No one likes to waste unnecessary amounts of time and energy on things that can be done with a few quick shortcuts. Or find themselves in challenging scenarios and have no idea how to crack the code. Or do things the hard way when… You get it — “work smarter, not harder” is the way to go.

We naturally pick up small pieces of wisdom that allow us to overcome unexpected obstacles and complete demanding missions, but as you’ve definitely noticed, the game of life is often quite difficult. Sometimes, our brains struggle to unlock the secrets and find the little commands and hacks that would help us to move on to the next level. But thankfully, Redditors bacongobbler and Lurial decided to do us all a public service by sharing some very useful “cheat codes” with anyone who strives to make their days a bit easier.

So if you want to finally nail down this game we call life, we’ve got you covered! Below, our team at Bored Panda has wrapped up some of the best insights from these two threads to share with you all. But as the Redditors warn, remember to put your thinking caps on and do your own research before trying these moves in real life. So continue scrolling, upvote the hacks you didn’t know about, and be sure to share your own bits of advice in the comments!

#1

When you have forgotten someone’s name, simply say : “I’m sorry, but what was your name one more time.” They may act offended, but when they give you their first name you simply reply “No, I meant your last name.” (more socially acceptable to forget).

Bingo. First and last names.

Image credits: hxcloud99

#2

Secretaries, tech support and janitors are the true power in office buildings. Make friends, remember birthdays and you can get anything you need or go anywhere you need.

Image credits: AmbitionOfPhilipJFry

#3

I’ve got one. If you feel uncomfortable looking into someone’s eyes when they’re talking to you, look at their nose instead. They cannot tell the difference.

Image credits: anon

#4

Give yourself half an hour of downtime in the morning, between being ready to leave and leaving, and your day won’t feel so rushed

Image credits: anon

#5

On flights, if you are fighting for an arm rest with a stranger. bring your arm (the one thats on the same side the arm rest you want) up to your mouth and sneeze/cough. Then place it by the armrest. The other person will move their arm. Has had 100% success rate

Image credits: Princess335

#6

if you gently rock back and forth while pooping it will take significantly less time and make it easier to pass more “troublesome” movements. Best. Lifehack. Ever

Image credits: thejesusfinger

#7

When commenting on something, whether it be reddit, facebook, etc. finish typing your comment, stop, re-read it twice and then ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish with said comment before posting

Image credits: DysenteryFairy

#8

Buy things out of season, this can save you money. Unless its food, then buy it in season

Image credits: Lurial

#9

If you spill any liquid that will stain on your carpet (red wine, juice, etc), pour some salt on it. Work it into the carpet – just rub it in with your hands. Leave it there for a few hours (for serious stains, up to a day) and vacuum it out. Voila, stain gone.

Image credits: Weebles_Wobble

#10

For essays with minimum page requirements: If you finish your paper and realize that what you wrote is a shy of the minimum requirement, ctrl F your paper and search for “.”. Change the font size of the periods from 12 to 14. They are the exact same size, but it causes the paper to be significantly longer (my 5 page original essay was stretched out to roughly 7 pages).

Image credits: anon

#11

When you eat hard shell taco’s, do it over your nachos. That way when they disintegrate, you can eat the bits you lost with your nachos

Image credits: HumerousMoniker

#12

When you buy something online, you usually get a chance to enter a promo code before you purchase.

Google the promo codes.

They’re out there – you can get anything from free shipping to 25% off the purchase.

Image credits: north0

#13

Learn to cook. You will save money, eat better and feel better. If you are terrible at cooking, there is only one way to get better…cook. Think of cooking not as a chore, but as something that is fun and that brings joy to other people and to yourself. If you live alone, invest in some nice pyrex containers, put a few portions in the freezer, a few in the fridge.

Image credits: anon

#14

If you are quitting something e.g. smoking, drinking etc. Everytime you feel the urge to do said addiction : Go for a run, do 20 sit ups, 20 push ups etc. This way you can start to associate exercise with quitting and you get fitter the more you quit which can make you feel better

Image credits: Thedarkfallenone

#15

Easy splinter removal: dip the splintered body part in some Elmer’s glue, let it dry, remove glue with splinter.

