There’s truly a hack for everything. From ways to be more positive and time-saving travel advice to beauty and fashion tricks that make your life a little easier, we’ve highlighted a handful of the shortcuts that we swear by. To add to the list, we’re sharing 14 hacks every adult should know. Each tip (some small, some obvious, and some that might blow your mind) will help lead to a more efficient and productive “adulting” lifestyle.
• Save your signature on your computer so when you open a PDF, you can easily insert it without the hassle of paying for DocuSign apps. All you have to do is open the PDF file, click Tools, scroll down to Annotate, and then at the bottom, you’ll see an option to add your signature.
• Still not sure which side your gas tank is on? The gasoline icon on your car dashboard tells you—it’ll either have an arrow pointing to the left or right, or it will show the nozzle on the correct side.
• Overwhelmed by the number of unnecessary subscriptions clogging your inbox? Sign up for “Unroll Me,” which is a service that combs through your inbox and suggests emails to unsubscribe from in bulk. You can also add “+spam” to the end of your email address when you’re required to provide an email, and all mail from them will go directly to your spam folder.
• Having trouble popping a tightly corked bottle of champagne? Wrap a rubber band around the cork and then try again. This trick also works for troublesome jars.
• Link your Delta SkyMiles and Lyft accounts to earn one mile per $1 on every U.S. ride. Look into other apps you use frequently for similar offers and discounts.
• Change the sound of your alarm clock every few weeks to avoid dreading the traditional yet alarming ding. This will make for a more enjoyable way to wake up and start your morning.
• If the thought of going to the grocery store sounds too daunting or you’re simply too drained to think about what you need, keep a running “grocery store” list on your phone that includes the basic items you typically buy at the store and make for easy meals. You’ll be in and out of the store and won’t waste energy brainstorming what to purchase.
• Enable the “Undo Send” feature on your Gmail account. Go to Settings, click the General tab, and scroll down to the option for your preferred cancellation period. After you send an email, look in the bottom left corner to see the option to undo send.
• If your phone charger isn’t working, try gently cleaning it out with a slim cotton swab or toothpick.
• You can request plastic-free or reduced packaging for your Amazon deliveries. To do this, you have to contact Amazon’s Customer Service and have them note the request in your profile. It’s not 100% guaranteed on all packages as it’s ultimately up to the distributor, but the effort helps to reduce some of the waste.
• New parents with car seat problems? Stop by your nearest fire station and they can ensure your infant carrier is properly installed.
• Moving? Score boxes from your neighborhood alcohol store. It’s eco-friendly and a way to save money.
• Keep your lingerie and clothes that you store in drawers smelling fresh by using scented liners.
• Whenever you’re in a massive parking lot, take a photo of where you parked with the level and section included so you can easily find your car.
What adult life hacks do you swear by? We want to know in the comments on Instagram.
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