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Bored Panda

Entertainment

Evelina Šiukšterytė

“Technically Works”: 87 Times People Came Up With Hilariously Dumb Solutions To Problems (New Pics)

South Africa

Not everyone has the time or money to call in a specialist when faced with a problem that needs fixing. Sometimes we just need to do what we can with whatever we have available. In South Africa, we call it making an "akkeltjie". I'm yet to find a direct English translation for that Afrikaans slang but think "quick-fix," "modification," "creative solution," or "DIY mend that kinda, sorta works."

Whether it's putting a bumper sticker over a dent in your car door, or using a stapler to tailor your pants, us humans have the uncanny ability to figure something out. In Afrikaans, we say, "'n boer maak 'n plan" (a farmer makes a plan). Clearly the country has a knack for being innovative, resilient and never taking "no" for an an answer.

Around the world, people have been coming up with clever ideas to fix everyday issues. Some stranger and funnier than others. They proudly share the proof on a page called There I Fixed It regardless of whether said problem was truly "fixed" or not. Bored Panda has put together a list of the best posts to inspire anyone on the verge of giving up...

#1 In Order To Open The Oven We Mounted The Drawer Handles In This Way. It's Perfect!

Problems are a part of life. Whether it's running out of milk for your morning coffee or breaking down on the highway en route to work, we all experience obstacles at one point or another. While some issues might seem like the end of the world in that moment, there's generally a solution for most things, if you think hard enough.

Sometimes this means calling in an expert, other times it entails doing what we can with whatever we have available. When it comes to the latter, you might need to think outside the box - or even destroy that box completely.

#2 My Stepdad Backed My Car Into A Semi… Fixed It

#3 Forbidden Jenga

As the Harvard Business School's site notes: "One of the biggest hindrances to innovation is complacency—it can be more comfortable to do what you know than venture into the unknown."

And that's where creative problem-solving comes into play. The university's experts explain that this type of problem-solving is less structured than other innovation processes, adding that it encourages exploring open-ended solutions.

As we know, different problems will have different solutions, and you might need to experiment with several strategies before something finally fits.

#4 I Like To Consider Myself A Handyman. Gotta Do What You Gotta Do To Pass University Dorm Inspections

#5 My Car After A Fender Bender

#6 My Dad's Solution To Keep The Dishwasher Door From Opening Mid Cycle 😂

The first step is to identify the problem.

"It might seem obvious, but if you’ve faced similar problems in the past, look back to what worked then. See if any of the solutions could apply to your current situation and, if so, replicate them," suggests BetterUp.

Another option is to work backwards. This means imagining your problem has already been solved, and making that the starting point. Aka reverse engineering. In such scenarios, you'd retrace your steps back to where you are now.

Of course, you could always call a friend. Or a few...

"The more people you enlist to help solve the problem, the more potential solutions you can come up with," BetterUp's team says. "Use different brainstorming techniques to workshop potential solutions with your team. They’ll likely bring something you haven’t thought of to the table."

#7 I Saw This Gracefully Repaired Car. Pretty Smart Gotta Admit

#8 Religious Signage In Public Toilet

#9 So I'm Basically An Electrician Now

There's also something known as the Kipling Method when it comes to problem-solving. It's based on Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “I Keep Six Honest Serving Men,” and encourages you to ask six specific questions when faced with a challenge: