It’s so easy to learn anything these days with the internet at our fingertips. There are so many solutions and tips from people who’ve probably been in your shoes. But you have to think of looking for it first.
And how would you know to look for it if you’re not aware it exists? So we at Bored Panda compiled a list of life hacks you might’ve never heard of before, but may find very useful. Scroll down, upvote your favorites, and don’t be shy to share any tips you think others don’t know yet!
If you have a spare minute at home, always take a few seconds to just pet your dog or cat and really appreciate them. Pets are only a part of your life but you are your pet’s entire life
Don’t fill in the ‘To” field in an email until you are completely done writing it. Saved me a lot of badly-written or half-finished emails – and emails I never ended up sending because I had time to think better of it.
About a week ago, my mother was out of town. So, my father and I decided to go to a restaurant because both of us suck at cooking.
Over there, I ordered a Masala dosa off the menu. After a 20 min long video call with my mother, the food arrived.
I had only eaten a couple of bites before I found a hair strand in the Sambhar. Pretty unappetizing.
I told my father and was about to call the waiter to change the food but my father actually had a fool proof plan.
He suggested me to add a lot of salt in the sambhar and then call the waiter so that I could ensure the food was actually changed and it wasn’t just the hair that was removed.
I did the same and was very excited for the sambhar to be back. So was my father. We waited for a little while and then the waiter served the sambhar. Voila! It was saltier than ever. Plan successful. I told my father and he was smiling like a child and at the same time he was really proud.
Not gonna lie I was amazed as hell.
Later we called the waiter and told him the entire story. He got really defensive but all that’s unnecessary. What really matters is the life hack you learnt today.
Last week I felt exhausted. I got home on Friday at around 6:30 p.m. and went straight to bed.
I did a few things over the weekend but mostly slept – I got up late, took naps and went to bed early.
I can’t tell you how differently things have felt this week. I am more focused at work and make less of an effort to get things done. I feel more patient, more lenient, less irritable. Everything feels less catastrophic.
Last night I went to yoga and felt I had the best class I’d had in months – I felt I was breathing rather than pushing myself through something too difficult.
You want a clever life hack? Go to bed.
There’s a cartoon I watched as a kid where the hero gets thrown in jail high up in a tower. There’s an old man there who has been in the jail all his life. The hero demands to be let out and the gate opens. The hero walks out. The old man looks at the open door and then turns to the audience and mutters: “You mean all I had to do was ask?”
I laughed at this when I was a kid but reflecting on my life, I’ve had countless moments where I was that old man. A crush of three years who I never talked to, questions in meetings that I never voiced and promotions that I never pushed for.
Over the last five years, I’ve experimented with doing what the hero in the tower did and ask for what I want. And in many cases, just like in the cartoon, the door really opened. This is from little things like requesting no olives in my salad to larger demands like having 20% time at work to pursue self directed initiatives.
As long as you’re sincere and reasonably competent, you will be amazed how far simply asking for things will take you.
Put your favorite song as a custom ringtone for people you don’t like. That way, you can enjoy the song while neglecting their calls.
About 15 years ago I’m visiting my mother’s cousin after not seeing him for a long time.
A few hours into our meeting he stares at me and says “Asim son… why do you always smile at me when I look at you?”
Do I? I don’t know. And I tell him that.
I soon realise that I do smile a lot, and several years later I come to the view that it has played a key role in achieving the success I have attained at work and in business.
Smiling breaks down barriers, it makes tense situations into more comfortable ones, it makes you more attractive, it gives a sense of energy, it makes people want to be around you, it makes you more likeable, it makes people feel that you want to be around them, it makes people trust you.
Smiling is very powerful, massively underestimated.
And I semi-consciously knew it all along. Which is why I did it.
It also makes everyone happier, including you.
Smile more…
Refer to people you’ve just met by their name. People loving being referred to by their name, and it will establish a sense of trust and friendship right away.
If you fall into cold, open water try to float first to calm yourself down and resist the urge to swim. With your breathing and body under control, you can then start swimming to safety.
When heating leftovers, space out a circle in the middle, it will heat up much more evenly.
Forget about oven mitts. Get a pair of welding gloves!
Wait, hear me out.
My mom always complained about her oven mitts. They were either too thin, making prolonged handling of hot dishes difficult. Or they were too thick, making them clumsy. For some reason, the fabric would quickly deteriorate, even when using non-budget pairs. And more often than not, they were too short — she’d often get burns on her forearms when reaching inside a hot oven, oven mitts only protect your hands.
However, one day she found a pair of welding gloves lying around, and got the genius idea to use them in the kitchen.
These things are:
Very robust, literally industrial strength. No fear of them falling apart.
Heat-proof up to hundreds of degrees Celsius
Made of rough fabric, and have fingers, making handling of various dishes very simple. No slipping and dropping your lasagne ever again!
Quite long, offering total protection not only for your hands, but your wrists and forearms too. No need to worry about touching the edge of a blazing hot oven when reaching into it.
Are generally quite cheap, $20 bucks or so. Not much difference to “premium” (but still garbage) oven mitts.
I recently received a pair from her as a birthday gift. I tossed my oven mitts immediately. From then on, it’s welding gloves all the way.
