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LYNNE HOGGAN: What’s with all these life hacks? And who hasn’t cut pizza with scissors?

Lynne is a sucker for so-called life hacks on social media, even if half of them are nothing new and the rest make no sense whatsoever.

Lynne Hoggan holding a folded cereal box to the camera.
Ok who wants to see the cereal box fold? Lynne's social media is stuffed with life hacks these days.

If you’re anything like me and you spend any time on TikTok or Instagram, you’ll probably have seen more and more people “losing their minds” over so-called life hacks.

They seem to be a thing at the moment.

But if you’re anything like me you’ve probably found yourself thinking that a lot of these life hacks look like things you’ve been doing for years.

Not that that’s going to stop folk acting like it’s the best invention they have ever seen.

the writer Lynne Hoggan next to a quote: "Often it takes more time to do things the new way than if you'd just done it the right way in the first place."

Recently it was someone using scissors to cut pizza.

Now I am not trying to be big headed but I’ve been doing this for a while now.

It’s not a new thing. And it’s not been invented by that person you saw doing it on TikTok.

Surely everyone’s had to cut a pizza with scissors at some point?

No? Just me?

Try it. You can thank me later.

Although you might find it’s easier just using a pizza cutter.

There’s life hacks and then there’s stating the obvious

That’s the thing about some of these life hacks.

Often it takes more time to do things the new way than if you’d just done it the right way in the first place.

And I couldn’t believe it the other day when I saw someone explaining what the hook on a shopping trolley was for.

Some people were commenting, saying they hadn’t even been aware it was there.

Others were saying they had noticed it but had never known what it was for.

shopping trolley in a supermarket aisle.
So what did YOU think the hook was for? Image: Shutterstock.

Surely everyone has tried hanging their bag on the trolley hook – and experienced that moment of panic when it almost tips over.

Or maybe that’s just my handbag.

Tidy kitchen, slim nose – maybe these life hacks are on to something

I’m not knocking all life hacks.

There are useful things I’ve learned from the internet too.

Like cutting into the middle of a bag of frozen food, so you have two bits to tie, which makes everything nice and neat in the freezer (and means you’re not losing turkey dinosaurs and fries to the back of your shelf, never to be seen again.)

Also the cereal box one – the secret way of folding that means no half-open cereal boxes spilling their contents across the worktops.

@lenniamc

How to close a cereal box Hack #lifehacks #folding #foldinghacks

♬ Ultimate life hacks – Kelly – The Life Bath

That’s been a game changer for me, and so have some of the beauty tips I’ve seen online.

Try putting a darker foundation down each side of the nose and blending it to make it look thinner.

That and contouring.

I couldn’t have done either of those until I started watching other people do it on TikTok.

So all that time spent on social media hasn’t been a total waste after all.

And as much as I criticise some of these life hacks, I’m not going to stop watching them now, even if the algorithm would allow it.

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