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We’re often told that the key to success is working hard, staying diligent, and doing things the right way.
But in reality, the people who get ahead are often the ones who know exactly when to cut corners.
On Threads, users shared the not-so-ethical tricks that actually helped them win in life. Below is a roundup of their most surprising tips. Scroll on, and let us know where you’d draw the line—or where you think it’s fair game.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
If you don't have a paper trail, make one. Follow up on verbal conversations via email confirmation
"Regarding our discussion earlier, I just wanted to clarify the following points....You brought up XYZ to which I responded ABC. You then confirmed XYZ followed by ABC... If this isn't correct, please let me know."
You can save entire email chains via PDF btw
The Majestic Opossum 3 days ago
Couldn't agree more. This is the #1 thing I tell every employee I work with.
RELATED:
#2
Don't give 100% energy to any job, or that will be the baseline standard they'll come to expect from you.
#3
Find something to say “no” about early on when meeting people in any capacity, whether it’s friendship, a relationship, someone you may be doing business with, even an organization you may be volunteering with. It’s not about being difficult or inconvenient. 1) It’s about establishing that you are a person who has boundaries and 2) It’s important to know who will respect them and who will try to cross them.
#4
From an advisor in college: “do not attribute to malice what can best be attributed to stupidity.” Is it right to assume most people are idiots? Morally maybe not. Does it keep me calm knowing people are not inherently out to get me? Yes.
#5
Lie on your resume? No. Strategically phrase your inexperience? Absolutely.
Child of the Stars 3 days ago (edited)
I did this when re-entering the workforce after spending 8 years as a SAHP. Things like time management and resolving interpersonal conflicts between unreasonable parties are absolutely skills used both as a parent and in the workforce.
#6
If you’re higher intellect and you can pull it off, pretend to be dumber/more redneck/lower class than you actually are especially at work. I work trades and lean in on the stereotypes and biases people have against southern accents and redneck speech patterns. If a time comes you gotta whip out the intelligence it’ll be more impactful than otherwise plus you’d be amazed what people think they can tell you when they don’t realize you’re actually smart as f**k.
Mary Hiers 3 days ago
Goes double if you're a woman. I'm small and look like I've never had a thought in my head. I also speak with a slight southern accent. Finding out that I have a Master's degree in engineering hits 'em pretty hard, and I love it.
#7
Work only when you feel like working.
In other words, give yourself permission to have low energy days—days when you're only Pareto efficient (putting in 20% of the effort that yields 80% of the results).
You'll find that you're far more productive when you're in your prime, and in the long run, you’ll avoid burnout and make greater progress on your task list.
Tested, confirmed, and highly recommended.
#8
Have appliances that make your life easier. Buy the air fryer. Buy the dishwasher. Buy the tumble dryer. Buy the robot vacuum. Thank me later.
The Majestic Opossum 3 days ago
1000x yes! It may seem like a frivolous expense, but the time and sanity you get back is priceless.
#9
Don't say anything the first 6 months on a job to figure out the politics
The Majestic Opossum 3 days ago
6 months is a bit long, I think around 3 months is better. This also depends on your role.
#10
I am not legally obligated to pay my father's debts. Meaning when he died overseas without a will and I was the only one who bothered to notice. I simply moved into his foreclosed house, that he built on family land, declared him dead and quitclaimed the deed to myself on behalf of his estate. Mortgage for who? Not me.
#11
A job description for most places is just a string of tasks that will require on the job training. Unless you're operating on someone's life or it requires years of training, apply anyway. There are plenty of unqualified people winging it in upper level management who know half of what you know.
Jacob Bornlykke 3 days ago
Yep.. surrounded by idiots. Wingin it... we see you. And we hate you.
#12
The best way to be build confidence is to pretend to be confident. Eventually it will authenticate itself.
#13
BCC your personal email address on work emails that you don’t want to lose - such as conversations with HR or important information
Reset Game 3 days ago
BCC. Can still be tracked by IT. Take a picture of the screen with your phone and email that
#14
You don’t have to actually be nice you just have to be nice enough to not be rude
#15
At a job, it is better to be liked than it is to be great. Don’t be bad at what you do but you don’t have to be amazing. Half the people who work with you aren’t.
#16
Block people without explanation. Usually, they know what they did.
#17
When I'm signing up for a company's rewards card, I make up a birth date. So many of them have birthday gifts you have to use the week or month of, and instead of spending all of April driving around making sure I get them all, I spread them out throughout the year.
Obviously not at places where you get ID'd, the dispensary knows when my birthday is 🤣 But Ulta gives me a gift in May, Sephora in July, and I get free coffee multiple times a year.
#18
It’s okay to go for his knees if you have to
Child of the Stars 3 days ago
This is just basic safety. I don't see anything unethical with going for the groin if you're in an unsafe situation and trying to get out.