Easy lawn care: Pour “beer” (Bud Light, Coors, etc) on the lawn. Fermented sugars make great fertilizer.

Easy broken glass clean up: Get the tiny pieces up with a piece of bread, the consistency and texture picks up even the smallest shard.

Image credits: ThePolymath

#16

Never bring anything in to work. That way, when you leave (ie, earlier than usual) it doesn’t look like you’re leaving for the day.

Image credits: cbexton

#17

If you are driving an unfamiliar car and you don’t know which side the gas tank is on, just look at the little pump icon next to the gas gauge on the dashboard. The pump handle on the icon will be on the side of the tank

Image credits: Lurial

#18

Avoid forgetting something in the morning by placing it in your shoes. (works best if you wear the same pair every day.)

Image credits: anon

#19

The color of the twist ties on bread in the supermarket indicate which day the bread was shipped fresh to the store.

* Monday = Blue
* Tuesday = Green
* Thursday = Red
* Friday = White
* Saturday = Yellow

Image credits: ohsnaaap

#20

Can’t find your car in a parking lot? hitting the lock button trying to get it to beep? Extend the distance of key-less entry by putting the key under your chin. The signal will resonate in your skull increasing the range dramatically. I swear to god this works, and I’m told it’s safe because the radiation is non-ionizing

Image credits: Lurial

#21

If you have crushing chest pain, call 911 first. Then chew some aspirin. I work in cardiology.

Image credits: hxcloud99

#22

To get through tech support quickly with an ISP, choose the option for becoming a new customer. Then when you get there ask to transfer to tech support. Usually they won’t put you on hold because they see the number coming from the new customer line.

Image credits: anon

#23

Try to use your non-dominant hand for more things, try to maintain an equal balance in your body. If you have paper and a writing utensil in front of you, try scribbling circles with your non-dominant hand. Stir things with it, open doors with it. Use your dominant hand for things that you’d usually use your non-dominant for.

Be conscious of how your body moves. Pick up your feet when you walk, pay attention to your posture, try not to lean to one side if you’re standing for a long period of time. *Stretch.* Stretching is important in maintaining strength, balance and coordination. Try doing routine things in different ways, it’ll help your body with the aging process and keep you in better shape.

If you want to develop certain traits as a person, live your life as if you’ve always been that way/had said traits. Eventually after a bit it will become so second nature that you won’t even have to think about it.

Don’t pretend to know something if you don’t. You look ignorant if you’re called out on it, and you force yourself to lose the opportunity to learn something new. If you’re mocked for not knowing something and needing to ask, you’re around the wrong people.

**tl;dr** Be conscious of how your body moves; try to stay balanced. Sometimes pretending to have certain traits will actually help you develop them. Be open to learning new things.

#24

If you get brain freeze from eating something cold too quickly, press your tongue against the roof of your mouth as hard as you can. Voila, instant brainfreeze relief.

Image credits: fortuitous_bounce

#25

Tapping on the top of a beer or soda can will make it fizz less

Image credits: Lurial

#26

When you go to a restaurant where they bring you your drink in a cup/glass, ask for no ice or for ice on the side. Often what they do is load your drink with ice so that it seems as if there’s more in there, especially at bars

Image credits: MrCassiBro

#27

When you’re talking to someone and can’t tell if they are interested in the subject/their mind is elsewhere, cross your arms. If they cross theirs as well, they are truly listening

#28

Try to put yourself in as many socially awkward situations as possible. You will be desensitized to it which makes you more outgoing.

Image credits: hxcloud99

#29

Babywipes for the bathroom. Seriously, your life will be +1.

Image credits: hxcloud99

#30

Shut the f**k up.

Wait for the lawyer.

Image credits: hxcloud99

#31

Before you take a dookie, throw in a piece or two of toilet paper in the toilet bowl to reduce/avoid splashing and that kerplunk noise

#32

Turn it off, then on again.

