21 "Useless" Pieces Of Advice That Turned Out To Be Quite Useful (2024)

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Look, we've all received some unsolicited advice that we thought was completely useless at the time but turned out to be life-changing later. And this week, when Reddit user 5000Castillo asked, "What felt like a useless piece of advice until you actually tried it?" the responses were equal parts wonderful and helpful. Here are some of the most useful life tips that seemed useless at first: 1. "My dad always told me, ‘Ask anyway, the worst they can say is no’ when I needed something. Turns out that advice has helped me with school, raises, plans with new friends, and with people in general." 2. "'Compliment people behind their backs.' This sounds stupid, but it works WONDERS." 3. "'Keep your shoulders back.' It was a suggestion I saw for preventing panic/anxiety. I don't know what it is, but when your shoulders are in that position it gives some strange feeling of control. It works for me, so it could work for you, too." 4. "'There's what you need, there's what you want, and there's what you can't afford.' My dad says this all the time and, while I never though of it as useless, I never used it. Now that I have started following this, managing my money is far easier." 5. "'Your gums bleed when you floss because you don't floss enough.' It sounds like something dentists just say, but it turns out if you floss enough, your gums won't be inflamed so they don't bleed." 6. "My grandfather told me this and I never understood it until I had my own place: 'Always buy cheap tools at first and, if you wear them out, then you use them enough to justify getting a nicer set.'" 7. "'Put cold water on freshly shaved skin and it will make it so you don't get ingrown hairs.' This seems incredibly simple, but it's still some of the best advice I've ever received." 8. "As someone with a phobia of needles my entire life, I finally had a nurse tell me to 'ask for a spare alcohol pad and sniff it' right as I’m about to get jabbed. She said the harsh smell is enough of a distraction to keep your mind off the needle. It worked! I've been doing it ever since." 9. "Someone once told me, 'Clean your house before leaving for more than five days.' Truly, nothing is better than coming back to a clean house." 10. "On my wedding day my grandmother said to me, 'Never do anything around the house that you don't plan on doing for life.' At the time I thought it was a terrible advice but, when I was mowing the lawn at seven and a half months pregnant, I got what she meant." 11. "In regards to saving money I was always told, 'Pay your bills, pay yourself (i.e., put money in savings), then spend.'" 12. "'You're not hungry, you're thirsty!' I would eat a big meal and wonder why I still felt hungry afterwards, but it was because I wasn't drinking a glass of water with my meals. Now, if I notice I'm hungry after eating a normal portion, I have a glass of water and wait five minutes before I eat more." 13. "Someone once told me NOT to take my cellphone into bed with me/to charge it away from my bed. After a while I found I slept much easier without the distraction and the blue light shining straight into my eyes right before bed." 14. "'Try killing roaches with soapy water in a spray bottle.' It sounds completely useless, but it works better than any insecticide I’ve ever tried AND it’s nontoxic/really easy to clean up." 15. "'Stick to the same sleep schedule on your days off that you follow on days when you have to be somewhere.' I spent my whole life sleeping until noon on weekends thinking I was storing sleep in some imaginary sleep bank. I recently started waking up early on weekends and now I have no trouble waking up when my alarm goes off during the week." 16. "'When you can't choose between two things, flip a coin and choose the one you're hoping for.' Half the time I don't even have to flip a coin now and I'm way more decisive!" 17. "I had a problem looking at people’s shoulders while they were speaking instead of in their eyes. I told a coworker about it, who told me, 'Just look at their ears, nobody can tell the difference.' Life-changing, seriously — no one can tell the difference." 18. "My mom told me to spend 'good' money on the things that 'separate you from the ground.' So tires, shoes, mattresses, etc. I finally bought good, expensive shoes and life was SIGNIFICANTLY better. They last SO much longer and my back and posture improved, too." 19. "'Go to therapy.' I always considered myself 'emotionally stable,' so I thought it was a pointless idea. I went once with my ex-girlfriend in order to try and work out problems in our relationship, but I learned so much about myself and got some amazing life advice. 10/10." 20. "'Put on your own oxygen mask first.' Like they tell you on an airplane, you can’t help anyone effectively if you’re not first okay yourself. I was always self-sacrificing — to the point of being hospitalized once for exhaustion. A great therapist told me that I’m good at helping, but I have to be at least at a baseline before I’m effective." 21. "'Don't suffer future pain.' In other words, worrying about all the stuff that could happen stops you from doing things, or worse, turns potential pain into actual mental pain." Now it's your turn! What's the BEST piece of advice you ever received that seemed completely irrelevant at the time? Share yours in the comments below! FAQs

    "Compliment people behind their backs."

    by Allie HayesBuzzFeed Staff

    Look, we've all received some unsolicited advice that we thought was completely useless at the time but turned out to be life-changing later.

