There are some things you use every single day that make life easier. Do you notice what these inventions are? Or have you taken them for granted? Here are some reminders of how good you have it.

Computers

Starting with one of the most obvious, we’d be stuck in the Dark Ages by comparison if we didn’t have computers. Before there were computers, there were encyclopedia collections the size of an entire wall!

Computers have made it so we can work from office spaces, we can design things, create things, buy things digitally, send things digitally, build entire businesses from home, and even connect with other people on a global scale.

And they make daily life easier. Just think about completing your homework without a computer! Or looking up recipes for holiday dinners. Any time you’re trying to remember an actor’s name, or you’re wondering how to save a white shirt from a ketchup stain, you run to the internet for help!

Smart Phones

Yes, everyone has one, and it’s always within 20 ft. or less of us. It is a pocket wizard that does everything from connecting us to loved ones, to telling us when we’ve missed an appointment. It has a contact list, all of our social media accounts, logs our weight, calculates calories burned, alerts us when the chicken is done in the oven, etc.

And when we have burning questions late at night, or when we just need to veg out and think about nothing, it’s there. It has the memes, the jokes, the sappy stories, and the news. It has everything that makes our life easier, right there, at the touch of a fingertip.

Coffee Makers

It’s no secret, coffee makes the world go around. If it didn’t, there wouldn’t be an entire market and investments behind coffee shops.

And coffee makers? They make life easier. Sure, we may go out for coffee, but imagine how much we’d spend if we relied on them entirely. Assuming coffee wasn’t able to be home brewed, it would be super expensive, and more of a commodity than anything.

Waking up in the morning would be harder. Working through that 2pm slump would be the worst thing ever. We’d have to find a replacement for the go-to, casual date everyone relies on when they’re dating around and unwilling to do the whole fancy dinner thing.

Every time you’re feeling tired, lazy, cloudy, or otherwise just jaded, you’d have to find another pick-me-up, because coffee wouldn’t be readily available.

Shoes

Take them for granted all you want, but without shoes, you’d have a terrible time doing everything from walking to the corner store, to hiking. Imagine biking without shoes, something you probably did as a child. The feeling of those hard, plastic pedals on your feet. Putting pressure on them to pedal faster, all the while hurting yourself.

No way!

Walking five minutes down the road on pavement in the hot summer heat? Walking in the rain? Walking in public spaces, like the mall, with your bare feet touching an almost sure-fire gross, bacteria-infested floor?

Yes, it’s safe to say whoever invented shoes made life not only easier, but vastly better. Without shoes, we’d be in a world of hurt.

Cars

Transportation, even public transportation, is a hassle. Biking anywhere farther than 20 minutes takes physical stamina and fitness. And plenty of time and hassle. Taking the bus somewhere can be an all-day endeavor depending on where you’re going. But a car? That’s easy.

A car can take you anywhere you want to go, without dealing with frequent stops for other people. You don’t need to deal with strangers, or with getting physically tired from putting forth effort into gaining momentum and forward traction like you do on a bicycle. You just drive and play some music.

And it allows us to go grocery shopping, visit friends, hang out somewhere new, explore new areas, and work farther away.

Beds

No one thinks about a bed as an invention, let alone as something that makes life easier…

But remove it from the equation, and a lot of things begin to fall apart. For example, imagine sleeping at night. Where are you going to sleep, the uncomfortable couch? What if you have a partner, will you both comfortably fit on the couch all night?

Imagine the chiropractor bills. They’d become a must, a need, rather than something you only go to regularly if you’re an athlete.

And not to be crass, but imagine your sex life without a bed. If beds didn’t exist, the easiest, and most comfortable spot for sex would be removed from the equation. Sure, you could still get down to business elsewhere, but it probably wouldn’t be as comfortable. And depending on your couch, you may not be able to do some pretty basic moves.

Just think about the naps you’d miss, the lounging marathons with episode after episode of 90’s sitcoms. You’d have to have all of them in the living room, which could be uncomfortable. Or outright impossible for younger generations who live with their parents and have to share access to the TV.

Home Exercise Equipment

Sure, not everyone exercises, but for those who do, nothing beats home exercise equipment. The treadmills, the bikes, the weight sets. You go down to your basement, or walk into your home gym, and presto: you have a gym right at home.

No excuses, no memberships, no creepy guys stalking you on your way home. You can exercise in peace without someone ogling your every move or angle.

You can exercise first thing in the morning, before you even brush your teeth if you want to. It doesn’t matter what you look like, if your hair is an absolute mess or not. You’re just there, in the comfort of your own home, doing something that makes you feel good, and look better.

And if you have an embarrassing slip, or your workout gear is lacking, or you really just want to watch an episode of a really, really dumb TV show while exercising, there’s no judgement there. Because it’s just you and some machines, in the comfort of your own home. If that doesn’t make life easier, than nothing does.