"While I've never been scammed, they've made attempts on me while I was on dating apps. It's easy to spot when they're attempting to scam you, like using some Instagram model's photos on their profile, or they try to get you to move to another app like skype or WhatsApp. But some guys don't think with the head on their shoulders and lose hundreds to probably a guy in Nigeria."
– draiman
The Future Is No Mystery
"Psychic hotlines"
– fonduktoe
"Or, any psychic really. Storytime: in NYC a few years ago, I walked by one of those storefront psychics as the proprietor yelled out to her husband, “But I can’t find my keys!” Not great advertising."
– moltenlavashake
How Romantic
"My coworker who was widowed three years ago met a man online and has been speaking with him for over a year. He says he has an apartment in an upscale neighborhood of the nearby city. They haven't met in person yet because he is building a bridge in Dubai. He was going to come home for Christmas but the flights were very expensive."
"I am 95% sure this is a romance scam."
– elusivemoniker
"He’s building a bridge in Dubai😂😂😂😂😂"
– Jellyb3anz
Don't Have Wheels
"I'm calling about your cars extended warranty..."
– WhoaSpoders
"Man I was getting those calls before I even owned a car"
– justaguyonreddit02
"Okay, I'm not proud of this, but I nearly got screwed by an extended warranty call."
"I had just bought a used electric car out of state. And even though I've never done this before I bought an extended warranty from the used car dealership because it covered the batteries."
"While I was waiting for delivery I got a letter from what I thought was the warranty company. I was getting a lot of paperwork so it didn't look out of place. It said to give them a call so I could finalize the warranty information."
"I called the number and they asked questions like mileage, trim package, etc. And after all that they said because of a change in their policy I could save $50.00 a month if I made the first payment before close of business Friday."
"The only reason they didn't get my credit card number is because I asked them why I needed to make monthly payments for something I paid in full on my loan. That's when the discussion started sounding fishy (phishy) after a few more attempts to convince me to pay I just hung up on them, and called the dealership."
"What's crazy is that the company is a legitimate extended warranty company. They just have shady business practices."
– could_use_a_snack
Sell, Sell, Buy!
"Pyramid schemes. For the life of me I can’t fathom how people think they’ll get rich selling stupid sh*t like oils or wax"
– AkuraPiety
"A family friend sells one of the kitchen things as an MLM and is always boasting about going on cruises and stuff... Of course she leaves out the part where she has to park on her driveway because her garage is literally floor to ceiling, wall to wall with boxes of unopened merch. She isn't getting rewarded for her sales, she's getting rewarded for her purchases."
"She cooked some kind of dip for us in a microwave to show off a product. It tasted like I imagine a dead cow's milky an*s tastes."
– WillemDafoesHugeCock
Heal The Virus
"“Hello, this is John White. I am calling from Windows Technical Support. We have received notification that there are many errors on your computer, and that it may have a virus.”"
– MasterAinley
"My friends mother kept a guy like this on the phone for 20minutes, did everything he told her and was so greatful the nice Windows man was trying to fix her computer. Then eventually asked him "Oh, was my computer meant to be switched on?""
– anderoogigwhore
Please Hang Up!
"My MIL almost fell for this."
"My wife got a call from her father about something completely unrelated and as they're talking, he says that her mom is on the phone with Microsoft. I overhear this. I've listened to my IT friends talk about how getting MS on the phone is a huge pain in the a*s, so I'm immediately wondering what is going on.""My wife prods a little and finds out that they called her. Immediately, I'm saying over and over again "Tell her to hang up. Hang up HANG UP""
"Her MIL is...well, she's an older Jewish lady who is allergic to silence. FIL is a very typical older Jewish man..."
"FIL tells her "The kids are saying you should hang up, they say it's a scam.""
"MIL says on the phone to the "representative": "My kids are telling me this is a scam, are you trying to scam me?""
"The fake rep says "Of course not, you know me, why would I do that""
"MIL: "He says it's not a scam.""
"FIL: "She says it's not a scam.""
"My wife: It scam."
"Me: HANG UP HANG UP HANG UP"
"FIL to MIL: They're tellin me you should hang up."
"MIL to FIL: Do you know where the checkbook is?""
"Wife: OMG TAKE THE PHONE FROM HER AND HANG IT UP"
"Me: Why is she not HANGING UP?"
