These 32 Life Hacks Are So Brilliant That I’m Genuinely Mad I Didn’t Know About Them Sooner

When it comes to shortcuts, the internet never disappoints. A simple trick for cleaning, cooking, shopping, maintaining relationships, or even technology can be a lifesaver.

Reddit user Curious-Pudding6133 asked, “What’s a life hack that is actually a life hack?”

And the results did NOT disappoint. Here are some of them:

1. “If it takes less than 2 minutes, do it immediately. Life feels way lighter.”

—Mohammad_Nasim

2. “Crumple your baking paper and then flatten it out again before putting it on the baking tray, to prevent it from rolling up.”

—gavrok

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3. “Compliment people. On their outfits, their cars, their hair. Coworkers, strangers, friends. It makes them feel good, and it will make you feel good. You become known as a good person, a nice person, someone people look forward to seeing every day because you always have something nice to say. Always be genuine!”

—lets_not_be_hasty

4. “For work: Ctrl + Shift + T reopens the last closed browser tab. Lifesaver”

—Xyxy_xy

5. “Don’t put it down, put it away.”

—sherpyderpa

6. “Learn five cheap meals you actually like. Saves money and brainpower.”

—Modlimi

7. “If you naturally wake up at the end of a sleep cycle, just get up for the day. Even if it’s slightly earlier than the alarm. Don’t fall back asleep and don’t lay in bed. You’ll feel better and have a more productive day.”

—Sothix2400

8. “You can literally choose to cut people off and have nothing to do with them ever again.”

—PuzzleheadedSpeaker8

9. “If you have a choice between two things and don’t know what you want to do, flip a coin. It will reveal what your truest opinion is. Because if you flip the coin and are cool with how it lands, then that’s what you want. But if you flip it and your reaction is to decide best two out of three, it tells you that the other choice is what you really want. That doesn’t necessarily mean you found the best choice. But it lets you know which choice you really want to most.”

—Adrenalchrome

10. “Don’t grocery shop on an empty stomach. Saves both money and cabinet space.”

—aNJee4

11. “Energy makes energy. Once you get off the couch and start doing things, you have a lot of energy to keep doing things.”

—funtimes5017

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12. “Keep a trash bag in your car, you’ll be surprised how fast it gets used.”

—takmonika

13. “Your diet begins at the grocery store, not when standing in front of the fridge.”

—Fidrych76

14. “A handwritten thank you note is golden.”

—Immediate_Detail_709

15. “Take a picture of where you parked your car at the mall or airport. Saves stress later.”

—Realistic_Classic_70

16. “Buy cheap extra phone chargers and hide them everywhere, you’ll never waste time hunting one down.”

—4amethystMoon420

17. “If you want something, wait a month. If you still want it, then you want it.”

—Charmander787

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18. “Move all your chores, cleaning and errands to weekdays, this way you get two full days of leisure. It will do wonders for your mental health.”

—bellabbr

19. “Put your phone charger next to another outlet, not next to your bed. You sleep better, and you actually get up in the morning because you have to get up for the phone.”

—Ink_wOman

20. “Quit drinking. Every bit of your life will improve over time.”

—Srunner84

21. “Flossing in the shower – everyone wants to stay in the shower longer and everyone needs to floss.”

—Over_Philosophy_Hot

22. “Use baby powder to get sand off your hands at the beach.”

—JohnnyBrillcream

23. “Keep a photo of your driver’s license on your phone. At hotels, you can usually still check in and get new keys even when you’ve misplaced your license. It can mean the difference between having a place to stay and not having one.”

—NightAuditor7x

24. “Walking for 15 minutes after dinner.”

—kinski80

25. “Bake at a lower temperature for a longer time than what the recipe says. Your food will cook more gradually & thoroughly.”

—katmio1

26. “If you have trouble opening a jar (anything with a twist-off lid, really), put a rubber band around the lid. Put a paper towel over it and twist it off that way. I need my pickles dang it.”

—CriscoDisco110

27. “For all my fellow sweaty people out there. Here’s a hack that I tried and it changed my life: I used to apply deodorant in the morning, and then by midday, I had visible sweat stains. Instead, take a shower at night not long before you go to bed. Pat dry your underarms and apply your deodorant. (make sure it’s an antiperspirant!) Avoid sweating as this will wash away the antiperspirant. The antiperspirant needs a few hours to soak into your pores so it’s best to do it before bed, where you don’t sweat much. In the morning and throughout the whole day, you will be sweat AND odor free!”

—Loose_Advocado4670

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28. “If you can afford it and have space, buy all your toiletries, cleaning products, toilet rolls etc. in one go, once a year.”

—CressEcstatic537

29. “Pausing before responding to someone.”

—lolyoda

30. “When trying to get a toddler to eat. Pretend it’s your food and they will want to eat it.”

—mcclanahan243

31. “Use a pizza cutter to cut vegetables especially salad.”

—Remarkable-Desk-66

32. “Have a spreadsheet in Excel or an app where you track your spending. Take your income, minus set expenses, what you plan to save, then everything else you can spend as you want. It really helps with spending habits and makes it easier to save up money.”

—Nevek_Green

33. “When reheating rice/pasta in the microwave, put a glass of water in with it. No more dry clumps.”

—ChristmasCrush

34. “For sufferers of IBS, take Imodium while on vacation and at important events. It takes away the sensation of needing to poop every 45 minutes Just found this out recently and my life has started anew.”

—IskallaTrollblood

35. And finally, “Disable notifications on the apps and mute the groups you are not interested in. This would save your time, and you would be in a good mental state.”

—Logical-Charity1075

What do you think about these life hacks? Do you agree? Are there other ones that you would add? Let us know!

Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.

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