#19
Hospital bills don’t get reported to credit bureaus and nothing happens if you don’t pay them 🤷🏻♀️
#20
Don’t give 2 weeks notice.
#21
It’s ok to drop your « friends » not all, but the ones that don’t give a damn about your well being, same for family, not everyone cares about you, so you have to have the give-give mentality ( except for your kids and your nuclear family) the being a bigger person could invite some opportunitists and psychopaths into your life and it’ll be hard to get rid of them after… Respect yourself
#22
Fake it til you make it, just bluff through life. Get the opportunity, then learn on the road.
Child of the Stars 3 days ago
That's just adulting. I told both my kids that life at all stages is just making it up as you go. Nobody actually knows what they're doing 🤷♀️
#23
Mid privilege is a thing. People are generally nice to me but don't get weird. I can be out in public and feel safe. I'm not invisible and I don't have a target on my back. Bothered me when I was younger but I cherish it now.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 days ago
Women often dread aging because they worry about being invisible, but it’s actually quite liberating. Peace and quiet at last!
#24
1. Don’t fully trust karma. Yeah, it will shows up-but usually after you’ve already lost half or everything.
A reminder to always be careful and make smart choices.
2. Don’t trust any part of teaching or religion that tries to tell you what to do with your money.
3. Be careful with overly help/giving.
Only help hardworking folks who who faced something unexpected/bad luck. Otherwise, the universe might throw some wrath on you bcs you just prevent someone from learning an important lesson.
Becky Samuel 3 days ago
Karma is a delusion to keep gullible people in line. The bad guys don't get punished, the good guys don't get rewarded.
#25
Use all them systemic loopholes and never feel guilty about effing the system
The Majestic Opossum 3 days ago
The system is designed to screw you, so take any chance you can to screw it right back. Take it from someone who has worked in "the system" for many years
#26
USE EVERY PRIVILEGE YOU HAVE! Whether it’s pretty privilege or socioeconomic or whatever!
Mel in Georgia 3 days ago
I dunno. My upper-class neighborhood shares so many things with each other it's like another level of privilege. Why not extend these things to people with no access?
#27
I had a former “friend” who always told his mom and me that he had to work or work late no matter what he was doing the only thing he’d really say was that he is “busy working.” He was a business owner so he did have a full schedule but he was going on dates, partying with friends and just trying to keep his free time private from his overbearing mom. I keep this strategy in my back pocket.
#29
Per my dad growing up- Let them swing twice or connect once, then it’s always self defense, even if you started it
Becky Samuel 3 days ago (edited)
If you're carrying anything - jacket, bag, whatever, shove it out towards their face and step in. It's impossible to carry through with an attack when you've got a face full of stuff and you're blinded. If you can step firmly with one foot behind their leg and push backward then they will go down like a ton of bricks and you can escape.
#30
Never give out your real birthday unless legally required. Except for your doctor, your government docs and your HR department, no one needs to know that. Workplace ageism is real and so is identity theft using your personal data.
Becky Samuel 3 days ago
Surely lying about your age and birth date to your job will just make you look stupid as soon as they fill out any government paperwork.
#31
To be frank ! Marrying a rich man does make a woman’s life better nd easier . Not unethical but just an observation. Marry a good man who has assets and knows what he’s doing in life .
#32
If you have a privilege, use it. Know someone at the company? Have them put in a good word. Your uncle is friends with the DA? Have them talk next time you get in trouble. Got money? Use it to make more money. You can feel guilty about it if you want, but use every advantage you can to get ahead, cus you can bet your ass the next guy will.
The Majestic Opossum 3 days ago
Yes, but this is a very fine moral line. Unchecked privilege and ideas like this have led to the clüsterfück we're in now...
#33
lie in interviews. I'm not saying lie about your education or something that could get you fired. But I've made up situations in my head that demonstrated my ability to work well with coworkers or my problem solving skills. I have the skills, just haven't been in situations to demonstrate them. confidence is key!
#34
When you're wronged, pretend to be the better person. If you can properly time when you pull out the receipts, you can bring a narcissist to their knees and people will thank you for it.
#35
Unethical tips/hacks that helped me.
Take the risk, do the dumb thing that makes you happy. You can’t learn from your past when you haven’t done anything.
Lie to people. They don’t need to know everything about you.
If someone undervalues something valuable, DO NOT correct them. Take the discount that their ignorance offered you. 9/10 they wouldn’t do the same for you.
If you find money, it’s yours. If you find a wallet, find the owner and rerurn it all.
Dog Mom to Zoe 2 days ago
Don't lie. Just be honest and don't disclose what you don't need or want to. Some dumb things can get you killed. Be smart.
