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A life hack (or life hacking) is any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases
productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...
and
efficiency Efficiency is the often measurable ability to avoid wasting materials, energy, efforts, money, and time in doing something or in producing a desired result. In a more general sense, it is the ability to do things well, successfully, and without ...
, in all walks of life. The term was primarily used by computer experts who suffer from
information overload Information overload (also known as infobesity, infoxication, information anxiety, and information explosion) is the difficulty in understanding an issue and effectively making decisions when one has too much information (TMI) about that issue, ...
or those with a playful curiosity in the ways they can accelerate their workflow in ways other than programming.


History

The original definition of the term "
hack Hack may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Hack'' (Unix video game), a 1984 roguelike video game * ''.hack'' (video game series), a series of video games by the multimedia franchise ''.hack'' Music * ''Hack'' (album), a 199 ...
" is "to cut with rough or heavy blows". In the modern vernacular it has often been used to describe an inelegant but effective solution to a specific computing problem, such as quick-and-dirty
shell scripts A shell script is a computer program designed to be run by a Unix shell, a command-line interpreter. The various dialects of shell scripts are considered to be scripting languages. Typical operations performed by shell scripts include file manip ...
and other
command line A command-line interpreter or command-line processor uses a command-line interface (CLI) to receive commands from a user in the form of lines of text. This provides a means of setting parameters for the environment, invoking executables and pro ...
utilities that filtered, munged and processed data streams like
e-mail Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
and
RSS feeds RSS ( RDF Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) is a web feed that allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format. Subscribing to RSS feeds can allow a user to keep track of many di ...
. The term was later extended to ''life hack,'' in reference to a solution to a problem unrelated to computers that might occur in a programmer's everyday life. Examples of these types of life hacks might include utilities to synchronize files, track tasks, remind oneself of events, or filter e-mail.


Popularization

The term life hack was coined in 2004 during the
O'Reilly O'Reilly ( ga, Ó Raghallaigh) is a group of families, ultimately all of Irish Gaels, Gaelic origin, who were historically the kings of East Bréifne in what is today County Cavan. The clan were part of the Connachta's Uí Briúin Bréifne kin ...
Emerging Technology Conference in
San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
by technology journalist Danny O'Brien to describe the "embarrassing"
scripts Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...
and shortcuts productive IT professionals use to get their work done. O'Brien and blogger
Merlin Mann Merlin Dean Mann III (born November 26, 1966) is an American writer, blogger, and podcaster. Early life and education Mann was born Merlin Dean Mann III on November 26, 1966, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mann received a B.A. from New College of Florida. ...
later co-presented a session called "Life Hacks Live" at the 2005 O'Reilly Emerging Technology conference. The two also co-author a column entitled "Life Hacks" for O'Reilly's ''Make'' magazine which debuted in February 2005. The
American Dialect Society The American Dialect Society (ADS), founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society p ...
voted ''lifehack'' (one word) as the runner-up for "most useful word of 2005" behind ''
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
''. The word was also added to the
Oxford Dictionaries Online Lexico was a dictionary website that provided a collection of English and Spanish dictionaries produced by Oxford University Press (OUP), the publishing house of the University of Oxford. While the dictionary content on Lexico came from OUP, th ...
in June 2011.


See also

*
Hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...
**
Hacker culture The hacker culture is a subculture of individuals who enjoy—often in collective effort—the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming the limitations of software systems or electronic hardware (mostly digital electronics), to a ...
**
Security hacker A security hacker is someone who explores methods for breaching defenses and exploiting weaknesses in a computer system or network. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, information gathering, challenge ...
*
Kitchen hack A kitchen hack, also known as a food hack, is a technique used by home cooks and professionals to make food preparation tasks easier, faster, or more efficient. It may also be called a food hack, and is a type of life hack, although the concept o ...
*
Jugaad ''Jugaaḍ'' (or "Jugaaṛ") is a colloquial Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan word, which refers to a non-conventional, frugal innovation, often termed a "life hack, hack". It could also refer to an innovative fix or a simple work-around, a sol ...
– similar concept *
Kludge A kludge or kluge () is a workaround or quick-and-dirty solution that is clumsy, inelegant, inefficient, difficult to extend and hard to maintain. This term is used in diverse fields such as computer science, aerospace engineering, Internet sla ...
– similar concept *
Urawaza An ''urawaza'' (裏技, meaning "secret trick") is a quirky, ingenious technique that optimizes an everyday activity like cleaning up spills, preventing odors, or folding laundry. In Japan, urawaza have been shared by word of mouth and passed down ...
– similar concept *
FlyLady FlyLady is a support and self-help group that offers advice to help people with housekeeping, founded by "The FlyLady", Marla Cilley. The group is based upon the website FlyLady.net, as well as a Constant Contact group for its email mailing list ...
– housekeeping methodology *
Self-help Self-help or self-improvement is a self-guided improvement''APA Dictionary of Physicology'', 1st ed., Gary R. VandenBos, ed., Washington: American Psychological Association, 2007.—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a subst ...
– self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis *
Tim Ferriss Timothy Ferriss (born July 20, 1977) is an American entrepreneur, investor, author, podcaster, and lifestyle guru. He became well-known through his ''4-Hour'' self-help book series—including ''The 4-Hour Work Week'', ''The 4-Hour Body'', and '' ...
– author * ''
Getting Things Done ''Getting Things Done'' (GTD) is a personal productivity system developed by David Allen and published in a book of the same name. GTD is described as a time management system. Allen states "there is an inverse relationship between things on yo ...
'' – book and time management method