#33

When you’re giving a presentation, bring a bottle of water up to the podium. If you find yourself in a spot where you blank, taking a drink will allow you to gather your thoughts. Nobody will be the wiser.

#34

Cut negative people out of your life.

#35

Always have some money saved that no one knows about, it could save your life.

If you have something important to remember put an object in a weird place. The next time you will see it it will automatically trigger your memory.

Put clothes in the dryer for a few minutes to get the wrinkles out.

Image credits: lcxmpr

#36

Riding a bicycle will save you lots of money on gas, parking, medical bills, and gym memberships.

Image credits: anon

#37

Up, down, up, down, up, down five minutes a day and your neck will tighten up. I have reduced my chin-baggage using this method.

#38

If you’re at home/work/party or GOD forbid your girlfriend’s house and the toilet starts to overflow, take the lid off the back reservoir part and lift the long handle as far up as it will go. The water will stop rising and then you can quietly mutter curses at it till it goes back down (which it does, more often than not…)

#39

When eating buffalo wings, the flat portions. You can detach the smaller bone on one end very easily, then twist it a bit and it will just slide out. You’re now left with a big hunk of meat and only 1 bone, you can just bite it off into your mouth in one piece, flintstones-style

#40

At the end of your shower turn the water really (or all the way) cold. This will wake you up and get blood flowing. It also closes your pores to allow for less dirt and bacteria to get in to help reduce acne problems.

Image credits: Lurial

#41

When working with high voltage/amperage equipment, even if you are sure you turned off the power, use your right hand and put your left in your pocket; this keeps any unexpected power from arcing through your heart.

#42

Talk to everyone like you would your best mate, and smile.

Image credits: Goldsie

#43

When studying arts at university, take notes on your prof’s political/philosophical ideologies and worldviews. Regurgitate in essays and on exams for an A grade. Also, margins, font, font size, etc. are incredibly important. Never neglect these.

Image credits: joshuajargon

#44

Buy seven towels and put a clean one on your pillow each night to clear up acne, then wash them all at the end of the week.

#45

Lift yourself a little off the toilet if noise is a concern and you’re having a particularly gaseous bowel movement. The volume will decrease at least 50-60%.

#46

Pressing Window ‘M” automatically minimizes your entire desktop. Good for those quick “hide what you were doing” moments. (I don’t know if Apple has a similar shortcut.)

#47

If you need to briefly turn the light on at night and don’t want to completely lose your night vision, keep one eye closed.

#48

To stop a sneeze, tickle the roof of your mouth with your tongue

#49

To save the cost of a stamp:
Put a fake address on the To section of an envelope and put the real address you want the letter to go to on the Return Address section. When they return the letter due to not having a stamp, it goes to the address you want. Works best when mailing short distances. Captain Cheapa**……AWAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!

#50

When I am in a large shopping centre (mall) I take a photo of the information board on my phone so I can look up how to get to stores without having to go back to the board

#51

If you drive stick and the battery s dead, get some friends, put the key to the on position, put the car in 2nd and push the clutch down. have your friends push your car. when you get a decent speed going let the clutch up. (this is called “Popping the clutch.” your car with start and you can drive around for a while to recharge your battery(provided nothing is wrong with the battery or the alternator)

#52

Always walk like you know where you are and what you’re doing. Most people will just let you go on through/by/away. Works on most rent-a-cops and campus police.

#53

If you park in a large parking garage/shopping centre, get out and take a photo on your cell phone of the nearest parking sign (Area B2, etc). You will never lose your car again

#54

To peel a boiled egg, roll it around on your plate for a while until all of the eggshell is cracked evenly. Then it’s easy to remove the complete shell at once. After you boil eggs immediately place them in ice cold water for a few minutes. No vinegar or salt or oil or whatever people use. Shells slip right off

#55

Most tinfoil and saran wrap boxes have little push-in tabs on the sides. If you push them in, the roll won’t fall out when you try to rip out a sheet of it

#56

Peel a banana from the bottom. (thank you youtube)

Image credits: cluesew

#57

Gently work an orange in your hands to loosen the peel from the fruit. This makes it easy enough to get the whole peel in one shot.

