22 Clever Everyday Workarounds and Improvised Life Hacks

Originally published 2019-05-05.

Most of us never invent anything that ends up in a shop. But almost everyone has solved a small, annoying problem with whatever was lying around: a rubber band, a milk crate, a borrowed login. The internet loves these moments, usually captioned with some version of "this person is living in the year 3000".

This collection gathers 22 of them, shared on Twitter, Reddit, Imgur and Instagram between roughly 2014 and 2019. Some are genuinely clever and worth copying. Some are funny precisely because they are a bad idea. A few of the original posts have since been deleted, so for those only the text of the post remains.

There is a name for this kind of thinking. The phrase "life hack" was coined in 2004 by technology writer Danny O'Brien, who used it for the private shortcuts programmers relied on to get through their day. In South Asia the same spirit is called jugaad, making scarce resources stretch through improvisation, and in Japan there is even a word, chindōgu, for gadgets that solve one problem while creating several new ones. You will find examples of all three below. Each entry includes a credit to the person who shared it, where known.

Around the house

1. A video call to watch the pot

FaceTiming the water so it doesn’t boil over while I’m watching tv in the other room. pic.twitter.com/9gWyG7AlcL

— Justin (@JustinHillister) October 16, 2017

In October 2017, Twitter user Justin Hillister explained that he had set up a FaceTime call pointed at a pot of water, so he could watch it from another room while the television was on. It is a funny use of video calling, but not one fire-safety experts would endorse: the US National Fire Protection Association says unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires. Seeing a pot boil over on a screen still means running to the kitchen afterwards.

2. Hands-free phone, the rubber-band edition

Shared by Twitter user Yasmin Parr in June 2017, this photo shows her father with his mobile phone strapped to the side of his head by an elastic band, leaving both hands free for the washing-up. A cheap Bluetooth headset or the phone's speaker would do the same job, but this version has a certain homemade charm. Credit: YasminParr / Twitter.

3. A tray that rests on your shoulders

Posted on Reddit under the title "Patent pending, new TV tray", this picture shows a bearded man in an armchair wearing a toilet seat around his neck, with a round white board resting on it as a table for his plate. It is close to a perfect chindōgu: it technically works, but almost nobody would want to use it. Credit: PootieTang_ / Reddit.

4. A glass table as a phone stand

Lying on the sofa, this boy has slid a glass side table over his head and placed his phone on top, so he can watch the screen without holding it. The Reddit post, shared in 2015, was titled "This kid is going places". Phone holders that clip onto a bed or sofa do exist, but he built his from furniture already in the room. Credit: arvzg / Reddit.

Technology put to unexpected use

5. A drone as an IV pole

A man in a hospital gown stands outdoors while a white quadcopter drone hovers above him, carrying his intravenous drip bag. The photo spread widely on Twitter in May 2018; where it was taken and whether it was staged has not been confirmed. Either way, it is not a real medical option: drip bags need steady height and a reliable support, and drone batteries last only minutes. Credit: afekzananda / Twitter.

6. Binoculars as a zoom lens

At a Seattle Mariners versus New York Yankees game, a fan holds his phone camera to one eyepiece of a pair of binoculars to get close-up shots of the field. This is a real technique, often called digiscoping, and birdwatchers use it with spotting scopes. Lining the lenses up takes patience, but it can give a phone far more reach than its built-in zoom. Credit: rp2012-blackthisout / Reddit.

7. A computer built in a milk crate

This desktop PC has no case at all. Its power supply, motherboard and drives are fixed inside a yellow plastic milk crate with cable ties, next to a router and a spindle of blank discs. The open sides even help with airflow. Exposed components can be damaged by dust, spills and static, though, so it is better as a test bench than a permanent home. Credit: unknown, shared on Reddit via Imgur.

8. Hiding on an ex's Netflix account

This screenshot shows a Netflix profile screen with one profile named "Lindsey" and an extra icon labelled "Add User", which the poster jokingly claims to be quietly using on an ex-partner's account. It is more of a joke than a solution. Since 2023 Netflix has been restricting password sharing outside a household in many countries, so this kind of hiding place is much harder to keep. Credit: calebstonehouse / Imgur.

Travel, delays and airports

9. Earrings that travel safely

Idk what the proper way to keep up with your earrings while traveling is but here’s my #Sororitygirllifehack pic.twitter.com/lnS0hbQP5B

— Aidan (@Aidanclark4) March 17, 2019

(This post is no longer available on X.)

In March 2019, Twitter user Aidan Clark shared a "sorority girl life hack" for keeping earrings together while travelling. The photo is no longer available, so we cannot show which trick it was. Common versions include threading studs through a button, a strip of card or the holes of a pill organiser so pairs do not get separated or tangled.

10. An umbrella that hangs from your bag

We’re living in 2018 and this woman is living in 3018. #alwaysloseabrolly #livinginthefuture #livingin3018 pic.twitter.com/kwdABWkDQ4

— Amy Clarke (@atm613) August 13, 2018

Amy Clarke posted this in August 2018 with the hashtags #alwaysloseabrolly and #livinginthefuture, joking that the woman in her photo had found the answer to a very common problem: where to keep an umbrella so it never gets left behind. Anyone who has abandoned several umbrellas on buses and trains will understand. A simple carabiner or umbrella strap clipped to a bag does a similar job.

