The Hack List

Jason Harper was the kind of guy who hit snooze five times before rolling out of bed — if he rolled out at all. His room was a mess, his inbox a disaster, and his dreams of “doing something meaningful” were always just one more Monday away.

That was until he stumbled upon The Hack List.

It was a regular Tuesday. Jason was scrolling aimlessly through a Reddit thread while sipping a lukewarm energy drink when he saw it — a post titled “100 Life Hacks That Actually Work – Changed My Life.”

He almost kept scrolling.

But something about the first hack caught his eye:

Hack #1 – If it takes less than 2 minutes, do it now.

"Doing dishes, replying to texts, taking out the trash. Stop postponing. It’s not about time. It’s about momentum."

Jason smirked, tossed the empty can in the overflowing bin beside his desk, and got up. He took the trash out for the first time in four days. It took 45 seconds. When he came back, he didn’t sit down.

He read the next one:

Hack #2 – Make your bed. Every morning. It signals to your brain that the day has started and you’re in charge.

He hadn’t made his bed in months. But that morning, he did. And weirdly, it felt… good. Like he was rebooting something inside him.

Hack #3 – The 80/20 Rule: Find what brings 80% of your results. Do more of it.

Jason stared at this one a little longer. He thought about his freelance graphic design gigs. Most of his income came from two repeat clients. Yet he spent hours chasing tiny one-offs that paid peanuts.

That evening, he messaged both key clients and asked if they wanted to expand the projects. One replied within 10 minutes — "Let’s talk more next week."

Something was happening. Something subtle but real.

Days turned into weeks. Jason wasn’t perfect, but the hacks started sticking.

He turned off his social media notifications (Hack #17 – Protect your focus.). He created a nightly shutdown routine (Hack #31 – Sleep is your daily reset.). He even began using sticky notes on his mirror (Hack #42 – Leave reminders where your eyes go.).

Then came Hack #53 – The Done List.

Instead of just listing what he had to do, Jason began writing down what he did every night before bed.

Took a 15-minute walk

Designed a logo concept

Called Mom

Read 10 pages of a book

It didn’t seem like much at first. But after a few weeks, the list grew longer — and so did his confidence.

He wasn’t just existing. He was moving forward.

But the real turning point came with Hack #88 – Don’t look for motivation. Build systems.

Jason had always waited for the "right mood" to work, exercise, clean — and it rarely came. But now, he set a system:

Morning: Wake, water, make bed, 20-minute design session

Evening: Walk, no screens after 9, reflect in the Done List

He didn’t follow it perfectly. But when he did, his day felt better. Calmer. Lighter.

By the end of the month, Jason wasn’t “fixed.” His apartment still got messy, and he still procrastinated sometimes. But now, he had tools. Tiny tools. Practical hacks. Things that worked when inspiration failed.

One morning, as he flipped to a new page in his notebook, he found himself writing a new title at the top:

“My Hacks That Actually Work.”

He added his own:

Hack #101 – Life doesn’t change all at once. But small wins, done often, stack up.

Hack #102 – You don’t have to be a different person. Just be a better version of you.

He looked around his room. Cleaner. Brighter. More him.

Jason smiled, closed the notebook, and got to work.

Moral of the Story:

You don’t need a massive life overhaul to change everything. Sometimes, it starts with one small hack… and the courage to follow through.