30 Stories Of People Trying Out Various Popular "Life Hacks" But Getting Nothing But Frustration

A few days ago, a thread appeared on AskReddit, whose author, the user u/One_Seat4219, asked other netizens: "What's the most overrated 'life hack' that everyone swears by but actually makes life more complicated?" The question turned out to be quite relevant - at least today, the thread already has almost 5K upvotes and about 2.5K different comments.

Well, a significant portion of these comments are precisely the heated debate of examples provided by netizens in the discussion. After all, as often happens, what works for one person turns out to be completely inapplicable to another. And for a third or fourth, it may seem downright ridiculous or even harmful.

A separate category among the life hacks in this collection is occupied by various frugal hacks from the "do-it-yourself" category. While it's true that knowing how to use basic tools at home, cook well, or do the chores quickly and efficiently is almost a must-have and truly saves time, everything has its limits.

For example, if a senior programmer, whose hourly work costs a lot of money, were to take on, let’s say, tiling their own bathroom, is it actually worth the time spent? Of course, you can learn everything and do it quite well - but is it worth it?

After all, for the time spent, the person in our example could’ve earned so much money that it would’ve compensated for the work of a professional, plus some extra, right?

And yet, a professional would’ve done the job better, simply due to their skills and experience. So, everything needs to be considered - unless, of course, we're talking about the moral satisfaction of doing something with your own hands.

By the way, regarding programming and technology, a special place in our selection is occupied by various points of view on AI and its widespread implementation in different companies. Well, artificial intelligence can undoubtedly be incredibly useful, but what about being implemented completely thoughtlessly - just for the sake of an extra line in an advertising brochure or in a pitch deck?

I remember about 15 years ago, riding the wave of hype surrounding the recently released "Avatar" movie, a similar 3D craze was literally everywhere - and even 3D TVs were being released. So, where are those TVs today? "Don't expect 3D TVs to make a comeback anytime soon," a recent post on Wired claims.

By and large, any hyped product always goes through its life cycle and eventually finds its niche. But implementing AI where its use can only cause chaos and bottlenecks in the workflow isn't rationalization; it's simply the mindless following of a trend.

The same applies to various health hacks. After all, each of us is unique. No, this isn't just another "life growth" slogan. We’re all truly unique, even from a biological perspective - take it from a father of twins! Each of us has our own limits, our own personal biorhythms, and our own “body settings.”

While waking up at 5 a.m. is a fantastic productivity boost for some, others will simply feel grumpy and sleep-deprived all day. Yes, if you wake up early in the morning, you'll likely have more productive time to do something useful. But that's only if your body actually accepts it.

In fact, every piece of biological advice and life hack from experts should come with a disclaimer: "It worked for me, but it's far from guaranteed to work for you!" But then, such expert opinions wouldn't sell as well, right?

In fact, it's often impossible to determine whether life hacks that lack any kind of performance metrics actually work. For example, those that affect our mood or productivity. Nicholas A. Coles, Assistant Professor at the University of Florida, convincingly demonstrates in his recent study that the placebo effect is actually much more influential on our minds.

In other words, if we use a popular and widespread hack, does it actually help us, or do we just think it does? According to Coles, "without proper control conditions, we will never know."

Be that as it may, over thousands of years of human evolution, humanity has accumulated a vast amount of life experience and wisdom. Much of this wisdom has already become outdated and sank into oblivion, but some of the useful and not so useful advice listed here should still be appreciated. So, please read carefully what's written here and consider whether it's worth applying to your daily life.

After all, no one can guarantee it won't work for you. Why? Well, at the very least, I have a neighbor who's been happily watching 3D TV for 12 years now, and considers it the ultimate pleasure... And what do you, our dear readers, think of these "useless" life hacks?