“This Tricks Your Brain”: 25 Shortcuts That Help Make Life Easier

When we start this journey that we call life, we know next to nothing and our parents have to teach us literally everything from how to eat, how to sleep and how to excrete. So it stands to reason that there is a lot we don’t know about how to make life easier for ourselves. If our parents didn’t know it and couldn’t teach it to us,  the chances are high that you don’t know it as well. 

#1

Image source: No_Frost_Giants, Yan Krukau

When you are walking somewhere at work, carry a piece of paper, glance at it occasionally like it’s important. Everyone will assume you are doing something.

This can also work as a student in HS btw.

#2

Image source: StandardLovers, Pixabay

Before ending a work session, always do three things: leave a peeled orange on your desk, hide one sock in the freezer, and flip a random object upside-down. Future you will remember exactly where you left off.

#3

Image source: grueb, Julia Morales

Crumple your raffle tickets, slightly uncrumple them before dropping them in, I win a lot of raffles.

#4

Image source: bushinkaishodan, dekddui1405

Had a young woman working for me. We worked closely together on a number of projects, so we got to know each other, warts and all. She was a very capable person, but there were times when she could be a PITA. But EVERYBODY at work, from the CEO to the loading dock, LOVED her. I asked her one time why everyone loves her the way they do. She said that whenever an interaction with someone else is ending, no matter what it was about, even if it was contentious, she always said/did something nice to/about that person. That way, she said, the last thought they had of her was a positive one. Now that I knew that was her trick, I started looking for it when we were in larger meetings/groups. Sure enough, she did it, and did it sincerely. Real life application of Angelou’s “They may not remember what you say, but people will remember how you made them feel.

#5

Image source: FatherOfGreyhounds, RDNE Stock project

Never, never, never be rude to a secretary (or receptionist). ALWAYS be nice to the secretary. No matter if it is at a company you work for or one you are visiting. The secretary can make or break you.

Need to cut through red tape? Who do you think manages most of it? Your paperwork can go through quickly or can sit on a desk for a few days… or even get “lost”.

Back in university, I needed a paper signed by several faculty. I knew some didn’t like each other and some were only in at certain times of the day. I asked the department secretary for advice on who to approach and when – rather than give me that info, she said “just leave it with me, come back this afternoon”. Saved me a lot of time (she really did not need to do this, but we were friendly), and every one of the faculty would sign anything she told them to.

I’ve also seen a guy destroy himself. I was working and we were doing interviews. I walked in to the CEO’s office – he was just finishing an interview with a candidate. Never found out how it went – the CEO’s secretary walked in and told him “if you hire the guy that just left, I quit.”. The CEO gave her a questioning look, but she simply put up a hand to indicate “not saying any more”. CEO tore the guys resume in half and theatrically put it in the garbage. Secretary walked back to her desk. I never did find out what he had said or done to her, but he trashed his interview before it even started.

#6

Image source: JerseyDonut, FoToArtist_1

Quickly build a meaningful relationship w someone:

1.) Compliment them on something they do well. Be as specific as possible.

2.) Ask them for advice on how you can also do this thing well, just like them.

3.) Actually listen intently to their advice and apply it.

4.) Follow back up with them and share the great results you experienced by applying their advice.

5.) They will love you, root for you, go out of their way to help you, and will always give you the benefit of the doubt when you f**k up. Hell, they may even offer their daughter’s hand in marriage. So, only do this w people who you want a genuine relationship with. Its that powerful.

There is not a single person on this planet who is impervious to this tactic if done sincerely.

#7

Image source: Grasshop, Budgeron Bach

Don’t listen to criticism from someone you would not ask for advice.

#8

Image source: randonegus, westend61

I think I just found one by accident for travel. Trains

Hear me out. I hate flying, the stress of getting to the airport waiting in line TSA. Uncomfortable seats and the rushed nature of the whole experience.

I’m on an Amtrak right now. They have full dining and bedrooms you can take. The cafe I figured would have little snacks, nope they’ve got burgers breakfast sandwiches and a menu bigger than I’ve seen at actual food places for reasonable prices.

Seats are comfortable, like first class comfortable on a plane for a fraction of the cost, and I’m the cheapest one. There’s chargers where some airlines I’ve taken didn’t have them. The ONLY downside is it takes longer to get where you’re going but it’s so enjoyable I wish my trip was longer and it’s 5 hours. I may never fly again.

#9

Image source: Sparklefresh, Image-Source

Being really nice to customer service reps. Sounds basic, but it’s wild how often you get upgraded, refunded, or helped way faster just by being cool to the person who deals with everyone’s anger all day.

#10

Image source: Global_Friend_8470, Anna Shvets

I had a boss who would always make a show of turning her phone over and physically turning away from her computer screen when I came to ask her something. Always made me feel valued and that I was important enough to commit 100% of her attention to. I committed to copy this in my personal and business life – it’s a game changer. I now never hold my phone when anyone asks me a question.

