20 Life Hacks That Might Sound Stupid But People Claim They Genuinely Work

If you’re not familiar with the term “life hack”, Merriam-Webster describes it as “a usually simple and clever tip or technique for accomplishing some familiar task more easily and efficiently”. And if that sounds intriguing, then you’ve come to the right place.

#1

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“Writing things down by hand helps you remember them better.”

#2

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“Don’t ask someone ‘do you need anything?’ when they are going through something. Ask them ‘what can I do for you?’ and stop talking. Sometimes listening is enough. Being a good listener isn’t easy. You have to stop waiting for your turn to speak and just be there for them. Source: father of daughters.”

#3

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“I started saying ‘silly’ instead of ‘stupid’ like for example ‘Oh I’m so stupid’ or ‘that was stupid’. I’ve noticed that it helped improve my self-esteem.”

#4

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“If you always put your keys in the same place, you won’t lose them.”

#5

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“Befriend the “invisible” people that everyone overlooks, the hotel maids, the janitor at your office, anyone doing a thankless job that people often look down upon. Treat them like valuable human beings because they are. These are people working far harder than most of us can imagine, taking care of themselves and their families and often barely scraping by. You never know in this life when you’re going to be the one interaction that saved someone’s life, or at least made it a little bit better for a day or a moment. And you never know when some person who nobody paid attention to could end up being there for you, especially if they know and like you.”

#6

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“Take two to ten minutes to tidy up your home before you go to bed. The next morning, you’ll feel way better not having to look at all the junk/things you still have to do.”

#7

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“Stop setting needless rules for yourself. You can shower in the dark, eat the parts of a sandwich seperately in fistfuls from the bag, run the dishwasher twice. There is no “proper” way to do the mundane things in life so long as they are done to a standard you’re okay with.

It sounds like bulls**t but as an adult slowly realising they have ADHD and fighting chronic illness and long term MH issues, this s**t was life changing. I can just find a way to get the job /done/, it doesn’t need to be perfect from step A to Z. If I end up only ever putting laundry on at 2am and putting the machine on a timer so it starts at 7, that’s fine because it /still gets done/!”

#8

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“When someone you like or respect does something confusingly infuriating, imagine the most-favorable-to-them possible explanation, and pretend that’s true. Wait until you know more before getting reflexively angry.”

#9

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“Not necessarily crappy per se but I always encourage people to befriend the hospital employees that bring you your meal trays. They’ll hook you up with the good stuff so you’re not stuck eating crappy food.”

#10

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“Don’t save your banking information on online stores. Makes impulse buying much more difficult if you have to track down your wallet.”

#11

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“If you keep forgetting if you locked your door/car/lock, do something silly after locking it. It will help you remember if you have to think back.”

#12

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“For electronics: Turning it off and on again.”

#13

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“One of my favorite is to bring a couple of new disposable diapers to the beach (lake, river, etc.) If you decide to leave your towel to hit the water, you can wrap your cell phone, car keys, wallet up in diaper, then fasten it up and I promise you NO ONE will mess with your stuff! You’re welcome! Hee!”

#14

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“Taking a break when you get frustrated with a task. Seriously!”

#15

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“At the start of the year I’ll flip all my clothes hangers around so they’re facing the wrong direction. As I wear random items, I’ll flip it back to the normal direction. If by the next year I haven’t worn something, I know I never will, and so I donate anything that’s still flipped backwards.”

#16

Image source: ForwardSpinach

“I call it the power of “might as well”

Gonna get up from my desk and go to the kitchen? Oh well, might as well take this plate with me.

Going to pee before bed? Oh well, might as well brush my teeth.

Going to brush my teeth? Oh well, might as well floss.

Going outside? Oh well, might as well bring the trash.

Its ridiculous, but it works.”

#17

Image source: Pseudonymico

“If something’s worth doing, it’s usually worth doing badly.

Half-assing the dishes is better than leaving them to fester in the sink. Sending old friends a happy birthday message when Facebook prompts you is better than losing touch entirely. Taking a quick shower without soap is better than not showering at all. Piling your laundry up in a basket instead of putting in the wardrobe is better than leaving it scattered over the floor.

Also applies to self-improvement stuff as well as maintenance. Don’t worry so much about doing 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and a 10km run that you do nothing, just walk around the block and do one of each of the others for now. Just write one page a day of that novel, and allow it to be terrible. Write simple, buggy programs. Draw badly. Watch youtubers cook or fix their car or put on makeup or build something, even, if you can’t find the energy to yourself.

If you’re having trouble finding a date start pre-emptively assuming that everyone is off-limits and just focus on finding genuine friends who match your orientation. Somewhere along the line you’ll lose your discomfort and start getting better at doing what you want or need to do.”

#18

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“Taking two steps at a time when walking up the stairs. You take half the time to get to the next floor, and you get a good glute work out at the same time.”

#19

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“A knitted fake wasp nest. Our wasps buggered off the same day, haven’t been seen since.”

#20

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“Had a pigeon problem on my balcony. I live in front of a church, so a lot of them gather there. At night and early on the morning, they would come to my balcony, leaving s**t and feathers all around and biting my plants.

One day I saw a plastic raven at a store, that supposedly scares them away. It was expensive and I didn’t have much money, so I grabbed a bunch of black plastic bags and some wire, made a fake raven and attached it to the railing. It’s been like seven months and I haven’t seen a single pigeon on the balcony since.”