People Online Shared Things That Are Harder Than They Seem, Here Are 90 Of Them

You know what they say, “Never judge a book by its cover.” And boy, do we have a list of books for you! You see, it’s easy to assume that some things are simple, only to find out they require more skills, knowledge, and expertise than we initially thought. If you’re a graphic designer or manage any creative project, you’ll surely be all too familiar with clients asking for “something quick,” which turns out to be time-consuming.

Take cooking, for example. It may seem like a simple task when you do it at home without high expectations about the result, but it’s a lot more complex when you’re a chef and people pay you for quality food. It requires knowledge of ingredient substitutions, cooking techniques, leadership, food safety, and the ability to multitask and manage time effectively in the kitchen. Similarly, public speaking may appear easy if you’re naturally confident and charismatic. Still, it requires a great deal of practice and preparation to create an engaging speech that stays coherent from start to finish.

Brace yourself — it’s time to burst that bubble of deception and assumptions! We’ve collected a series of examples from an AskReddit thread where people shared their struggles with tasks that seemed easy but were harder than they looked. The list includes a variety of difficult tasks, from playing instruments to professional activities, that demonstrate how the perception of difficulty can be highly subjective.