32 People Who Discovered 'Life Hacks' for Some Everyday Tasks
1.
My aunt is a physical therapist, she said that if people did simply one teeny tiny change in the way they walk, older people would be in better health.That oh so simple thing is just walking up steps by placing your whole foot on the step, and keeping your heel on the ground with each step. As opposed to having your heel hang off the step.That’s it. Requires zero additional effort, just changes the way you walk up stairs. What it does is increase hamstring strength. You already have enough thigh strength from general walking. The amount of older people she sees every day with weak hamstrings is wild.
3.
Not making a joke when someone gives you a compliment. I have learned to say “thank you. That’s nice to hear”. Game changer for me.
4.
Not an everyday activity, but someone showed me I'd been wasting celery for years. When it goes limp and loses its crunch, you can just soak it in water overnight, and it makes it crisp again.
5.
Putting on my seatbelt. I would always put my head between the straps and take it out afterward instead of pulling the strap across my waist.
6.
If you're trying to hang a picture by catching the crosswire on a nail in the wall, slide a fork down over the nail so the prongs are behind the nail head and the fork is angled away from the wall. Slide the wire down behind the fork, and it will be guided right onto the nail. Then just pull up the fork. Saves a dozen attempts to "catch" the nail on the wire.
7.
If you’re mounting something to the wall that has pre-designed holes on the back, rather than measure between the holes and try to space the nails/screws accordingly, stretch a single piece of painters tape (blue tape) across the back of the piece from just before the beginning of the first hole to just after the last one. Mark each hole with a pencil/pen on the painters tape, then place the tape on the wall and voila, you have a perfect mounting template. I suggest you do a quick check with a laser level on the wall just to make sure your marks are level before drilling.
8.
Put on pillow covers. I used to shove the pillow in there and struggle with it until my wife showed me how to flip the pillow case inside out and cover the pillow while flipping right side out.
9.
I would always add oil or butter to my pan right away and wait for it to heat up. You're actually supposed to wait until the pan gets really hot and then add the oil. Doing that makes any pan non-stick.
10.
Cleaning the stupid microwave. I used to scrub it and hurt my back before I stumbled on a video about microwaving vinegar beforehand and it really works. I am disabled so all that time I could have cleaned it without hurting myself all those years.
11.
I just remember that one dude being told you could wait for the shower to warm up instead of having to stand in it cold as it warms up lmao.
12.
Opening a beverage can.I keep my fingernails very short and sometimes it would be a bit finicky to open the tab on a can.I was damn near 40 years old when my buddy showed me you’re supposed to push down on the hinge portion of the tab with your thumb to raise the other edge of the tab so you can get your finger under it. I felt like an idiot.
14.
Taking the safety cap off of deodorant.I used to try to get my finger nails under it and pop it off. They were quite a pain in the a*s to get off. In my late 20s my roommate was talking to me while unpacking her groceries and she opened her deodorant and just twisted up the stick so that the cap came off. I was shocked
15.
Add vinegar to the wash, and your clothes last longer before getting stinky. I suspect fungi / general microflora are involved.
16.
Cut bell peppers. For years I did it in a messy way where it got seeds everywhere.Then one day I decided that there was probably a better way so I watched YouTube.What you do is you cut the top and bottom off first, pull the seeds out in one piece, then cut down the sides and unroll it like paper. Then you cut the unrolled piece into strips.
17.
Putting onions in the refrigerator for a half hour/ hour before cutting makes it so you don’t cry from the fumes. Learned this working in a restaurant kitchen having to prep 100 lbs of onions every shift. Refrigerating them first was a necessity.
18.
I used to open a banana by pulling the top, then I saw some documentary with a monkey opening them from the bottom and it's 10 times easier.I also learn that I'm more stupid than a monkey that day.
19.
Felt like an idiot for years I’d bite the shells of pistachios open.A friend showed me I can just use a half shell to lever the others open
20.
Emotional processing. If I was sad, I'd let myself be sad for a tiny bit, and then brush it off... Saying "I don't have time for this", or " I'm stronger than this", or "crying does no good"Then anger and frustration would build up until arguments over nothing would happen.I was shown how to "make space" for those "negative" emotions, and just *feel* them until they quieted on their own.Been doing that every time they show up, and the anger and frustration is gone. Most of the anxiety is gone too.Did it with fears too, which is making a *huge* difference in relationships.It's a good thing too; old me wouldn't be able to handle half the s**t that current me is shouldering.
21.
I folded all my washclothes and they barely fit in the drawer. My kid said "why don't you just stack them unfolded in there?" It's brilliant. They fit perfectly and it saves time. It sounds stupid, but it was a game changer.
23.
Rinsing my hair - I used to rinse with hot water and assume I just had frizzy and dry hair. Rinsed with cold water once and realized I'd lived far too long with frizzy hair for no reason.
24.
How to properly secure a towel around the waist after a shower. Instead of tucking the hem inwards, you fold it outwards and down, much more secure, you can like, run around and not worry about it falling off.
26.
Washing my hair. Had bad dandruff from high school into my 20s.Turns out you don’t need to shampoo daily and less is more with conditioner.Shaved my head for 10 years just so my scalp could heal.Finally started going to a stylist and she explained it in a way I understood and now I have long luscious curls.
27.
I never thought I needed a workout routine as long as I worked different parts of my body on days until I watched an Arnold Schwarzenegger video on how he makes sure ever single muscle gets hit in a 3 day period. Since then I noticed more gains than I had made all year.
28.
You're not supposed to rinse after brushing your teeth. You're supposed to allow toothpaste residue to sit on your teeth for like 30 mins. You just spit and move on. Don't rinse your mouth with water.
29.
If a metal lid is not coming off of a jar, instead of struggling, run hot water on the lid for a minute, it'll come off easily.
30.
Tying my shoes. Watched a TED talk about it and learned I had been doing it wrong for decades. Haven't had a shoe come untied since, and no more need for double knots.
31.
How to sit up properly. I was low key dipping towards my right butt cheek allll the time and it caused a lot of physical pain.
32.
How to pick up heavy things. Finally had a PT teach me how to pick s**t up when I was 31 with a chronic back injury.
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