The most effective solutions to everyday speed bumps are often the simplest. It’s almost elegant, sometimes, how one person can come up with a way to streamline a small annoyance with a hack the rest of us have missed.

If you want to be the most prepared you can be for any ol’ situation, you need to have these 23 life hacks in your back pocket.

23. It’ll save you a trip back inside later.

In a similar vein, I will say it out loud when I turn stove burners off, unplug my hair straightener etc…

I’ve found this helps me eliminate those moments where I leave the house or am in bed and I’m suddenly like “Did I leave that on?”

22. Don’t expect other people to do their research.

Google it first.

21. You only get one set of teeth!

Brush your teeth more thoroughly before bed after you are done eating and drinking for the day.

Morning brushing is important too, but more so for fresh breath; while evening cleaning will prevent bacteria from breeding and damaging your teeth and gums.

20. Too many of us need to do this these days.

Get into a routine of stretching your hip flexors and chest if you sit for long periods.

Absolute game changer for people who suffer with chronic lower back pain as a result of being hunched over a desk.

19. Perfect.

If you want to wear something white/ light in color, wear underwear that matches the color of your skin, not white.

18. It’s never too little.

5 minutes of daily exercise is infinitely better than 0 minutes and will make a big difference.

17. If you want to be tidy…

Train yourself to always keep an eye out for things that need to go in the direction you are going.

If you are about to go downstairs, does any item nearby need to go with you?

Perhaps a cup can be brought to the sink on your way to the bathroom.

16. You’ll never please everyone.

No matter how good a person you are, at some point you will be the bad guy in someone else’s story. You can’t please everyone, and you shouldn’t try to. Be a good person, and have friendships with people you can respect and look up to.

Sometimes you’re the bad guy because you’re trying to be a good person. Like when your best friend of 15 years asks you do to something against your moral compass and you say no and they end the friendship and write a book about it. And you have to be okay with that.

15. We’re not changing our sheets often enough.

Sometimes changing your pillow case daily can help with acne. I use a clean t-shirt over my pillow to accomplish the same effect.

To add to this, a lot of people wash their face when they get up but not before bed. Washing before you sleep will help keep the pillow case cleaner and prevent breakouts. You don’t need to apply a ton of night cream or anything, just a medicated pad with salicylic acid will do. Your body will put moisture back on while you sleep and you’ll wake up with a less oily face. Do your morning routine and make sure to add moisturizer as needed in the morning instead.

Wash your sheets with unscented/sensitive detergent too! The perfumes are sometimes an irritant to the delicate skin on your face.

14. Hack your own mind.

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.

I’ve been doing this for big life decisions for years. Sometimes I don’t realize what I want, but instead realize it doesn’t matter and I just go with the flip result.

13. I’ve wasted a lot of honey.

Honey does not go bad, if it has gone solid it has just crystallized and can become liquid again with just a little heat.

12. Not everyone is worthy.

Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from.

11. Just in case.

If you ever fall off a ship/ferry at sea and were lucky enough to be spotted – don’t try to swim your way to safety. The more you try to swim, the lesser the chances of survival. Just try to keep afloat and conserve energy (and body heat) while rescue team do what they’re supposed to. Unless you are in hypothermic waters, the best bet always is to stay afloat without trying to swim to somewhere.

This information about falling overboard, hypothermia and conditions, survival at sea etc are based on my own experience of 12 years sailing on merchant ships like this

10. Take a deep breath and do it.

In a lot of daunting situation, for example asking someone out or standing up for yourself, you only need to be brave for a few seconds to get it over with.

9. Unless you have a pillow top.

Turn your bed mattress when you renew your blanket.

Through time your mattress will deform and that can make you sleep worse.

8. 100% of the time.

If there’s a jar or container you can’t open, run the lid under hot water for a 30sec.

Dry it so you can get a good grip, then open. Never had this not work.

7. It will make you feel better, too.

If you have a spare minute or are just playing video games or on a computer at home, take a few minutes to just pet your dog/ cat and really appreciate them.

A phrase I heard somewhere just really stuck with me: Pets are only a part of your life but you are your pet’s entire life.

6. I am blown away.

Buy anything you’d need in your kitchen from a restaurant supply store. ANY-THING, plates, glasses, pans etc.

There are a few online that sell to consumers. Those $8.99 tongs at a box store are like $1.30. A 16 oz. mason jar glass that sells for $3-$4 a piece can be bought as a 12 pack case for $8.55. Oneida China plates that sell for $345.84 a case for $57.84.

I just bought a 2 foot by 2 foot wooden butchers block cutting board that would have been close to $400 for $55.

Also, this sh%t is built to last years in a commercial kitchen under constant use. It sure as shit can handle your Sunday brunch cooking a$s.

5. It really does make a difference.

Not necessarily a “hack” per se, but learn some basic knife skills, the amount of time you will save chopping vegetables a few times a week (minimum) for the rest of your life far outweighs the amount of time it takes to learn, plus you can use the extra time to keep the kitchen clean and that makes everything less stressful while you’re cooking and makes the cleanup faster as well

4. It does take practice, though.

Most of the time keeping your mouth shut is a great option.

3. That’ll save you some trips up the stairs.

To confirm which circuit breaker is associated to an outlet, plug in an old radio and turn the volume up before you flip the circuit breaker.

2. You have to trick yourself sometimes.

If you put something down temporarily, say out loud “I’ve put the screwdriver by the microwave” or whatever.

This engages many more areas of the brain (particularly the language centres) which creates a richer memory making it less likely you’ll forget where you put it.

1. If you’re not five minutes early, you’re late.

Whenever you have a time to be somewhere, aim to be there 15 minutes early, to allow for ‘time snags’ or for traffic.

People respect punctuality.

I feel like I can conquer the world right now, y’all.

If you’ve got a simple life hack that’s not on this list, tell us what it is down in the comments!

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