30 Everyday Things With ‘Hidden’ Features People Probably Don't Know About

Today, I invite you to become a hacker. Don't worry, we won't be breaking into forbidden government databases and stealing top secret files. Nothing criminal will come out of this. (At least I hope.)

We will be overriding common objects that most of you probably already have somewhere around you.

Bored Panda searched through the internet and gathered people's descriptions of the alternative uses they came up with for everyday household items. For example, did you know that spoons are perfect for peeling ginger?

If you own something, you might as well make the most out of it.

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To learn why it pays off to look at the world from different angles, we contacted the author of Lazy Creativity and creator of an online community for anyone looking for resources to become a more creative person, Kyle Bernier.

"At its core, creativity is problem-solving," he told Bored Panda. "No matter what job you have, problem solving is a big part of the work."

"If you search 'creativity' online you’ll get different definitions, but you’ll often receive information about how creativity isn’t necessarily about creating something or forming new ideas, but is instead a process of drawing new conclusions by putting together pieces in a novel way. That's what problem-solving is and it is a universal tool."

Bernier also said that creativity allows us to escape the monotony of everyday life.

"It's a change from the same old routine: some days it can be really hard to think about anything other than work, family, money, and all the miscellaneous stuff that needs to be done to keep things afloat. By choosing creativity and making space for it, we have moments where we're free to think about something else," the writer, designer, and all-around creative explained.

"We're free to feel something else, and that’s reward enough many days. Once you choose to accept creativity as an intentional part of your routine, you begin to think about everything differently. Suddenly, things aren’t quite as black and white. You discover new ways of looking at problems, scenarios, and relationships. It can bleed into your work and your relationships, for the better."

Psychologist Robert Epstein, Ph.D., highlighted that stress is a well-known creativity killer and time constraints are another. But he also said there's no real evidence that one person is inherently more creative than another, and that creativity is something anyone can cultivate. If it's something you want to try out, Epstein recommends that you:

A lot of good can come out from fostering your creativity. "Most people use their words to describe how they feel," Kyle Bernier said. "Most greetings have a 'How are you?' attached to them. We're asked, 'How was your day?' or 'What’s new with you?' Creativity is a way to express how we’re feeling without having to verbalize anything or use any words."

Bernier deeply believes that the art of creating is a therapeutic act in and of itself. "It's growth through creation," he said. "If you’ve ever gone onto a self-help website, you know that exercise is recommended to maintain a healthy state of mind and that even ten minutes of walking per day can have incredible impacts. Creativity is the same way. Find your creative equivalent to ten minutes of walking and make time for it each day. You’ll find that the benefits of doing so are almost immediately noticeable."

Chrome has so many shortcuts you barely need a mouse. * Ctrl+t opens a new tab

* Ctrl+Shift+t opens a previously closed tab. You can hit it multiple times to open multiple closed tabs.

* Ctrl+w closes your current tab.

* Ctrl+n opens a new window

* Ctrl+shift+n opens a new incognito window

* Ctrl+tab switches you to the tab on the right of the current active one (and loops around).

* Ctrl+shift+tab switches to the tab on the left of the current active tab

* Ctrl+number switches to that numbered tab, counting from the left.

* Ctrl+r refreshes the page

* Ctrl+f5 force refreshes the page. This disables caching, which can help with pages that might have changed but aren't updating.

* Alt+d selects the address bar so you can quickly go to a new URL.

The funny shoulders on baby onsies are there to let you pull the garment down and off so when the kid has a blowout, you don't have to pull it over their head.

A dollar bill is pretty close to 6" long (6.14 to be exact) if you ever need a quick reference for measurement. I've done this more than a few times.

Use nail clippers to cut through zip-ties and other plastic bindings on new toy packages. Because sometimes scissors just won't... um... cut it.

I don't know how many people know this but it always comes in handy for me.

If you accidently close a browser tab press Ctrl+shift+t and it brings it back.

COFFEE FILTERS 1. Clean mirrors, windows and wine glasses. Put your hand inside like a mitt and wipe. Filters are lint-free and leave no streaks. 2. Catch drips and crumbles. Have kids use for cookies and other messy foods. Pop ice cream sticks through a hole in the bottom. 3. Line flowerpots. Put a filter inside the pot to stop soil from leaking through the drainage holes on the bottom. 4. Protect your china. Keep your best dishes chip and scratch free by putting a filter between each piece when stacking. 5. Save the wine after you've broken the cork. If you pour the wine through a filter, you'll catch the lost pieces of cork.

The ends of boxes of tin foil and plastic wrap have tabs you can depress to hold the tube in the box while dispensing.

if pipes in your bathroom are full of hair use a long strong zip tie and cut the edges on an angle. Makes a great fishing device to get all that hair out.

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