1.
“I have a keyboard shortcut on all my devices where ‘@@’ automatically enters my email address. On an iPhone, you set it up by going to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement.”
2.
“Before I buy anything, I ask myself, ‘Do I need or want?’ If I need it, I get it. If I want it, I wait for a few weeks, do some research, see if I can fit it in, and if I still want it a month or two later, I might get it. It turns out my wants are not always there after waiting. It’s new for me and has drastically changed my mindset.”
3.
“I use Ziploc bags in my ‘junk drawer.’ It’s not organized; it’s just a handful of junk-filled bags. It makes looking through the junk easier. Instead of sifting through a bunch of junk and loose items, I’ll pick up a bag and inspect it for something I’m looking for. Junk bags inside a junk drawer.”
4.
“Clean out your fridge before grocery shopping! Eliminates mystery Tupperware and always reminds you of something you need to pick up.”
5.
“Start a high-yield savings account. It yields 4.5-5% interest for your money to just sit there. And it doesn’t cost you a dime.”
6.
“I freeze leftover coffee in ice cube trays. That way, when I make iced coffee, it doesn’t get watered down. It just stays strong and delicious as it melts!”
7.
“I hate cleaning, but I try to take something with me whenever I leave a room. It might be a piece of garbage, a dish, or an item that needs to be put away. It goes a long way to keeping things tidy without any real effort.”
8.
“I am shocked by how many people don’t put their sheet sets in the matching pillowcase for storage until use. It keeps it all together!”
9.
“Use sturdy trash bags for all camping and outdoor activities. They’re the most advanced, cheap material there is. You can use them as backpack liners, rain covers, ponchos, sitting pads, water carriers, and extra shopping bags. They’re so versatile and lightweight.”
10.
“I struggle with cleaning, but what I tend to do so I don’t get overwhelmed is write out a list numbered one to 20 of tasks I need to complete. I break it up into small pieces. And then I roll a D20 die to pick tasks off the list. It removes the overwhelming feeling of deciding where to start and keeps me on task so I’m not bouncing between five different tasks simultaneously.”
11.
“For household essentials, buy more than you need right away. For example, I have two packs of toilet paper rolls. One is for now, which I store in the bathroom. The other is for later, and I store it in a closet. When Now is empty, I get out Later. Later, it becomes the new Now, and I buy a replacement the next time I go shopping. That way, I very rarely run out of anything.”
12.
“I keep one of those dish cleaning wands you fill with soap in my shower. It’s filled with Dawn soap and vinegar. I scrub my shower walls and tub and every other shower just while I’m in there. It takes less than two minutes, and I never have to clean my tub/shower otherwise. I’ll do a Comet tub clean scrub about twice a year, but I can’t even see or tell the difference; it’s mostly just for peace of mind.”
13.
“Set nightly ‘do not disturb’ hours on your phone (mine is 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.). You can allow notifications from favorite contacts like your spouse, children, etc..”
14.
“Do favors for yourself for tomorrow. Car getting low on gas? Do tomorrow-you a favor and get it on the way home. It’s almost bedtime, but there are dishes in the sink? Do them as a favor to your future self. Get tomorrow’s clothes together while you’re at it, and get your lunch packed when you’re not feeling rushed. Tomorrow, you will love it! And, when today-you is enjoying everything you did yesterday to make your life easier, remember to thank yourself for doing it. I know it sounds silly, but this helped motivate me to get stuff done promptly instead of at the last moment.”
15.
“Open bags of chips upside down! All the seasoning settles on the bottom👌.”
16.
“I abide by the five-minute rule. If a task takes less than five minutes, do it right when you think about it. Flip laundry, respond to an email you left in the inbox, load the dishwasher, change that bulb in the vanity you’ve been looking at forever, etc…”
17.
“Surprisingly, many people don’t notice there’s a little arrow on your vehicle’s gas gauge that points to the side the tank is on.”
18.
“When you’re cleaning up ‘goopy’ stuff that can’t be absorbed, use two flat, stiff things like the edge of two pieces of cardboard and literally scoop it up. I am stunned at how many people I see try to clean up something like egg yolks or spaghetti sauce with a mop or a broom.”
19.
“I take a quick photo of where I park my car in large parking lots. It saves so much time when I’m wandering around looking lost.”
20.
“Buy her ‘just because’ flowers. Seriously, apology gifts always have the stank of the original mistake all over them. Just because gifts actually make her smile every time she looks at them and not think of the dumb thing I did.”
What is a life hack that you use all the time yet can’t believe more people don’t know about? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
