Lifehacks–nifty tricks that just make life a little easier–are now a standard thing on the Internet, showcasing the creativity and ingenuity of ordinary folks with every photo and blog post. I don’t know how these people came up with these tricks, but I benefit from reading about what they’ve come up with!
In honor of this most practical form of creativity, I’ve gathered a list of favorite lifehacks from across the Internet; I’ve already started using some of the tricks I learned about by doing this post, and I hope you’ll find a few hacks you can use, too! (Scroll down to the end of the article to see selected images from the 99 hacks list that’s been making its way around Tumblr 🙂 )
Brain/Body Tricks
From 35 Life Hacks You Should Know:
Get out of the house on time: Make a playlist that runs exactly as long as you have to get ready in the morning. Go from chill songs to more energetic. You will be able to tell how you’re doing on time by the currently-playing song.
See in the dark: when you wake up in the middle of the night to do something, cover one eye with your hand and leave it there until you return to darkness. The eye that was covered will have retained its ability to see well in the dark so you won’t run into the dresser on the way back to bed. This is why pirates wore eye patches–to be able to see below deck as well as on deck!
Techie Lifehacks
Didn’t You Get That Email?
Tricky and a little dishonest…but funny, too.
3 Tips to Make You a Gmail Master
How to Extend the Life of Printer Ink Cartridges in 1 Step
How to Search More Efficiently on Google
Neat little tricks to perform either/or searches, search within a range of dates, look for similar terms to the original search term, and even by filetypes!
The Best Social Media Advice You Never Hear
How to Make Quick Animated GIFs from Videos
Household LifeHacks
Catch a Mouse Without Killing It
Great for pacifists/animal lovers like me, or people who need live mice for …reasons. 🙂
Picture Frame Jewelry Hanger
Hang jewelry in a frame filled with corkboard and studded with pushpins/nails.
10 Brilliantly Simple Hacks that Will Make Your Life Easier
I like the “sharpen your razor’s blade on your jeans” trick!
Lego Key Hanger
Lego key ring + Lego brick hung on the wall = Lego key hanger. 😀
Make a Spray Bottle that Works in Any Direction
Food Hacks
10 Incredibly Easy and Cool Kitchen Hacks
I like the chocolate milk vanilla ice cream trick, as well as the Jiffy cornbread corn dogs and grilled PB&J sandwich.
Cooking a Perfect Round Egg
You have to see the pictures of this hack to believe it. :O
A Few Life Hacks
This article includes the “cookie bowls” food hack: spreading cookie dough on an upside-down muffin tin’s wells to make little holders for ice cream, etc.
Other Random Hacks
Top 10 Most Creative Gadget Hacks
Some are funny and some are downright ingenious. For instance, the Mac desktop revisioned as a beer server, and a Blu-ray laser fused with a toy gun to make a “phaser.”
4 Things I Wish I Knew Before Self-Publishing a Book
Last but Not Least: Honorees from the Infamous “99 Hacks” List
Organization/Display
Food/Cooking
Cleaning
Travel/Safety
Just Plain Nifty
All the above images from 99 Hacks to Make Your Life Easier, from Tumblr.