One of the ways inventions come to be is when someone is doing a task and realizes there has to be a better way to do it. She might improve on an instrument or tool that is already in use or come up with a whole new gadget to do the job. Inventions help get around obstacles that are presented in everyday life, making things easier to use. Look around at some simple problems you encounter daily and see what you can do to invent a way to help fix them.

Try to invent a different way to tie up a bread bag or garbage bag. It can be time-consuming to use a twist-tie, especially when holding a full bag of garbage. You need both hands to do this, causing you to put the garbage bag down and possibly spilling the contents on the floor. Invent a quick-clasping method that can be applied using one hand.

Improve on the method used in traditional ice cube trays. These simple forms have not changed in design since they were invented. Their colors and materials they are made from have changed, but you still need strength and two hands to remove the ice cubes. This is not only messy, but it can be hard for older people with arthritis in their hands to use the traditional trays.

Make plans for a simple device to open the twist-off bottle tops on sodas. Elderly people sometimes struggle to get these tops open. A simple counter or cabinet mounted device is needed into which you can put the top of the bottle and twist.

Devise a tool that can be hooked onto the water faucets for people in wheelchairs to be able to use the faucets with ease. Someone confined in a wheelchair cannot reach that far back on a sink to turn the water on and off. Invent simple extenders to make life easier for people who cannot stand up at the sink.

Find a way to deliver toothpaste to a toothbrush without going through the mess and waste of using a tube. The tube toothpaste can spread germs if you wipe your toothbrush against it and the next person using the tube will be exposed to the germs. Toothpaste in a capsule form that you just place on your toothbrush would eliminate these problems. The capsule can be made to turn to paste once it gets wet, so all you need to do is place it on your brush and put it under the facet. This delivery system will give you just the right amount of toothpaste each time. No more messy tubes and no waste.

Find a way to use the ends of soap that get thrown away because they are too small. Invent a system that lets you soak the ends in some type of bottle with water to give you liquid soap. This way nothing gets wasted.