"FIL to my wife: I think I might have to call you back, your mother can't find the checkbook"
"Wife, now screaming: SHE IS BEING SCAMMED"
"MIL, to the rep: Hold on, I think I need to talk to my daughter, can I call you back?"
"Rep: Sure, but if we could process payment..."
"FIL: I think you better tell him to call back later"
"MIL: That's what I told him [to the rep] I need to call you back hun"
"Wife: I am begging you dad, take the phone from her"
"Me: [screams]"
"MIL to the rep: No, that's not a good time, we'll be eating dinner"
"Me: I'm driving over there."
"And that's what I did."
"She hadn't given him any payment information thankfully, but she had scheduled a call with him later. I blocked the number and told her not to answer any other unknown numbers. I had to show her several articles proving this is a scam and she STILL said "Well ya nevah know, and I don't want any virus on my computer""
– Daddict
The Truth About Social
"Facebook is going to change its algorithm by you copying and pasting a post"
– mamaj747
"Literally yesterday I saw one of those dumba** "I do not give FB permission to blah, blah, blah...""
"Yes, honey, you already did when you signed up and every time you accepted their new terms of service. Buried in the fine print you entirely gave them permission."
– Cinemaphreak
Thin Out
"Those “lose 15 pounds in 5 days” type diets in supermarket tabloids"
– AssociateGeneral4275
"Dude it works, I lost 20 pounds in 10 days. The diet is called a very aggressive stomach flu. You can’t keep anything down and you sh*t your brains out."
– Omegaprimus
Steer clear of all of these!
Do you have any popular scams to add? Let us know in the comments below.
Lots of people think they could survive an apocalypse, some even delight in coming up with in-depth plans for exactly how they would go about it.
But there are a lot of angles most people don’t consider.
Redditor breathematt asked:
"What is something nobody considers when talking about surviving an apocalypse?"
Out of sight...
"GLASSES!"
"I don’t see a thing without mine, in an apocalypse I would be down right away for sure."
"Imagine being in the middle of an apocalypse and you can’t see a thing because your glasses got fogged?"
krpfc
The Internet Is For...Knowledge
"How much knowledge we'll lose without the Internet. How much knowledge based textbooks will be hoarded and even fought over"
- honeybutterbuscuit
"The sad thing is less and less knowledge and information is going on paper. A lot of people run everything through their phones. Bills online, online pay stubs, online banking. If everything is wiped there probably isn’t a record of it elsewhere."
"A lot of media, music, books, shows, movies don’t even make it to any type of hard copy. It’s just on a site somewhere. And EMP would just destroy everything that’s not on paper or physical."
- User Deleted
"When I moved recently I threw away an entire encyclopedia. I got sad for a min. If there's ever a next Dark Age, Landfills will def be mined for knowledge and resources."
- captainawesome1983
Rats...So Many Rats
"One of the biggest things that very few books and movies touch on is pests."
"In an apocalypse where a disease ravages the world and leaves most people dead, the insects and rodents will have a feast for a fair while and their populations will explode."
"Billions of dead bodies laying unburied will provide them with food for several months. There will be massive swarms of flies. Ant nests will grow to the point where stepping into a building they are in will be a death sentence unless you know they are there and are properly prepared for it.""But the biggest threat would be rats. They breed quickly, grow quickly and can get into damn near anywhere. The bodies will provide them with a readily available food source. A colony of a few thousand rats would quickly grow to tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. Nothing remotely edible will remain anywhere near them. Once they are everything in one area, they’d spill over and swarm into the next. There’s no real way to stay safe from the rat swarms that would form in cities."
"In a zombie apocalypse, the rat swarms would be smaller, but they’d still form, and you’d have the added worry of whether or not rats carried the disease."
"In any other form of apocalypse that didn’t involve people being teleported away or the 'earth becomes a video game world' type, a lot of people will still die. It might take longer, and the swarms might be smaller, but they will still be a threat."
"Edit: I just did a quick google and it’s worse than I thought. Rats reach sexual maturity in just 5-6 weeks. A single pair of rats can start a colony that grows to around 1,250 in a single year. That can then grow to 500 million in just three years."
"New York City has an estimated rat population of 2 million. The swarms there after a single year would be mind boggling."
- Jungleman6
Your Own Body Might Kill You
"Medical conditions which are routinely and easily treatable will most likely kill you now. I'm looking at you, Mr. Appendix..."
- KoalaDeluxe
"There’s a scene in The Stand (the book, I don’t remember if this made it into the filmed versions) with this exact situation."