Disclaimer: I was made aware that some gloves may contain fire retardant chemicals, which may be dangerous when ingested. Keep this in mind and check the manual / detailed information before using a pair.
If you sit for several hours a day, find a simple routine to stretch out your hips and chest.”It’s an absolute game-changer for people who suffer from chronic lower back pain as a result of being hunched over a desk.”
Golden spending rule: If you can’t afford two of it, you can’t afford it.
When you’re thinking about buying something you don’t necessarily need, imagine the item in one hand and the cash in the other. Which one would you take?
If you have trouble choosing, flip a coin. While you’re waiting to get the result, your mind automatically starts to wish for what it wants. Then you can choose easily.
Honey does not go bad; if it has gone solid it has just crystallized and can become liquid again with just a little heat.
If you put something down temporarily, say out loud “I’ve put the screwdriver by the microwave” or whatever.
Read the three and four star reviews for the most reliable information on Amazon items.
When moving house, always set up your bedroom/ make the bed first so when you’re exhausted and just had enough you can fall into bed. Nothing worse than being exhausted and having to make the bed before getting into it.
If there’s a jar or container you can’t open, run the lid under hot water for about 30sec. Dry it so you can get a good grip, then open. It really works.
Secretaries, tech support, and janitors are the true power in an office. Make friends with them and you’ll be able to get anything you need!
When a friend is upset, ask him one simple question before saying anything else: “Do you want to talk about it or do you want to distract from it? ” It is important to know when to stop arguing with people, and simply let them be wrong.
If someone offers you something you want, take it. Don’t decline every kind of offer out of politeness.
If you’ve forgotten an acquaintance’s name, just ask them what their name is, and after they tell you, say ‘No, your last name.’ It works like a charm, and they never suspect a thing.
You received your order from an e-commerce site.
You are excited to remove the packaging.
You just remembered an incident that happened to your neighbour, when a shopping site delivered a soap bar instead of mobile phone in the box.
You are now afraid, what if same happens to you?
What can you do at this point of time-
Sit back relax and put your camera or mobile phone camera on work.
Record a video while unboxing your product, just like those youtube gadget reviewers do.
Now, if something wrong happens, you will have a valid proof from your side.
This is the best thing a person can do to protect himselves from online shopping fraud.
The human appendage signal.
I’m in tight traffic, and nobody will let me in to change lanes. They ignore my blinking turn signal. So I open the window and stick out my arm. Invariably, the car in the next lane slows and makes a spot for me to move into.
I think the human appendage signal turns car into a person. It is no longer a blinking car that wants to change lanes, but a human. That triggers empathy and politeness.
This hack can be used elsewhere. The gay liberation movement made its greatest strides when gays came out of the closet, and people realized that they knew such people. They were no longer abstractions, but people, friends, and it created a phase transition.
Make sure others always see you as a person, not as a symbol or as a professional or as a thing.
Waiting !!!
Waiting at least 24 hours before making a big decision that will likely determine the course of your life.
ot a job offer? Don’t make a decision yet. Wait for 24 hours and think over it. Don’t be impulsive! This is a big deal choice.
Got fired? Wait for 24 hours and think what happened and what is your next best step. Don’t rush to call the next recruiter that pops up on your job search.
Are you upset at your family because of a big disagreement? Don’t tell them immediately that they are clueless. Wait for at least 24 hours and think about it: Is it really worth it to deteriorate life’s most important relationship?
Are you almost going to yell at your incompetent coworker? Don’t do it yet! Wait for 24 hours before damaging your relationship with your colleague. Think it over and devise a plan on how to discuss things over.
My point is that a lot of times in our lives we are driven by our impulses and that we make decisions driven by a moment’s emotion. Countless regrets follow because of impulsivity, life changes not for the better , relationships are broken, misery and frustration can conquer your psychological well-being.
So please wait for a while before you fight with your family, wait for a while before you yell at your colleague, wait for a while before immediately committing to that job offer.
While thinking things by waiting doesn’t necessarily mean that your life choices and outcomes will be the best, at least you tried and considered all of the possibilities. You deeply and genuinely thought about whatever major issues life has thrown at you, and you are sure there will be no regrets over the coming decision. So spare yourself some hardship, regret, tears, and insecurity by waiting. You can do it: you can wait!!
Hope this helps.
If you’ve ever taken a boring class, record it with your phone and play it back on sleepless nights.
Put a dry tea bag in smelly shoes to absorb the odor and leave them smelling fresh.
Today I am going to tell you something really useful that will save you a lot of confusion at times.
Everyone use earphones or headphones, right? Well, this device comes in two varieties – with microphone and without microphone and a lot of you might have faced problems in the past in finding whether it has mic or not. Not anymore as it is really easy to find that out.
Have you ever closely observed the audio jack of different earphones? If you have, then you might know that some earphones have two strips and some have three. Something like this.
There is a reason for this, obviously.
Now you understand? The third strip is for the microphone itself.
So, in future, if you want to check whether an earphone has mic or not, just look at the number of strips on its audio jack. If it is two, it doesn’t support mic and if it is three, then it does.
Happy reading!!
Note: this post originally had 47 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