Image credits: bromosexual

#58

Number of days in the month: start counting on your index finger knuckle (January), in between knuckles (Feb), next knuckle (March), etc… quirk: you have to repeat the pinky twice. knuckles are months with 31 days, “valleys” are days with 28, 29, or 30 days.

#59

If you need to get out of a conversation, whether it be a person at your door or a random acquaintance you bumped into, give them a good handshake and it’s over.

They won’t refuse the handshake and it’s a universal signal for ending the interaction. It removes the awkwardness of getting out of the conversation and is also friendly. If someone is trying to sell something I wish them luck and a great day as happily as I can. You won’t seem like a d**k and you get your time back.

#60

Measure twice, cut once.

#61

When you are carrying groceries in plastic bags, take an extra bag, loop it through the handle loops of all the other bags, and tie them together. Divide the bags roughly in half, then hang them over your shoulder or around the back of your neck. I saw a genius/homeless man doing this, and it has made my grocery carrying much easier!

#62

When you pour soda, pour it along the side of the cup instead of directly into it – like they do at bars. This keeps a lot of the “fizzyness” in the drink and as a result, it keeps a lot of the texture and flavor

#63

Don’t announce that you are having a kid till the second trimester.

#64

If you don’t know if a baby is a boy or a girl ask the baby “What’s your name?” And the parent will answer. That way no angry mom or dad getting mad because you can’t tell because they dress their baby in green

#65

Don’t be rude, but NEVER answer any cops questions when they call you in for questioning

#66

If your credit card magnetic stripe starts to get worn from use and being in your wallet, and doesn’t always read in the card reader, you can use the plastic bag trick. Put the card in a plastic grocery bag and then swipe it. Not sure why it works, but it does.

Taking it further though, you can simply apply a piece of quality cellophane tape over the mag stripe for a “permanent” plastic bag trick.

#67

If I’ve learned *anything* from my internet provider about connection issues, its:

Step 1. Reset your modem by removing the power cable for at least 30 seconds and then plugging it back in.

Step 2. Restart your computer.

Step 3. If you’re still having connection issues, repeat steps 1 and 2 above until it works.

#68

Always get in the leftmost line. Unless you’re in Britain, then get in the rightmost queue.

People naturally line up on they same side that they’re used to driving on the road.

#69

If you are speeding and suddenly up ahead see a cop that clearly just tagged you, slow down and wave to him/her. Your odds of being pulled over are quite a bit reduced.

If an officer of the law is giving you trouble and asks you where you are going. The correct answer is HOME, unless you are clearly not headed in the right direction.

Image credits: trutommo

#70

College Parking Cheat Code: Anyone who’s gone to a college or university knows they usually charge a ridiculous amount of money for parking (usually $300+ for a semester pass or $10+ for the daily passes), a service that should f*****g be free for students considering the high cost of education. F**k them. Buy one daily pass at the beginning of the school year (usually a small paper ticket printed out a machine on the lot), take it home and scan it, photoshop the date for tomorrow, and print. Repeat for the next 4 years. Anyone with even the most rudimentary photoshop skills can pull this off convincingly. Even if your printer is shitty, from behind the tint and glare of a car windshield, it might as well be a 7-11 receipt. I did this for 2 years at a UC and saved hundreds of dollars.

#71

Walk on the sides of stairs to avoid/reduce creaks.

#72

Sprinkle some salt on your napkin coaster at the bar.. your beer won’t stick to it EVERY FUGGIN TIME….

#73

Need more time writing that paper? Grab a jpg, mp3, or some other media file and rename it “My Awesome Essay.doc” and send to professor. The “paper” will be look “corrupt” and it’ll buy you a day or two more. Use sparingly.

#74

If you ever need an umbrella when out walking, ie it starts raining. Go into the nearest restaurant and ask them if the found your umbrella. If they ask what it looks like, say it’s black.

Works for gloves and sweaters during the winter.

#75

If you want to get into a sold out concert simply go to the store and buy two bags of ice. Walk up to the front of the line and say, “I’m the ice guy”. Free concert, minus the price of the ice

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