- AMerrickanGirl
"Diarrhea will kill a lot of people"
- hasta-la-cheesta
The Slug Isn't The Only Part Of The Bullet
"Making gunpowder for your gun. You can always melt down lead and make reloads, but where are you gonna get the gunpowder and primers from? Of course, folks will initially hoard ammo, and gunpowder so they can do reloads; but eventually all the gunpowder gets used up."
"Now, of course, you can try and make your own, but if the formula is off just a bit, your velocity can be substantially different than what's desired, or, just blow up in yo face!"
- BinjiC0D3R
No More Immunity
"Any child born will have no vaccinations. Likely, there will be a boom in previously preventable diseases like tetanus and diphtheria."
- captain_chocolate
Cooperation Is Key
"People who can cooperate in small (<150) tribal units will do better. Rugged individualism is and has always been a myth."
"Obviously for a period there will be warlords (looking at you Idaho) , but as fuel, food and ammo runs out these autocratic individuals will fail. Plus the heavily armed survivalist types will likely feud among themselves, thus reducing their numbers relatively quickly."
- noun_verbnoun
"I came to say this. Humans are social animals and 10 people trying to solve a problem together will do better than 20 individuals. Sure, it'll be rough at the start, but we already know the benefits of farming and specialization. Plus, we'll be able to mine/restore existing infrastructure."
- I_Want_an_Elio
You're Not Getting Out
"You're not going to escape your city. The roads will all be clogged up by people who also think they can escape. No one will go anywhere, and you'll all starve together and die of poor sanitation disease."
- Surprise_Corgi
People Will Do Extreme Things In Extreme Situations
"I think it’s considered but not really openly discussed and it’s the fact that no matter how nice or good of a person any of us are most of us would murder other people for supplies. Not a person here would let their kid die while they knew a guy down the road had antibiotics and refused to share or trade."
- JudokaPickle
Even if you think you’ve got your apocalypse survival planned down to the most minute detail, there might still be something you’re forgetting.
People Break Down Which Things Tourists Should Never Do When Visiting The United States
Roughly 80 million tourists visit the United States annually.
Not a surprise, considering all there is to see.
And, generally speaking, America is a safe and welcoming place to live, where tourists will hopefully be welcomed with open arms, be it in San Francisco or New York City.
But, as is the case with anywhere, there are a few things which visitors to the United States might want to avoid doing.
Be it for their own personal safety, or just so they don't stand out too much as a tourist.
Redditor, sarra-sagesse was curious to hear everyone's the tips and pointers on what to avoid while visiting the United States, leading them to ask:
"If visiting America what is something that person should NEVER do?"
What are you looking at?
"If you’re in a New York City subway, try not to make too much eye contact or look too long at people around you."
"Just ignore the smell."
"Woman near you screaming at the top of her lungs at her silent child?"
"Keep listening to your music."
"Someone digging through their bag, muttering to themselves, and throwing rose petals on the floor like they’re preparing for a seance?"
"Just keep staring blankly at your phone."
"Trust me."- Jroks2
They're not as cute and cuddly as they seem
"Raccoons are cute… but from a distance."- Legoboy514
racoon GIFGiphyThat's not how we do things here.
"Don't think the laws are the same everywhere."
"You can walk with an open alcohol container in Vegas but not many other places."
"Alcohol laws, pot laws, firearms laws, smoking - lots of very different laws depending on the state and city where you are."- Babstana
Be very careful around the police.
"If pulled over by the cops, do not exit the vehicle unless they ask you to."
"The cops might sit in their vehicle for a while, & then they will approach the window & expect you to talk to them while sitting in the car."- yahdinguus
Don't go in the water.
"If you find yourself in Florida, absolutely do not swim in the lakes, ditches, or channels."
"Any standing body of water can and does have alligators in it."
"Also possibly water moccasins."
"And maybe even diseases."- Dobbys_Other_Sock
Laugh Alligator GIF by VISIT FLORIDAGiphy"I live in an area around 4 major rivers and my town has a booming river industry."
"It never fails someone drowns at least once a month."
"The current is so strong as soon as your feet hit the water you’re most likely gone."
"Look at the river, take pictures, stop and look at our murals along our flood walls, but do not go near the river!"- Cuesey123
Don't believe everything you see
"Don’t assume that the price shown on an item for sale is your price for said item."