#11

Image source: Chairboy, Andrea Piacquadio

When a task seems too big to start and kind of overwhelming, I’ll give myself a five minute assignment of working on it before I do something else. Five minutes of prep work, five minutes of research, five minutes of cleaning… It’s easier to be overwhelmed by an entire task than it is to be overwhelmed by just working on it for five minutes at a time, And sometimes you get to the end of that five minutes and find a little bit of gas in your tank you didn’t have before.

#12

Image source: powersurge25, RDNE Stock project

“You can’t control other people, you can only control your response” is a mantra I breathe daily.

#13

Image source: Radiant-Customer9611, Ono Kosuki

If you act confident — even if you’re faking it — people rarely question you. Confidence is basically the human version of pressing “up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start.”.

#14

Image source: sbineedmoney, BGStock72

Something I learned as a teenager

When complimenting women you don’t know or perhaps just aren’t close to, as a man, compliment something they had active control over. Say, a choice in eye-makeup. Or perhaps color-coordination of their outfit. Even a logo.

Complimenting body parts is risky as you don’t really know in what ways that person might feel insecure about themselves, AND, it shows you’re actively creeping.

Every time I tell a woman her nails look cool, their faces light up. I like being remembered as the guy that noticed something she went out of her way to do.

#15

Image source: ToddBauer

I found that just being sincere with people about my feelings is almost like a cheat code. For example, I might interact with someone and say something like “I’m apologizing in advance that I’m kind of worked up about this and this is why“ and then continue. They really seems to get people‘s attention when you just tell them where you’re coming from and why.

#16

Image source: Pattonesque, Tahir osman

When you meet someone new for the first time and they tell you their name, immediately use it in a sentence. For some reason this tricks your brain into remembering their name at a much higher rate than if you didn’t do it.

#17

Image source: AnnArchist

Being kind, patient and polite is far more effective at getting what you actually want when compared to being abrasive and rude.

#18

Image source: Calm_Canary, Alexander Suhorucov

The s**t people talk about others behind their back always has a way to get back to the victim of the s**t-talk. I realized this and, though I’ve never been one for backbiting, I actively started saying nice things about people behind their back.

I’m not sure I have a good metric of whether it works as a “cheat code”, but personally I would sure feel great if somebody told me something nice a co-worker or colleague or friend said about me when I wasn’t around.

#19

Image source: alegonz

I am nearly 40 years old, trying to become a professional author, in the process of querying. A development editor I hired (someone who is paid to tell me in no uncertain terms exactly what’s wrong with my story & not BS me) that she loved it and it has a serious chance of getting published.

I may not be Stephen King or Brandon Sanderson, but I am a competent writer.

I got there by writing s**t work and reading great work and accepting criticism and people telling me my work was s**t. I did this for thirty years.

Whatever you want to be good at, keep doing it. Everyone who is great at something got good at it by being s**t at it.

**So put in the practice regularly, even if you suck at it.**.

#20

Image source: Conscious_Ad5378, Andrea Piacquadio

Go out of your way to ensure you get enough sleep, it is the secret seasoning of life.

#21

Image source: Worth-Income4114, Alexandra Folster

This is a big one.

You know when you’re walking along a narrow street and there’s someone coming toward you, and you end up doing that awkward little ‘will I go this way or that way’ dance with them until you finally get the f**k out of eachother’s way?

Excruciating right?

Well, I’ve not had to do that s**t for decades. Because instead of looking that person in the face on approach, I very purposefully look over one of their shoulders, indicating without words on which side I intend to pass them.

That easy little visual cue works every f*****g time.

#22

Image source: kitskill, Alena Darmel

If I’m waiting for my wife to get off the phone or stop texting or get dressed – all I have to do is start up a video or a game and she’s instantly done and wants attention. Works every time.

#23

Image source: zerbey, Lisa from Pexels

When dealing with an angry customer the best thing you can do is actively listen. Let them have their say, make notes and then go over their grievances when they run out of steam (they will eventually, I promise). Most angry customers just want to be heard. I’ve had customers go from shouting to cheerfully shooting the breeze after a few minutes.

#24

Image source: MedusasSexyLegHair, DragonImages

Be kind, be gentle, be nice. Then in the rare occasion when you *do* get upset, people will notice.

People who get upset or are belligerent often, we tend to just tune them out. Their baseline is ‘a*****e’, they’re always yelling and cussing, so it’s not even noticed, just background noise, like “boy who cried wolf”.

But when a nice, quiet person starts yelling and cussing…*everyone* notices.

Sweet Deborah, who’s always cheerful and nice and pleasant to everyone – when she gets upset and starts crying, everyone thinks “that is **wrong**” and immediately drops whatever they’re doing to try to set it right.

Not just yelling and cussing, either. When the quiet man who never speaks does speak up, people listen. Because it’s unexpected.

#25

Image source: domc

Whenever I feel flustered, tired, run down, irritable, or just a bit ‘off’ in a way I can’t explain, I smash down a big glass of water. Then another. Suddenly I feel much better. I think sometimes our bodies don’t effectively pass on the signal of being thirsty, you just have to look for clues.