In fiction

*
MacGyverisms ''MacGyver'' is an American television series that ran from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. MacGyverisms and "to MacGyver" MacGyver employs his resourcefulness and his knowledge of chemistry, physics,Britton, Wesley, ''Spy Television'', Praeg ...
*
Rube Goldberg Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg (July 4, 1883 – December 7, 1970), known best as Rube Goldberg, was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated gadge ...
– cartoonist


Techniques

*
43 Folders A tickler file or 43 Folders System is a collection of date-labeled file folders organized in a way that allows time-sensitive documents to be filed according to the future date on which each document needs action. Documents within the folders o ...
– time and file management system *
Hipster PDA The Hipster PDA is a paper-based personal organizer, popularized by Merlin Mann in 2004. Originally a tongue-in-cheek reaction to the increasing expense and complexity of personal digital assistants (PDA), the Hipster PDA (said to stand for " Par ...
– paper-based personal organizer *
Incremental reading Incremental reading is a software-assisted method for learning and retaining information from reading, which involves the creation of flashcards out of electronic articles. "Incremental reading" means "reading in portions". Instead of a li ...
– reading and learning method * Pomodoro Technique – time management method *
Spaced repetition Spaced repetition is an evidence-based learning technique that is usually performed with flashcards. Newly introduced and more difficult flashcards are shown more frequently, while older and less difficult flashcards are shown less frequently in ...
– long-term memorization principle *
Timeblocking Timeblocking or ''time blocking'' (also known as ''time chunking'') is a productivity technique for personal time management where a period of time—typically a day or week—is divided into smaller segments or blocks for specific tasks or to-dos. ...
– time management method


References

{{reflist, 30em, refs= {{cite web, url=http://lifehacker.com/software/interviews/interview-father-of-life-hacks-danny-obrien-036370.php, title=Interview: father of "life hacks" Danny O'Brien, publisher=Lifehacker.com, date=2005-03-17, accessdate=2010-03-11 {{cite web, url=http://www.craphound.com/lifehacksetcon04.txt, title=Cory Doctorow's notes from Danny O'Brien's first Life Hacks presentation, accessdate=2010-03-11 {{cite web, url=http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2004/view/e_sess/4802, title=O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference 2004, date=1999-02-22, publisher=Conferences.oreillynet.com, accessdate=2010-03-11, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070918035304/http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2004/view/e_sess/4802, archivedate=2007-09-18 {{cite web, url=http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2005/view/e_sess/5958, title=O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference 2005, publisher=Conferences.oreillynet.com, date=1999-02-22, accessdate=2010-03-11, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910143756/http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2005/view/e_sess/5958, archivedate=2007-09-10 {{cite web, url=http://makezine.com/lifehacks/, title=Life hacks, publisher=Makezine.com, accessdate=2012-07-01, url-status=dead, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527175904/http://makezine.com/lifehacks/, archivedate=2012-05-27 {{cite web, url=http://www.americandialect.org/Words_of_the_Year_2005.pdf, title=Words of the Year 2005.pdf, format=PDF, accessdate=2010-03-11 {{cite web, url=http://www.today.com/money/nsfw-zomg-twittersphere-added-dictionary-122978, title='NSFW,' 'ZOMG,' and 'Twittersphere' added to dictionary, publisher=today.com, accessdate=2015-10-22


External links


Other examples of anti-technology life-hacks? , Ask MetaFilter

Life Hacks talk
from Danny O'Brien's Oblomovka Hacker culture Life skills Personal life 2000s neologisms