Lifestyle

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

Published

3 months ago

September 21, 2025

News Room

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.”

Sticky notes on a board with reminders: "Call Mum," "Drink more water," "Jeri's birthday present," "Pay bills," "Milk tea, eggs, shampoo." — Jennifer A Smith / Getty Images

—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.”

Person cutting parchment paper to fit a baking tray in a kitchen setting — Pawel Kacperek / Getty Images

—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!”

Two people embrace outdoors. One holds a bouquet of flowers. A third person stands in the background, smiling — Halfpoint Images / Getty Images

—lets_not_be_hasty

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

Laptop with multiple overlapping browser windows open on the screen — Vlad Kochelaevskiy / Getty Images

—Xyxy_xy

5. “Don’t put it down, put it away.”

Person organizing a closet, kneeling on the floor, holding a folded fringed blanket, with shoes and a basket neatly placed on the shelf — Olga Pankova / Getty Images

—sherpyderpa

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

Person preparing meals in glass containers, placing cooked food from a pot into different dishes, likely for meal prep. Several filled containers visible — Johner Images / Getty Images

—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.”

Person standing in a room, looking out of a window, holding curtains slightly open as sunlight streams in — Uwe Krejci / Getty Images

—Sothix2400

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

Blackboard with "GOOD BYE" and a sad face drawn in chalk — Carmen Martínez Torrón / Getty Images

—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.”

A hand holding a coin between the thumb and index finger against a plain background — Kemie / Getty Images

—Adrenalchrome

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

View from a shopping cart in a grocery store aisle filled with various packaged goods on shelves — Isabel Pavia / Getty Images

—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.”

A person checks fitness stats on a smartwatch and smartphone, viewing steps, heart rate, and activity data while outside — Oscar Wong / Getty Images

—funtimes5017

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

Person kneeling on grass while placing recyclable plastic bottles into a large black trash bag — Witthaya Prasongsin / Getty Images

—takmonika

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

Person holding a bowl of fresh salad with leafy greens, bell peppers, and a fork, standing in a casual setting — Kseniya Ovchinnikova / Getty Images

—Fidrych76

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

Hands writing “thank you!” in cursive on a card with a pen, on a speckled surface — Pikusisi-studio / Getty Images

—Immediate_Detail_709

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

Cars parked closely in a dimly lit parking garage, with blurred lights in the background — Viktorcap / Getty Images

—Realistic_Classic_70

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

USB-C charging cable coiled in an S-shape on a white background — Ton Pornprasit Panada / Getty Images

—4amethystMoon420

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

Desk setup with a weekly calendar, round clock showing 10:10, a plant in a white pot, and a book — Tatiana Sviridova / Getty Images

—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.”

A handwritten chore list clipped to a surface includes: dust blinds, brush dog, rake lawn, fold laundry, and empty dishwasher — Jennifer A Smith / Getty Images

—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.”

Smartphone charging on a public countertop with a USB cable connected to a wall outlet — Sammyvision / Getty Images

—Ink_wOman

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

A hand gestures to stop a wine bottle from pouring into a nearly empty glass, suggesting refusal or moderation — Joostverbeek / Getty Images

—Srunner84

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

Showerhead spraying water onto tiled bathroom wall — Grace Cary / Getty Images

—Over_Philosophy_Hot

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

Sandals, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a straw bag on a sandy beach towel spread out on the sand — Oscar Wong / Getty Images

—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.”

Hands exchanging a passport and boarding pass over an airport counter, indicating a travel or check-in process — Kathrin Ziegler / Getty Images

—NightAuditor7x

24. “Walking for 15 minutes after dinner.”

Person walking on a forest trail with sunlight filtering through trees near a lake — Francesco Vaninetti Photo / Getty Images

—kinski80

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

Person placing freshly baked loaf of bread with a crispy crust into an oven — Oscar Wong / Getty Images

—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.”

Person opening a jar of pickles on a kitchen counter, using both hands to twist the lid — Centralitalliance / Getty Images

—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!”

Person applying deodorant to their underarm, wearing a sleeveless top, focusing on personal hygiene — Nadzeya Haroshka / Getty Images

—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.”

Toiletries arranged on a surface, including cotton swabs, toothbrush, razor, lotion, and bottles — Mykola Sosiukin / Getty Images

—CressEcstatic537

29. “Pausing before responding to someone.”

Speech bubble icon with three dots, indicating a message or conversation is in progress or pending — Nicolae Popescu / Getty Images

—lolyoda

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

Elderly man in an apron shows a young boy a blueberry in a modern kitchen, with a plate of blueberries on the counter — Jordi Mora Igual / Getty Images

—mcclanahan243

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

Pizza cutter with a black handle and a round metal blade, viewed from above — Efsunkutlay / Getty Images

—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.”

A person uses a laptop displaying a spreadsheet with charts and data tables. A smartphone is placed beside the laptop on a wooden table — Grinvalds / Getty Images

—Nevek_Green

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

Person placing a sealed plastic container with food into a microwave — Antonio Hugo Photo / Getty Images

—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.”

A person sits holding a blister pack, dispensing a pill into their hand with a glass of water nearby — Viktoriya Skorikova / Getty Images

—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.”

Two bell icons with a diagonal line through them, indicating notifications are muted or silenced — Vecticon / Getty Images

—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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