From “Potterwatch” to Wheezes: Life Hacks
One thing that makes the Harry Potter series such an inspiration for those who read it is the lessons that we take from it. From finding our bookish selves in Hermione’s study habits, to learning patience and kindness in Hagrid’s gentle nature, we take many life lessons from the characters.
Here are four life hacks that I think we need more of in this world. Consider your life #hacked, Potter style!
1. Know When to Break the Rules – Life Hack #rebel
Sort of exciting, isn’t it? Breaking the rules.
Take a page out of Hermione’s book. What did she do when Umbridge sabotaged their Defense Against the Dark Arts education? She started an underground rebellion with a person who would actually teach them how to defend and arm themselves against the return of Voldemort! And that wasn’t even the first time this girl had broken the rules! She set a teacher on fire to save her friend, she brewed an illegal potion in an out-of-order girls’ bathroom to help her friends solve a mystery, she used a Time-Turner to meddle with time in her third year, and she slapped a bigot so hard he regretted all of his life decisions! Know when to break the right rules and take your education and knowledge into your own hands.
2. Know When to Make an Exit – Life Hack #watchthis
Give her hell from us, Peeves!
Who knows better than the Weasley twins how to command attention? These two class clowns/inventive entrepreneurs know how to attract, command, and hold attention. From multitudinous pranks played upon the Hogwarts population to a shop that “hit the eyes like a fireworks display,” these twins have mastered the art of capturing the attention of a crowd and holding it. Who could forget their exit from Hogwarts during their last year at school? Take a lesson from the Weasleys; when at all possible, make a dramatic (and firework-filled) exit!
3. Know When to Spread the Knowledge – Life Hack #informationequalspower
We don’t know when it will be possible to broadcast again, but you can be sure we shall be back.
Lee Jordan and several other members of the Order of the Phoenix created a secret radio broadcast during the Second Wizarding War to help spread positive news and reassure those who were resisting Voldemort and his Death Eaters that they were not alone. They honored the fallen, they gave tips to the survivors, and they believed in protecting everyone in the community, not just wizards. They sent out supportive messages to Harry Potter and his friends on their journey. They disproved the fear propaganda that the puppeted Ministry and Daily Prophet were trying to spread. Take a lesson from Lee Jordan and Potterwatch. Knowledge and the spread of it can help turn the tides of a war or even a single life. Knowledge is power. Be careful what is spread around.
4. Know When to Take an Opportunity – Life Hack #imworthtwelveofyou
Dumbledore’s Army’s supposed to be about doing something real. Or was all that just words to you?
One of my favorites character arcs in the Harry Potter series is when Neville steps up and truly becomes his own wizard. It started with his signing up to participate in Dumbledore’s Army, slowly improving himself through hard work, going with Harry to the Ministry of Magic, and slowly, becoming the BAMF that took over the disbanded group of Dumbledore’s Army and defied the Death Eater-run Hogwarts. He took whatever opportunities were afforded to him, he opened whatever doors were even semi-cracked, and he seized a moment and pulled Godric Gryffindor’s sword from the hat and singlehandedly destroyed a Horcrux. Neville was not one to waste an opportunity, and neither should you.
There are a lot of life hacks to take lessons from in the Potter series. Learning to overcome one’s past like Ginny, learning to not care about societal obligations like Luna, learning to cook and love like Molly Weasley, and learning to have CONSTANT VIGILANCE! There’re so many things that they taught us that we can apply to our own lives. What are your favorite life hacks from your favorite character?