    Fox

    And this week, when Reddit user 5000Castillo asked, "What felt like a useless piece of advice until you actually tried it?" the responses were equal parts wonderful and helpful.

    ABC

    Here are some of the most useful life tips that seemed useless at first:

    1. "My dad always told me, ‘Ask anyway, the worst they can say is no’ when I needed something. Turns out that advice has helped me with school, raises, plans with new friends, and with people in general."

    astrocanyounaut

    2. "'Compliment people behind their backs.' This sounds stupid, but it works WONDERS."

    La_Lechuga

    3. "'Keep your shoulders back.' It was a suggestion I saw for preventing panic/anxiety. I don't know what it is, but when your shoulders are in that position it gives some strange feeling of control. It works for me, so it could work for you, too."

    coralclouds

    4. "'There's what you need, there's what you want, and there's what you can't afford.' My dad says this all the time and, while I never though of it as useless, I never used it. Now that I have started following this, managing my money is far easier."

    Ekscalliber

    5. "'Your gums bleed when you floss because you don't floss enough.' It sounds like something dentists just say, but it turns out if you floss enough, your gums won't be inflamed so they don't bleed."

    smityhasnwrth43

    6. "My grandfather told me this and I never understood it until I had my own place: 'Always buy cheap tools at first and, if you wear them out, then you use them enough to justify getting a nicer set.'"

    the-silliest-goose

    Showtime

    7. "'Put cold water on freshly shaved skin and it will make it so you don't get ingrown hairs.' This seems incredibly simple, but it's still some of the best advice I've ever received."

    VHStape89

    8. "As someone with a phobia of needles my entire life, I finally had a nurse tell me to 'ask for a spare alcohol pad and sniff it' right as I’m about to get jabbed. She said the harsh smell is enough of a distraction to keep your mind off the needle. It worked! I've been doing it ever since."

    Sylfaein

    9. "Someone once told me, 'Clean your house before leaving for more than five days.' Truly, nothing is better than coming back to a clean house."

    Saturnwithasunroof

    10. "On my wedding day my grandmother said to me, 'Never do anything around the house that you don't plan on doing for life.' At the time I thought it was a terrible advice but, when I was mowing the lawn at seven and a half months pregnant, I got what she meant."

    janfleury

    11. "In regards to saving money I was always told, 'Pay your bills, pay yourself (i.e., put money in savings), then spend.'"

    Cowboy7220

    12. "'You're not hungry, you're thirsty!' I would eat a big meal and wonder why I still felt hungry afterwards, but it was because I wasn't drinking a glass of water with my meals. Now, if I notice I'm hungry after eating a normal portion, I have a glass of water and wait five minutes before I eat more."

    IamLukeDaniel

    Orion Pictures

    13. "Someone once told me NOT to take my cellphone into bed with me/to charge it away from my bed. After a while I found I slept much easier without the distraction and the blue light shining straight into my eyes right before bed."

    Mr_Impossibro

    14. "'Try killing roaches with soapy water in a spray bottle.' It sounds completely useless, but it works better than any insecticide I’ve ever tried AND it’s nontoxic/really easy to clean up."

    MinimalistFan

    15. "'Stick to the same sleep schedule on your days off that you follow on days when you have to be somewhere.' I spent my whole life sleeping until noon on weekends thinking I was storing sleep in some imaginary sleep bank. I recently started waking up early on weekends and now I have no trouble waking up when my alarm goes off during the week."

    sparrow_one

    Disney

    16. "'When you can't choose between two things, flip a coin and choose the one you're hoping for.' Half the time I don't even have to flip a coin now and I'm way more decisive!"

    eventstranspired

    17. "I had a problem looking at people’s shoulders while they were speaking instead of in their eyes. I told a coworker about it, who told me, 'Just look at their ears, nobody can tell the difference.' Life-changing, seriously — no one can tell the difference."

    theycallmetangerine

    18. "My mom told me to spend 'good' money on the things that 'separate you from the ground.' So tires, shoes, mattresses, etc. I finally bought good, expensive shoes and life was SIGNIFICANTLY better. They last SO much longer and my back and posture improved, too."

    KalePanic-

    NBC

    19. "'Go to therapy.' I always considered myself 'emotionally stable,' so I thought it was a pointless idea. I went once with my ex-girlfriend in order to try and work out problems in our relationship, but I learned so much about myself and got some amazing life advice. 10/10."

    YepThatLooksInfected

    20. "'Put on your own oxygen mask first.' Like they tell you on an airplane, you can’t help anyone effectively if you’re not first okay yourself. I was always self-sacrificing — to the point of being hospitalized once for exhaustion. A great therapist told me that I’m good at helping, but I have to be at least at a baseline before I’m effective."

    anaximander

    21. "'Don't suffer future pain.' In other words, worrying about all the stuff that could happen stops you from doing things, or worse, turns potential pain into actual mental pain."