"There are almost always taxes that are added to the price when you go to pay."- Red_Queen592
Take one more look at a map before you take off
"Underestimate distances."
"When I was a tour guide, far too many customers asked how many HOURS the train to New York was [in seattle] and I had to put their jaw back in when I said 5 days."- a9249
Tonight Show Travel GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonGiphy"Just walk on by..."
"Don't take pictures with the people dressed up in costumes in LA/ NYC."- 541mya
Take pictures, leave everything else.
"To not take anything from national parks."- Objective-Dingo6603
Maybe just avoid discussing politics altogether?
"Don’t think that politics from wherever you’re from, specifically Europe and Australia/New Zealand."
"Also don’t try and talk about American politics when you don’t know anything about it."- Saschajoon
"Better not to talk about guns, and abortion especially in the south."- chaseanimates
They earn every penny!
"No matter how your country feels about tipping, ya gotta tip your waiters here."
"It's how they earn their living."
"But don't let people take advantage of you."
"18-20% is standard, feel free to tip more if you had extra good service."
'And look at your check."
"Some restaurants add the tip for you, not cool, but they do, mostly if you are part of a big party, but I've had it happen when I was eating alone."
'My two favorite places in the US are NYC and Texas, and yes, we are extremely nice in Texas."
' However, I lived in New York for 17 years and they are very nice there, as well, it's just different."
"New Yorkers are no nonsense, and as much as everyone enjoys bashing the Texas, we are really, really nice, and Houston has some of the greatest food o the country."
"Just be aware of your surroundings and don't look like a tourist wherever you visit."- Winter_Opening_7715·
"Not tip your waitress or server at restaurants."
"Most are severely underpaid and get most of their income from tips."
Tip Tipping GIF by DeRay DavisGiphyThey are convenient though
"Skip going to Wawa".- nilla_wafer__
A controversial opinion?
"If it's your first time, DO NOT GO TO LA or California in general."
"Not as nice as you think."- mincraft890
There are certainly areas for improvement.
"Do anything that requires medical attention."
"Insurance is a complete scam."- ChucksNorris243
season 8 episode 23 GIFGiphyBest in small incriments.
"Please do not plan to have a road trip from California to Texas to Florida to New York or anything along those lines."
"You will spend the majority of your vacation in a f*cking car paying a ridiculous amount of money for gas."
"People do not realize just how big the US is."- Vo_Lair
Is this so out of the ordinary?
"If you are visiting someone in America, take off your shoes when you enter their house."- certifiedzay
Needless to say, there is no handbook of rules of do's and don'ts when visiting the USA.
And more often than not, your own good judgment will often serve you well.
Though, when in doubt, follow any advice you're given.
If you've spent time on social media, you've seen an article or video that offers "life hacks."
According to the dictionary, a life hack is "a strategy or technique adopted in order to manage one's time and daily activities in a more efficient way."
However some suggestions fail to live up to that promise.
Redditor Accomplished-Rough36 asked:
"What life hack became your daily routine?"
Reminder
"I flip my pill bottles after taking them so I remember if I took them or not."
"Really helps if you take the same pill in morning and at night."
- rachwiddabangs
"I do the opposite!"
"Flip it upside down before bed so when I see it in the morning, it annoys me."
"So I remember to take one and put it right side up again."
- Lukewarm_Mama
"As someone with OCD this is amazing."
- Malicious_Mudkip
Place Of Rest
"I stopped doing any kind of work in my dorm room at college and only did it at the libraries. Not only did I become way more productive, but I enjoyed being in my room a lot more."
"It’s way more comfortable (and easier) to fall asleep when you’ve taken a 15 minute walk home then when you’ve been working at your desk in the same room for 4 hours."
- NoLifeMax
"Absolutely. This helped me so much. I'm an all-time master procrastinator but whenever I would work at the library or equivalent, it would be infinitely easier to focus."
"Other people working around you makes it feel less... lonely. Plus, you never know if you may run into a friend."
"Plus, I could enjoy my commute home without feeling like I was wasting time. Read on the train, grab some food on the way back, everythings kosher."
"Plus it kept my room much cleaner because I wasn't holed up in there all day."
- CaptainNemoV
Align Your Spine
"Sleeping with a pillow between my knees. No more lower back pain."
- fiddyk50
"I’ve done that for years. Now I can’t sleep without it. Or the 'hug' pillow."
