20 Life Hacks You Should Really Know By Now

1.

Give a crying kid water. Most of the time they start crying for a reason but continue crying because they can’t snap out of it. Drinking the water forces them to take a breath and the sensation of the water gets them to think about something else briefly enough to settle them.

2.

Also in this vein, offer a 15-minute countdown (*to kids) and remind them at 15, 10, 5,4,3,2,1 and when it’s time to leave. I had a friend that did this for cookouts and his kids were really cool about leaving even when they were playing with the other kids.

3.

When microwaving bread, fries, etc. make sure to put a microwavable cup or coffee mug half full of water in the microwave with the food as well. Everything will come out nice and crispy as opposed to soggy and gross.

4.

I put my car keys on items I want to take with me when I leave a place.

5.

Mix baking soda and water to form a paste, apply to an area that has a splinter. This will usually pull that sucker right out.

6.

You can get a lot of free stuff from your local library, but my personal favorite is the free museum pass program.

7.

There is a 24-hour rule on all airfare purchases (in the US) that a purchased reservation can be canceled within 24 hours without penalty and with a full refund to the original form of payment.

8.

Add a paper towel to a bag of spinach, field greens, or lettuce to make it last a lot longer.

9.

Every time you lent your friends something take a pic of them next to it. Always works

10.

I keep a laundry basket in the trunk of my car so when I get groceries I can put the bags in the basket and make the trip inside a LOT less of a struggle haha

11.

Teaching someone what you have just learned, you will retain the information 90% better than any other method.

12.

Windows + V Opens your clipboard and stores 25 items that you have copied.

13.

If you can’t open a jar or container, run the lid under hot water for 30 seconds. Then open it after it has dried enough for you to get a good grip on it. This has never failed to work for me.

14.

If you mess up, just admit you messed up. If you forgot to do something at work just say “yes that was my fault, I’m sorry, I messed up.” People are much more likely to forgive you if you own your shit.

15.

At Christmas, when you have a real tree and it’s hard to see the water level in the reservoir due to the lower branches, throw a ping pong ball in the water. Add water until the ping pong ball resurfaces.

16.

Wear sunscreen, even if it isn’t that sunny out. UV can still go right through light cloud cover.

17.

Working with a partner is not about compromising on every decision. Sometimes their idea needs to just win. And visa versa.

18.

I love to share this with every coffee drinker out there. All of the jobs I’ve had have really bad bitter coffee. To make it less bitter the tiniest pinch of salt makes a bad cup of coffee seem like the world’s best.

19.

If you have a problem with wasps, this is the perfect time of year to make a fake nest. Crumble up a brown paper bag into a round shape and put in your window or on your balcony. Wasps are stupid as hell but they are territorial and will think it’s another wasp’s nest. And they will tell their friends to avoid the area.

20.

Help your tomorrow self. Put water in the coffee pot or prepare it so you just have to hit start, lay out your outfit, etc. the night before. Mornings are hard and the more you’ve prepared the small things, the easier it is.