11. Gaming against an airport pillar

With a six-hour flight delay ahead of him, this traveller set up a portable projector on the terminal floor, beamed a game onto a pillar and sat down with a controller. It is a clever use of dead time, as long as the cables are not a trip hazard in a busy hall. Credit: PrinceOfBabyRage / Reddit.

12. A head strap to stop the nodding

Instead of a neck pillow, this passenger has buckled a leather strap around his forehead and the seat headrest, so his head stays upright while he sleeps. Reddit user domnak, who posted it in 2018, called it a friend's homemade flight pillow. Similar commercial head straps are sold for travel, though a reclining seat and a good pillow are kinder to the neck. Credit: domnak / Reddit.

13. A tent at the train station

Someone stuck overnight at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport pitched a small orange and blue tent in the PHX Sky Train station, beside the charging pillars. It is a practical way to block out light and noise, although airports set their own rules, and many would ask a camper to pack up. Credit: 73isthebestPRIMEnumber / Imgur.

Getting around and getting comfortable

14. A jacket turned into a seat

At a football ground, a boy in a red shirt hooks his jacket over the top of the perimeter fence and sits on it like a sling, with a perfect view of the pitch. Twitter user FJChelotti shared it in September 2018, and the same image is used as this article's main picture. It is light-hearted, but stadium staff would likely ask him to come down, since fences are not built to take a child's weight. Credit: FJChelotti / Twitter.

15. Groceries upstairs in one trip

throwback to getting groceries to the 2nd floor in one trip pic.twitter.com/xVAUejJOpN

— Suzie Q. Cumber (@_SHXRXN) July 8, 2018

(This post is no longer available on X.)

This July 2018 post described getting all the shopping up to a second-floor flat in a single trip, without a lift. The video is no longer available on X, so the exact method cannot be shown. Hoisting bags with a rope or basket is an old solution in many cities, and still common in Italy and parts of Asia.

16. Shade on demand at the beach

this dude living in 3017 pic.twitter.com/9Ogx6N2bs6

— Mauricio Arguello (@MauArguello3) September 9, 2017

(This post is no longer available on X.)

Shared in September 2017 with the caption "this dude living in 3017", this beach clip was a popular example of improvised comfort by the sea. The post has since been deleted, so the details of the set-up cannot be checked. It is included here to keep the original list complete.

17. A homemade invention and a priceless reaction

He is living in 3017 pic.twitter.com/5MFuz4Bg39

— 𝐑𝐨𝐜í𝐨 (@onlyhisangrl) June 20, 2017

(This post is no longer available on X.)

This June 2017 tweet showed a man's homemade invention and the amused face of a girl nearby. Like several posts from that period, it has disappeared from X. Only the caption, another "living in 3017" joke, is left.

18. A leaf blower as a skateboard engine

A boy sits on a longboard holding a petrol leaf blower pointed backwards, using its thrust to roll along a quiet street. It works because the blower pushes a fast stream of air one way and the board moves the other, the same principle as a jet engine. It is also loud, heavy and hard to steer, so a helmet is a good idea. Credit: prodiG / Reddit.

Food, snacks and fun

19. Improvising when there is no warm water

LMAO

— starbust (@inversebrah) April 6, 2019

This April 2019 tweet carries only the caption "LMAO", but it circulated as an example of someone getting by without hot water. The embedded post above shows the set-up if it still loads in your browser.

20. A one-handed fast-food meal

Sitting in his car, this man has slotted his burger box, fries carton and drink into a single stack he can hold in one hand. Reddit users titled it "2000 IQ". It is handy for passengers, but not for drivers: eating at the wheel is a well-known distraction. Credit: unknown / Reddit.

21. Regular people versus the pros

Capital News-Kelowna (@kelownacapitalnews) on Jan 16, 2018 at 8:10pm PST

This Instagram post came from the Capital News, a local newspaper in Kelowna, British Columbia, in January 2018, and was included in the original list under the heading "Regular people vs pros". Comparisons like this are a running joke online, and a fair reminder that experience and the right tools often beat improvisation.

22. Snacks smuggled in a "baby bump"

The first picture shows two women posing with what look like pregnancy bumps. The second reveals the secret: the bumps were bowls packed with sweets and a drink, carried into the cinema under their clothes. It is a funny trick, but many cinemas do not allow outside food, so staff may not see the joke. Credit: torialynaee / Twitter.

What makes a workaround worth copying

Look past the jokes and a pattern appears. The best entries here, such as binocular photography, the umbrella clip or a tent for a long airport night, start from a clearly defined problem and use something already at hand. The weakest ones, like a drone carrying a drip bag, solve a small inconvenience while creating a bigger risk.

A quick test before trying any hack you see online:

• Name the problem. Do you actually have it, or does the photo just look fun?
• Check the risks. Heat, electricity, height, traffic and medical equipment are poor places to experiment.
• Ask about the rules. Stadiums, airports and cinemas have their own policies, and so do streaming services.
• Keep what works. If a fix saves you time every day, it is a good one, however odd it looks.

Not every improvised invention needs to be sensible. Some exist mainly to make people laugh, and that is a perfectly good reason to share them.

Sources: Wikipedia, Life hack; Wikipedia, Jugaad; Wikipedia, Chindōgu; National Fire Protection Association: Cooking safety; photos and posts by the Twitter, Reddit, Imgur and Instagram users credited under each item.