7 Simple Life Hacks That Can Help You in Any Situation

Before we were privileged with so many inventions that made our lives super easy, people had to use a variety of methods to do things. For example, ancient Egyptians used tall obelisks so they could tell time. Depending on how and where the shadows would fall, they could tell approximately what time it was. Now, luckily, we have clocks that tell us the time, but it wouldn’t be bad to know a few finger tricks to assist us in our everyday lives.

Bright Side collected 7 easy tricks that only require the use of your fingers in order to perform.

1. Use your fingers to predict the sunset.

The first thing you should know is that every finger accounts for 15 minutes of remaining sun time. So, hold your hand between the sun and the horizon and count how many fingers separate them. If, for example, there are 4 fingers in between, then you are 1 hour away from sunset. Keep in mind that the closer you are to the poles, the more sunlight time you get since you are closer to the sun.

2. Count from 1 to 1,023 using only 2 hands.

Starting with the number 1, double every number and appoint them to all your fingers. By doing so, the biggest number you will have is 512. If you add up all the numbers, the final result should give you 1,023, and you will only have used your 2 hands.

3. Use a cupcake liner under your popsicle.

Having a messy kid that creates chaos in everything they do is not necessarily something to worry about. So, when, for example, they want to eat a popsicle, you can add a cupcake liner underneath to catch all the drips. This trick isn’t just good for kids, but also for adults who tend to make a mess when they eat things that melt. This way, you won’t have to clean up if your popsicle melts a little bit.

4. Create the perfect circle without any special tools.

If you don’t happen to have a drafting compass, there is another way you can draw a perfect circle. The first step is to put your pinky knuckle on the paper and keep it pressed down. Grab a pen and start spinning the piece of paper. If you keep your knuckle firm on the paper, you should be able to draw a perfect circle.

5. Add some extra gestures to your rock, paper, scissors game.

This game is one of the simplest and most popular ones amongst kids, but it can be turned into a pro adult game. Adding more moves can make the game extra hard and way more interesting. There is no move that beats all and you will have to think harder about which one to pull every single time.

6. Use your fingers as measurements.

Our very own hands can be a quick and practical tool for approximate measuring. In general, the first joint of our index finger is about 2.5 cm long. And if we spread our hand wide, the span from the tip of the thumb to the pinkie tip is usually about 23 cm. And the span from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the index finger is usually about 15 cm.

You can also use your finger and fist to measure the degrees in the sky. The biggest degree measurement is when you lift your thumb and your little finger, creating a 25° angle. Obviously, not every person’s fingers are the same size, but you can follow the picture above to get results that are as close to the expected as possible.

7. Place your fingers strategically to climb through cracks.

The fingerlock is the first and easiest way you can pass by a rock crack. You should put your fingers inside the crack until the knuckles of your fingers are locked in. The knuckles will offer you the sense of stability that you’ll need in order to find your next grabbing point.

BONUS

My boss handles stress terribly, so in one-on-ones, he tends to snap and spend the hour complaining about people. When I first began in my department, he noticed me putting on perfume and said his wife wears the same one (it’s not anything fancy, just one that’s widely known).

Every time I go into my one-on-one with him, I apply the perfume right before. He generally speaks very softly to me and doesn’t snap at me like he does with others, and I’m pretty sure it’s because he smells me and thinks of his wife. © theanti_girl / Reddit

Which one of the tricks mentioned above will you try out first? Will it be the more complex rock, paper, scissors game or will you try predicting the sunset using your fingers?