Recently, Redditor u/StrawHatTeacher asked, "What's a life hack that's so simple yet so effective, you're shocked more people don't know about it?" People shared the simple life hacks that genuinely improved their lives, and trust me, I'm taking allll the notes. Here's what they had to say:
1. "If you have an itchy mosquito bite, heat up a spoon under semi-hot water, dry it off, and tap or press it on the bite. Just as short as you can tolerate it, but also as long as possible."
"The heat neutralizes the protein that makes the mosquito bite itch [and temporarily reduces the itchiness]."
2. "If you're putting together furniture, leave all the screws a little loose. Finish the whole thing. Place it where it's going to be. Wiggle it so it settles into place. THEN, tighten all the bolts. No wobble!"
3. "If you want a comfortable pair of high heels, invest in a pair of dance heels. Lots of beautiful designs and colors, designed to be flexible and comfortable. Worth every penny. Just make sure they’re not felt-soled if you plan on wearing them outdoors. A good quality pair from a company like Repetto is worth getting rubber-soled if they aren’t already. Your feet will thank you."
"My mother has permanent foot deformation from wearing heels daily since 1977, and my discovery of wearing dance heels was born out of my desire to look elegant but avoid pain and disfigurement!"
4. "If you're making coffee in an automatic drip coffee maker, especially a cheap one, leaving a little bit of water in the carafe (about an ounce or so) will significantly improve the flavor. It prevents the first bit of brewed coffee from becoming scorched from the hot plate and flavoring the entire pot."
5. "When driving for long periods. Turn off the recirculating air. One of the reasons you get tired in the car is not from lack of sleep but from too much carbon dioxide in the car. Have you ever been so tired driving home, and when you get home you’re no longer tired? It’s because of the lack of oxygen in the car — especially if you have passengers in the car."
6. "When you finish a bath or shower, before toweling off, rub your hands over your body like a windshield wiper in a car to get off excess water. You brush off a ton of water, meaning there's a lot less to towel off after and less dripping onto the floor. It takes only a few seconds and keeps your bathroom from getting soaked while you dry yourself with a towel."
7. "Never gossip, no matter how much you dislike a person. It can be really helpful in particular at work when that person you dislike can actually save you in certain situation rather than have him/her as your rival."
"I keep receiving gossip from various colleagues about others and always pretend to never know anything while I know lots of details, and I agree with many of these sometimes. This is helpful in your career — being neutral and having people not being against you."
8. "After making ramen that is presumably boiling hot, add frozen peas to cool it down and increase your veg count for the day. This is also the perfect way to cook frozen peas (quickly to not leech out all the sugars)."
"Other frozen vegetables can be added as well/instead of, but some of them need to cook for a number of minutes, which just won't be done in the bowl of ramen."
9. "I am extremely organized except where my keys were concerned. I lost them several times a week. Then, I saw the comedian Jon Richardson saying that people with keys are 'putters' or 'leavers.' I was a leaver, leaving my keys lying around so I decided to be a putter. As soon as I get in, I PUT my keys straight into my bag. It seems so stupid, but it totally works and has saved me a lot of stress!"
10. "The five-minute rule — If you have something that needs doing, and it can be accomplished in five minutes, or less, then why not do it immediately?"
11. "Going to bed at a consistent time to get enough sleep (really prioritizing it). It literally makes life so much better and easier. Health improvements in every aspect — both mental and physical. People live their lives chronically underslept, and it causes all types of chaos in their lives."
"They think it's freedom to stay up late or go to bed whenever they want (usually covering up a cycle of revenge bedtime procrastination), but they are unbeknownst to themselves in an underslept zombie prison of their own making. I got no sleep last night btw. Feel like crap!"
12. "Create a routine for BEFORE exercise. I do the exact same things every time I go to the gym. When I'm not motivated, those little pre-workout habits just trigger me into action."
13. "Library cards are worth their weight in gold. My physical library comes with (mostly for free): Tool rentals, laptop rentals, studio rental space (including video cameras and audio equipment), 3D printer usage in the library, woodshop, sewing kits, and free classes. All this with the usual book rentals."
"Digitally/web-wise, my library card comes with: Digital movie checkout, free subscription to Skillshare and LinkedIn learning, free e-book app, free online courses (very limited though), Udemy, language learning apps, and virtual workshops. Along with other community events for people of all ages. Everyone should get a library card."
14. "Sick of losing socks in the laundry? Wash them in one of those mesh garment bags. I never lose them, and it’s so much easier to put them away when you’re only sorting through them out of the bag than across the whole pile of shirts and whatever else out of the dryer."
15. "If you have a hard time reading on a computer screen (either physically, or if you just don’t enjoy what you’re reading/have a hard time with that format), you can download an extension to your web browser that reads everything out loud to you. This is the only way I can digest long work emails or web articles. Saves me so much rereading!"
16. "When walking head-on towards somebody, to avoid the are we going to crash into each other dance, don't look at them to see where they are going, fix your eyes over one of their shoulders and don't waiver — they will then move in the other direction."
17. "Future you — always do things throughout the day that will benefit future you."
18. "If you need to go to the bathroom in the night, cover one eye whilst you have the light on. Then when you turn the light off, you have one eye in night mode so you can still see where you're going."
19. "Buy a bunch of the same style and color socks, and you never have to match socks again. I have a drawer with just socks, and every time I reach in and grab two...I have a pair of matching socks. Game changer."
20. "Stainless steel can remove the smell of garlic from your hands. When you rub your hands on stainless steel, the sulfur compounds in garlic bind to the steel's surface, transferring the smell to the metal."
21. "Always write down momentarily good ideas. Don’t lean on your memory."
22. "If you work at a computer all day, turn the night light on constantly. Makes a huge difference in eye strain. After you get used to it, other screens feel like looking at the sun."
"I set up one of my colleague's PCs the same way, and a week later, she told me she had stopped getting headaches every day at 1 p.m., which she had even been going to the opticians for."
And finally...
23. "My grandmother always said that if you feel terrible, get out of bed, take a shower, do your hair and put on clothes — down to your shoes — and have a good meal. Either this will fix it or you're dressed and fed and in a better place to deal with the problem. She was right."
What are some other simple life hacks that more people should know? Tell us in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.