10 People Who Proved That a Bit of Wit Goes a Long Way

Some situations can be hard to escape, whether they happen at work or in your personal life. And when the usual solutions don’t help, a little clever thinking can make a big difference and turn things around. In these 10 stories, people came up with smart and creative ways to solve problems thanks to their quick thinking.

• One afternoon, during a team meeting, a senior colleague laughed and said I should “smile more” because I looked “a bit intense.” People chuckled. I felt my face burn, but I said nothing.
  A week later, I showed up to the next meeting with a bright sticky note on my laptop. It said, “Smiling internally.” I kept a perfectly neutral face. When he noticed it, he asked what it meant.
  I calmly said I was following his advice and smiling in a way that helped me focus. Later, a younger colleague thanked me privately and said she’d always felt uncomfortable being told to “look happier.”

• I had to paint a playground, and it was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside. After about 10 minutes drenched in sweat, with little progress with brushes, I looked through a shed and found a lawn and garden sprayer. Filled it with paint and sprayed the whole playground in another 10 minutes. © WelcomingDock13 / Reddit

• I have a coworker who made a post-it note sign that says “monitor is off” and put it on a shared computer. He was completely serious (and yes, the light on the monitor works). So I put “monitor is on” on the other side and flip it around when the monitor is on. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was on a strict diet and brought my own smoothie ingredients to work. Special protein, almond milk, fruit. They kept disappearing from the fridge, one by one. Finding my container empty for the third time was the last straw. I decided to end the problem once and for all.
  I didn’t complain to HR or post passive-aggressive notes. Instead, I made one “special” smoothie mix and replaced my usual protein powder with edible silver glitter. It blended perfectly, no taste, no smell.
  The next morning, the jar was half empty again by 10 a.m. Ten minutes later, my coworker walked into the meeting room, lips shimmering from the glitter. He never touched anything from the fridge again.

• I work in a grocery store. At the end of the day, when I’m tired of doing stuff and talking to people, I just walk around really fast like I’m on my way to an urgent task. Customers don’t ask me questions, and coworkers generally leave me alone as well. I also get some cardio in. © Natronsbro / Reddit

• I actually got the hardest/most stressful job at my workplace, so I convinced my boss it needed two people. I was essentially the boss of the second guy, turning it into one of the easiest jobs there. © Lilnastypoptart / Reddit

• I used to have a job where in the morning we’d all receive a stack of printouts (all in the same format) and have to put a stamp on them and write our name and the day and time it was received onto it. Then we’d have to file them. So I stamped a blank piece of paper and photocopied it on top of all of them. It turned a really long task into around five minutes. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I have automated much of my job. So when I have to “work,” I push a few buttons, and the computer does the job for me. Every once in a while I will move the mouse to keep the computer from locking, but I have taken a day’s worth of work and made it look like I am busy, and we do nothing for the rest of the day. © hottubcereal / Reddit

• I was working with my friend and his dad. My friend (26) heard an ice cream truck near where we were working. He asked his dad if he could have a couple dollars. His dad asked, “What for?”
  My friend told his dad that there was an ice cream truck in the neighborhood and that they were playing music. My friend’s dad told him, “They don’t charge anything to listen to the music.” © Unknown author / Reddit

• I miss my late uncle. He was the wittiest person I ever knew. My favorite was when he went out to eat at a diner with my aunt (his wife) and my mom, just the 3 of them.
  The waitress said to him, “Lucky you, getting to eat with two ladies!” My uncle replied, “Yes! But can you hurry it up? I have to get home to my wife!” © dabobbo / Reddit

If you want more stories about people using quick thinking to handle tough situations, check out 15 Witty Comebacks That Were So Sharp, They Silenced the Room.