#LifeHacks to pick up during the pandemic

Life hacks were always there but it seems we have taken our creativity a notch higher in the past few months. There is nothing to be surprised about, as our brain has now gone into survival mode owing to this prolonged lockdown. It has also provided us with ample time and opportunity to take stock of our lives, homes and how we manage our daily activities. So, don’t let your free time go to waste. Instead, learn some of these easy DIY life hacks online and see how you cherish your new, independent and talented self. Read on…

Trick to change tyres
How often has it irked you to see that just when you wanted to step out urgently your car has a flat tyre? Then those frantic calls for the mechanic take all the time in the world. Now, you can be rest assured it will not be the case anymore. Pick up the skill online while there’s still time in hand.

Head for complex math
So far you have been depending on the commerce guy for those IT return calculations, right? Imagine if you don’t have to go for that last-minute rush in August and not have to pay any extra buck than the huge tax amount you are already shelling out. Just learn how to do it. Take all your sweet time during the pandemic.

Quick fix for home repairs
Bathroom or kitchen taps don’t find a better time to malfunction than when a complete lockdown is announced by the government. Instead of dreading to stay in a pool of water, utilise the time to learn how to fix it. There are many DIY YouTube tutorials that can save your day every time there’s such a bad situation.


How this lockdown made people smarter

‘The lockdown has made me pragmatic in money matters’
I never believed in savings. I literally spent everything I earned, either in the form of EMIs, credit card bills or giving gifts to near and dear ones. But the pandemic made me more pragmatic in money matters. With the economic downturn and all the misery around, for the first time in 14 years since I have been working, I have started saving, and have promised myself that I will diligently keep aside a portion of my salary every month. I have also started donating to different charities on a regular basis. It is a prudent way to utilise my money and it also makes me feel good.
— Basundhara Ghosh, digital marketing analyst from Hyderabad

‘I started sewing and cooking for my family’
It started with embroidery for my son’s quilt. I made it with leftover wool which I collected from all my in-laws. In a nutshell, a DIY work. Also, I took up cooking authentic Bengali dishes from a book gifted to me by a friend. It is all about traditional Bengali dishes from a zamindar family. Naturally, everybody at home is excited to see my progress, knowing very well that I could do none of these before.
— Rituparna Mukhopadhyay, former HR manager from Kolkata

‘From home facials, haircut to cooking, I’ve learnt it all’
Now that eating out and ordering in are out of question, I have started cooking a lot more. I am learning from YouTube and trying my favourite restaurant dishes. I have learnt how to do facials now. Also, I mastered giving my family members haircut with hit and trial method.
— Madhurima Guha, IT engineer from Delhi

A stitch in time
Sewing a button onto a shirt or stitching a torn dress can come in handy anytime. But all the more now that going out for shopping is still a far-fetched idea for most people. Also, you can save yourself the money you spent in online shopping each time because you don’t know how to stitch and have to discard relatively new clothes.

Storm in the kitchen
Cooking your regular meals is meant for survival. But what do you do when you have enough time to rustle up something fancy? You learn to whip up a signature dish. Now that eating out and ordering in are limited due to safety reasons, why deny your taste buds. Instead learn that grandma’s secret recipe that your family loves to polish off.