In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, small tricks can make a significant difference. A recent thread on Reddit, initiated by user u/stowRA, asked, "What’s your 'I can’t believe other people don’t do this' hack?" Here are some top responses that may inspire you to streamline your routine:
- Email Shortcut: User u/LooksBleeker suggests setting up a keyboard shortcut for your email address across all devices. For iPhone users, simply navigate to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement to make life a bit easier.
- Need vs. Want: U/HighburyHero has changed their shopping habits by asking, "Do I need or want this?" They wait a few weeks before making a purchase for non-essentials, helping to filter out impulse buys.
- Organized Junk Drawers: U/euphoric-Meat3943 recommends using Ziploc bags in junk drawers. This way, you can sort through your “junk” more efficiently without creating a mess.
- Pre-Grocery Clean-Out: U/lunalives emphasizes cleaning out the fridge before grocery shopping to avoid mystery Tupperware and make shopping lists more effective.
- High-Yield Savings: U/jawarren1 encourages opening a high-yield savings account that offers interest rates of 4.5-5%, allowing your money to work for you effortlessly.
- Coffee Ice Cubes: For coffee lovers, u/chloeharperXO freezes leftover coffee in ice cube trays, ensuring that iced coffee stays strong and flavorful without dilution.
- Room-to-Room Clean-Up: U/Kaablooie42 shares a cleaning strategy: take one item with you every time you leave a room to keep your space tidy with minimal effort.
- Sheet Storage: U/1000thatbeyotch swears by storing sheet sets inside their matching pillowcases, making it easy to keep everything together.
- Versatile Trash Bags: U/Aruhito_0 suggests using sturdy trash bags during camping or outdoor activities, highlighting their multiple uses from backpack liners to rain covers.
- Cleaning Task Lists: For those overwhelmed by cleaning, u/oboskelloo recommends creating a list of 20 tasks and rolling a D20 die to choose which to tackle next.
- Stocking Essentials: U/HawaiianShirtsOR advises purchasing household essentials in advance, ensuring you always have what you need on hand.
- Shower Cleaning Wand: U/Whatchab advocates keeping a dish cleaning wand in the shower, filled with soap and vinegar for quick and easy cleaning.
- 'Do Not Disturb' Hours: U/QualityAngle sets 'do not disturb' hours on their phone, allowing only notifications from important contacts during the night.
- Favoring Future Self: U/psmylie suggests doing little favors for your future self, like preparing tomorrow’s lunch or filling the gas tank today.
- Chip Bag Opening: U/FantasticPumpkin2325 recommends opening bags of chips upside down to enjoy the seasoning that settles at the bottom.
- The Five-Minute Rule: U/Crono_Magus_Glenn follows the five-minute rule: if a task takes less than five minutes, do it immediately to keep your to-do list manageable.
- Gas Gauge Arrow: U/spiritofjosh points out that many people overlook the little arrow on their gas gauge indicating which side the tank is on.
- Scooping Goop: For those messy clean-ups, u/sugarplumbuttfluck advises using two stiff items, like cardboard edges, to scoop up spills instead of mops or brooms.
- Parking Reminders: U/Jerome_real24 takes a quick photo of where they park in large lots, saving time searching for their vehicle.
- Just Because Flowers: U/FantasyHockeyNerd suggests buying flowers "just because," noting that spontaneous gifts bring joy without the baggage of past mistakes.
What is a life hack that you use all the time yet can't believe more people don't know about?