#36
You never have to nor required to provide your kids or your own social at hospitals, doctors offices, specialists, pediatricians, dentist, really anything medical. Fraud happens all the time and you never know if it's because records were improperly disposed. It makes it harder for them to credit file upaid bills against you. If they say they need it or push for it just say you don't recall your/your kids social and they'll leave it be. Idk why this isn't taught often enough.
#37
8/10 it’s better to apologize after doing what the f**k you want if anyone is even upset, then it is to ask anyone if you’re allowed to do it
Bret Sander 3 days ago
The saying goes, it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission, and it's narcissistic scheisse.
#38
Do not volunteer for anything. And most things in life you can just say no. Zero guilt.
Uncle Schmickle 3 days ago
Not unless you WANT to be a volunteer, as it can be enjoyable and mentally rewarding.
#39
Never mention if you have kids, at work. Stay elusive. I got a standing desk free from work due to "back problems". Don't reveal too many tips so u stay winning while they lose.
The Majestic Opossum 3 days ago
Best thing about a new job? All your grandparents are still alive.
#40
Tell people you don't have time when you're free as a bird, just to check if they are accommodative enough.
#41
Assume everyone at work will f**k you over if it gets them ahead and organize your receipts accordingly. Not everyone will but enough will try that you should already have your defence prepared. The best defence is a good offense, after all.
The Majestic Opossum 3 days ago
Maybe it's just my nature, but it's exhausting to feel like everyone is out to get me all the time. I always keep a paper trail regardless, but I'd rather just go about my day assuming positive intent, it makes life so much more pleasant.
#42
Work only when you feel like working.
In other words, give yourself permission to have low energy days—days when you're only Pareto efficient (putting in 20% of the effort that yields 80% of the results).
You'll find that you're far more productive when you're in your prime, and in the long run, you’ll avoid burnout and make greater progress on your task list.
Tested, confirmed, and highly recommended.
Tom De Paul 2 days ago
Funny enough, I learned what "pareto optimal" meant from the same professor that used Atherton, CA as an example in a discussion of public choice (see my comment above.)
#43
Being selfish at work is not a crime, actually it makes things easy and helps you grow faster and its good for your mental health
#44
Come in extra early for the first 1-2 months of a job and build a relationship with the manager.
Then whenever you really don't feel like going to work, just don't show up.
If the manager likes you and you're always showing up early, they'll believe whatever you say and let it slide
(Just don't do it too much 😅)
Geoffrey Scott 3 days ago
When I worked, I strove to be the 'go to' for tasks to be completed. The boss generally will appreciate the load you take off their shoulders, ie: the basic decisions they don't have to make.
#46
Never tip anyone, that culture only exists in the USA and makes you more poor
Mel in Georgia 3 days ago
If you are already privileged, tipping can help someone who is not. For some hardworking people in the service industry, tipping can totally help them get ahead.
#47
Ask for fries with no salt. That way, they have to cook a fresh batch and you get hot fries every time. I keep a salt shaker in my car.
Sometimes it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Becky Samuel 3 days ago
Hasn't this been debunked a thousand times? It sounds like a massive waste of everyone's time. If your fast food place is serving cold fries then you need to change your restaurant, not use a dumbáss 'hack'.
#48
Be a good liar... and make sure people think you are bad at lying.
And play dumb whenever you can. It gets you out of trouble, and people will be willing to help you more.
#49
Crying makes a surprising amount people super f**king uncomfortable. If you happen to be a super emotional person like me, don't fight it. Use your power. Make it a really ugly cry. *Especially* against the popo.
#50
Tell the car rental company that the car smells like weed before you leave the garage. Then you can smoke all you want on your trip
The Majestic Opossum 3 days ago
Save this trick for the hotel room instead. They'll probably send an ionizer up to your room too. We used to do this with cigarette smoke back in the day. But I'm wise enough to know that high driving is no better than drunk driving.
What do you think ?
Rick Murray 3 days ago
So much Americanism - all that guff about not paying hospital bills (which is a really poor idea, btw).
Matt Blakeley 2 days ago
The current thumbnail says "I am not legally obligated to pay my father's debts". This is not unethical. This is the law in the United States. If there is any money from the estate, that needs to go to those debts, but if your parents really f'ed their finances, that is NOT your problem.
Kathy Brooke 2 days ago
There's good strong evidence that being kind, generous and helpful actually makes you happy. Most of these people must be miserable as heck.
Rick Murray 3 days ago
So much Americanism - all that guff about not paying hospital bills (which is a really poor idea, btw).
Matt Blakeley 2 days ago
The current thumbnail says "I am not legally obligated to pay my father's debts". This is not unethical. This is the law in the United States. If there is any money from the estate, that needs to go to those debts, but if your parents really f'ed their finances, that is NOT your problem.
Kathy Brooke 2 days ago
There's good strong evidence that being kind, generous and helpful actually makes you happy. Most of these people must be miserable as heck.
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