ESL Blogs

"The most powerful way to win an argument is by asking questions. You'd be surprised at how it can make people see the flaws in their logic." via @LifeHacks

Have you heard the expression "life hack"? This is a trendy expression that is commonly used as a blog topic. A "life hack" is a creative solution (or a creative way of doing something) that makes life easier. A life hack usually simplifies a task. It is often something that many other people don't know or realize.

When you share a life hack, life becomes a little easier for someone else. Our community includes members from all over the world. I bet you have some useful life hacks to share! This month, let's make life easier for each other.

Your Task

1. Brainstorm some of the things that you have learned over the years to make life easier. This may be things you learned from your parents, friends, or teachers. You may have also learned life hacks from articles or videos. 

2. Choose 3-5 of the best life hacks on your list. Try to choose things that you think others may not think of. Also, choose things that you think many people will benefit from.

3. Create a new blog post. Use the title: "Writing Challenge: Life Hacks". 

4. Write your blog post in list form. Use the base form (imperative) of a verb for each item. Write a short description after each item. 

5. Do some research on life hacks, or ask your friends if they know any. Add a BONUS Life Hack at the bottom of your list that you plan to try. Share a link or provide the source. 

6. Proofread your post for punctuation and spelling. Make sure that it is formatted clearly. Publish your post and share a link to it in the comments below. 

My Example:
My Life Hacks

1. Open A Jar With A Spoon

I used to have trouble opening jars. My husband often rescued me when he found me smacking a jar on the side of a counter or holding it under hot water. One day, somebody told me that all you need to do is let a tiny bit of air into the jar to break the seal. You can do this easily with a metal spoon. To break the seal of a jar, simply stick the tip of a spoon up into the crack between the jar and lid and push up. You may need to try a few different places around the lid. After you hear the pop, the lid becomes easy to unscrew. (The spoon may bend if it's not sturdy. Simply bend it back, or reserve this spoon for "jar duty") 

2. Buy Kids' Socks In One Colour

If you have small children, this can save you a lot of time and money. Avoid cute socks with stripes and patterns, and choose one type of sock for each child. When you find a type of sock that someone loves, buy a large amount of them. You won't have to match them when you're doing laundry, and if one gets a hole, you don't have to throw out two socks. This works for the whole family, actually. Unfortunately, my daughter always gets cute socks as gifts. My son only wears one type of sock, and he doesn't mind. 

3. Use Birthday Cards For Bookmarks

Instead of throwing out or recycling old greeting cards, cut your favourite ones into strips and use them as bookmarks. If you're a book lover like me, you probably have many different books on the go at one time. I sometimes write my favourite quotes on the backs of the bookmarks. This also makes a fun DIY teacher gift. We never run out of bookmarks in my family.

4. Use A Wooden Spoon To Prevent Water From Boiling Over

I recently learned a life hack for preventing water from boiling over in a pot. If you place a wooden spoon across the top of the lid, you can prevent a pasta pot from boiling over! The spoon will likely warp over time, so don't use your favourite one. I sometimes grab my wooden rolling pin if it's the closest thing.

BONUS - Type Unsubscribe Into Your Email Search Field

As the review editor of TEFLnet and EnglishClub, I test out a lot of language learning sites and educational tools each month. This often requires me to sign up for newsletters and updates. I rarely remember to "unsubscribe" to sites or tools. Today I found a life hack for this problem. Simply type  "unsubscribe" into your email search field to bring up all of the sites that regularly send you stuff. Unsubscribe to the ones you are no longer interested in. Brilliant! (I hope you won't unsubscribe from EC, though.)