- justmemcgee2003
Clean As You Go
"The chef who taught me to cook said at the get go, 90% of cooking is cleaning."
- LAGreggM
"depressingly true"
- P-W-L
"I like the cleaning. My mother, however, never got the memo."
"She's the worst, leaving hurricane-style destruction anywhere she moves in the kitchen even if it's just making coffee."
- happyfunisocheese
"Washing dishes while cooking. Now it’s at a point where I just do it because I want a clean kitchen."
- devatrox
"My wife always asks why I do it while I’m cooking and it’s because it’s so much easier when things are not yet dried on. Is loads easier and you keep your space ready for the next part of the cooking process!"
- _Piratical_
"When you’re cooking complex dishes you want to have as much space as you can to work with so you can keep organized and tidy."
"Also it’s a god damn pain in the a** to clean out food residue after it’s been there for a while or if it burns when you’re cooking."
- KomodoJo3
"This has been clutch for me. A lot of cooking is waiting."
"Cleaning in that downtime saves so much time I’d be spending later."
"It’s also a good time to empty the dishwasher if you haven’t already."
- drakeallthethings
OHIO
“Don’t put it down, put it away”
- acardy
"OHIO - only handle it once"
- jivetones
"Slightly different but my brother will accrue a collection of cans and garbage in the living room. Then when he finally decides to 'clean' because theres no more room to put his garbage instead of grabbing garbage bags, and bringing them to the living room and picking up."
"The better option for him is to make 30 trips moving the mess from the living room and just throw it all the counters and floor in the kitchen. Just leave it where it lands baby."
"He puts in infinitely more effort in not picking up after himself than it would take to just pick up after himself."
"I am by no means the poster child of cleanliness but god damn the pure laziness of it disgusts me more than the actual garbage. Then after it's all in the kitchen I basically have to clean up HIS mess so I have counter room to make food."
"Also he always tries to say its OUR mess and WE need to clean up. Man is a walking delusion. 33 years old and lives worse than most 8 year olds."
- rpxpackage
Pairs
"I bought 24 pairs of the same socks and threw the rest of my miss matching ones away."
"I have a couple 'winter socks' and that’s it."
- familiarfate01
"I did this for my kids. 24 pairs of socks, all white, gray, or navy."
"When he grew out of them I bought 24 more pairs in the next size, all the same color. And now little sister wears the smaller ones."
"Simplifies things so much and they love playing 'match the socks' with the clean laundry."
- HicJacetMelilla
Make Note
"Having a notepad on my pantry door."
"When I take something out I jot it down voila instant shopping list."
- that_other_goat
"I got a magnetic notepad and it stays on my fridge door!"
- AlpsComplex6854
"I used to keep a notepad but now have a white board. It’s like a thin sheet white board that some local company gave out with their logo on it."
"I drew a line down the middle and one side is for Costco the other side for literally any other non bulk grocery store."
- turtlescanfly7
"I have a set of small 'whiteboard' fridge magnets and a little pack of whiteboard markers."
"I keep a regular store list, a Costco list, a home depot list, and instructions for feeding the dogs (meds, amounts, etc...)."
"I just take a picture of the list when I go to the store."
- maybethingsnotsobad
Moist 💧
"Moisturizing my face right after the shower."
- Bookies44
"It moisturizes the skin at the best time."
"It seems counter-intuitive, but showers don't hydrate your skin, they actually dehydrate and dry your skin much faster, especially hot showers, and the vast majority of people take hot showers because they feel nicer."
"But hot showers and soap scrubs/rinses removes all the natural oils and dead skin from your body, and that natural barrier of oils are what would keep your skin hydrated."
"So instead of waiting after your shower and letting your skin dry out, instead right after you shower you immediately re-hydrate and moisturize the skin, to avoid damage and acne."
- daithisfw
Attitude of Gratitude
"Saying 'thank you' instead of apologizing for things that dont need apologies. I'm a chronic apologizer and it's helped a lot."
"For example, if I have a bad day and vent to my husband, instead of saying 'sorry for venting and bringing down the mood' I'll say 'thank you for listening and being supportive'."
"It puts a much more appreciative and positive light on your relationships!"
- thegracefuldork
"This is a customer service trick I was taught. If you thank a customer for their patience instead of apologizing for their wait it reframes the entire encounter in their mind."
- bluemoonsecret
So, did you pick up any tricks you want to try?
Do you have any you can offer?
Hit us up in the comments.
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