People love shortcuts. We all want that secret trick that shaves an hour off the day, but there’s a problem. A lot of these hacks actually create more work than just doing things the regular way. We spoke to some of our readers about the most time-wasting hacks, and here are ten of these “time-saving” hacks. Which of these have you done before?
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Bundling full outfits on hangers for the week
There’s a hack that promises that you’ll have stress-free mornings by prepping your outfits for the week by putting them on hangers. But life doesn’t always match the plan. Changes in the weather or sudden meetings could mean that your outfit no longer works. You’ll be forced to unbundle hangers & iron the creases from your packed-in clothes.
Micro-scheduling every hour in your calendar
Color-coded blocks look great until life happens, and one small delay knocks the whole rainbow off. You’re left dragging boxes around & moving “lunch” three times. Of course, planning is good, but over-organizing your calendar to save you time guessing when you’re busy is a job in itself. And it’s not worth it.
Multiple small grocery pickups each week
Some people think they can simply swing by the grocery store for a couple of things whenever they need them. Why do a big trip when you don’t need to? Yet do that three times a week & you’ve spent hours driving & going through the store when one big trip could’ve covered it. Grocery shopping has become a never-ending errand loop.
Speed-cleaning with all-purpose wipes
People often use all-purpose wipes because they think it’ll be quicker than spray & a cloth. But the problem is they dry up halfway through, and they smear crumbs around instead of picking them up, so you’ll have to use the real cleaner, anyway. It’s not exactly a two-second wipe-down anymore.
Speed-mopping with disposable pads
There are other cleaning hacks, too, like using quick-attach mop pads as a fast fix for messy floors. But they smear dirt & leave streaks like wipes. They also dry out fast. By the time you’ve swapped two or three pads and gone back over the same spots, you could’ve filled a bucket once & been done with the whole thing.
Using “sleep faster” bedtime routines
You’ll find a bunch of tricks online that involve skipping bits of your bedtime routine to help you fall asleep more quickly. They’ll tell you to skip the face wash & brush your teeth in half the time, and then lights out. Except it doesn’t usually work. Instead, you’ll lie there wondering what you skipped, and you can’t get comfortable, so you lose even more time tossing around.
Cooking pasta and sauce in one pot
The internet makes cooking look simple, especially pasta. Simply put some dry pasta straight into the sauce & save yourself some cleaning time with one less pan to wash. But some noodles clump and some stay crunchy, while the rest turn mushy. You stop saving dishes and instead end up scraping burnt sauce off the pot & maybe boiling another batch.
Chopping vegetables all at once for the week
Chopping all the vegetables you’ll need for the week on Sunday sure does feel efficient. It’s a good way to save yourself preparation time…until Wednesday rolls around, and your peppers are limp & the carrots are rubbery. You’ll probably throw away half of it or re-chop fresh stuff midweek. That’s not exactly saving you any time.
Speed-showering by skipping rinses
Reducing how much time you spend rinsing in the shower is a small win that saves you time in theory. In reality, the leftover soap & shampoo build up on your skin, so you’ll have itchy skin to deal with. You might even have to hop back in for another shower. While you thought you’d saved two minutes, now you’re right back where you started.
Taking side streets to beat traffic
Honestly, it feels smart in the moment to pull off the highway and use the side streets, as there’s usually less traffic to deal with. But in its place are slow signs & crosswalks. The entire journey involves stopping, accelerating, and stopping again, which makes that steady drive into a longer slog.