    0nlyhalfjewish

    Now it's your turn! What's the BEST piece of advice you ever received that seemed completely irrelevant at the time? Share yours in the comments below!

    ABC

    Some stories have been edited for length and/or clarity. H/T Reddit.

    21 "Useless" Pieces Of Advice That Turned Out To Be Quite Useful (2024)

    FAQs

    Why do people give useless advice? ›

    Neediness. Sometimes people offer unsolicited advice out of their own neediness. While they may have a lot of knowledge in a certain area that pertains to your situation, their motivations for sharing are all wrong—they're not doing it for you, but for themselves.

    What is the best advice someone has ever given you? ›

    The Best Pieces of Life Advice I Have Ever Received
    • Whatever you do—give it 100% ...
    • Forgive and let go. ...
    • Read. ...
    • Never stop learning and growing as a person. ...
    • Save a portion of your earnings and avoid credit card debt. ...
    • Change your thinking, change your life. ...
    • Find a mentor and do what they're doing.
    Jul 19, 2023

    What is the best advice to give someone? ›

    10 life advices that are still relevant today
    1. There's more than one way of doing something. ...
    2. Treat others how you want to be treated. ...
    3. Follow your passion. ...
    4. Never stop learning. ...
    5. Take responsibility for your actions. ...
    6. It's not all about you. ...
    7. Expect yourself to change. ...
    8. Focus on what you can control.
    Mar 3, 2023

    What's an example of something useless? ›

    18 Useless Things Some People Keep for Ages
    • Old bed linens and towels.
    • Hangers from clothing stores.
    • Things without a match.
    • Useless cards.
    • Old underwear.
    • Empty boxes.
    • Clothes and shoes that are not necessary for your lifestyle now.
    • Wires and cases from old phones.

    What are some sayings about useless? ›

    No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else. Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless. The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people. Without knowledge action is useless and knowledge without action is futile.

    What's the worst advice to give? ›

    While some of this advice can be great for some situations, it doesn't always apply to all situations.
    1. "Stop worrying." ...
    2. "Stay strong." ...
    3. "Man up." ...
    4. "Do what you love, and the money will follow." ...
    5. "There's time to sleep in the grave." ...
    6. "Take the emotion out of it." ...
    7. "Fake it until you make it."

    Who to never take advice from? ›

    Here's my rule of thumb, and it rarely fails me: Never take advice from people who aren't getting the results you want to experience. If you don't like what you see in the life of the messenger, it's usually best to ignore the message.

    When people give unwanted advice? ›

    Workable Responses:
    Be gentle and easy“Thank you, I'll consider that…” (then change the subject)
    State a positive need“I appreciate your idea but I need to _______ (what's best for me).”
    Use humorInsert some humor to give the “advice” less power.
    5 more rows

    What's one piece of advice you'll never forget? ›

    Gratitude and kindness will never go out of style. Be consistently kind, even to those who can't do anything for you—and especially to those who don't deserve it.

    What's the best advice in 4 words? ›

    I've compiled just a few pieces of four-word advice, that are particularly relevant to the way we live our lives today.
    • Actions count, words don't. ...
    • Fortune favors the bold.
    • Think before you speak. ...
    • No pain, no gain. ...
    • Dance like nobody's watching. ...
    • You can't please everyone. ...
    • Work smart, and hard. ...
    • Find your true north.
    Apr 29, 2018

    What's a piece of good advice people often ignore? ›

    Don't dwell on the past, and don't daydream about the future, but concentrate on showing up fully in the present moment.

    What are 10 examples of advice sentences? ›

    Examples of advice in a Sentence
    • He needs advice from an expert.
    • She's been giving him some expert advice about investing.
    • “May I ask your advice about something?” “Certainly. I'm always happy to give advice when asked for it.”
    May 12, 2024

    What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self? ›

    Be kind to yourself in all things. Allow yourself to make mistakes, learning from them of course with the goal of evolving into the best version of yourself. Explore! Keep trying new things.

    What is good advice bad advice game? ›

    The audience provides questions or problems for which they need advice. The 3 players provide good, bad, and really bad advice. Have the MC choose who provide what advice, so everyone can have a stab at really bad advice. If the `bad advice` is really bad, then the Ugly advice should be even worse.

    What is unasked advice? ›

    You've probably heard the term, but what does it really mean? “Unsolicited advice is when you give or receive information or suggestions that were not requested,” says Reena B. Patel, a parenting expert, positive psychologist and licensed educational board-certified behavior analyst.

    What is the word for meaningless advice? ›

    A platitude is a trite, meaningless, or prosaic statement, often used as a thought-terminating cliché, aimed at quelling social, emotional, or cognitive unease.

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