comment: >
  
  I tied the wrong way as a kid, the double slipped granny knot instead of a double slipped square knot. Learned better and now the loops are horizontal instead of vertical. I see this knot tied incorrectly at least half the time, be it on shoes or the ties on a swimsuit, or wherever. Nobody seems to know the difference. It is less likely to come undone and looks better the right way.
context: This is a friendly reminder to read our rules.
  Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"
  (For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, please read this page.)
  Rule-breaking posts may result in bans. >
  
  I wonder how common this is.
  I learned one way and use the Ian's knot now. >
  
  I am 61 now and I figured out a few years ago that I don't have to tie my loops together any more. I was trying my shoes in a granny knot my whole life. 
  I don't tie my loops together any more. 
  I've wanted to talk about this for years. Thank you. >
  
  Haha your welcome! >
  
  Ian knot looks cool, will try that tomorrow >
  
  Highly recommend. Ian Knot saves time >
  
  Not true, I watched a Veritasium video where he demonstrates a way I hadn't seen before and taught myself to do it every time now because I thought it was cool >
  
  is it that super fast way? >
  
  I'm pretty sure the typical ways to tie shoes are marginally different in the time they take to complete, I hardly thing the choice matters as long as they don't regularly come untied from standard walking activities... >
  
  Yeah why do i need to save time tying my shoes if i only do it like once a day? 
  I learned a knot thats just a little different from the standard knot and it stays all day usually. I tied my boots with it loosely so I could just slip them on and that knots been tied for months through lots of hard work. >
  
  I am curious if this really is a thing?
  I do not tie my shoes the way I learned. I was taught one way that is easier for small hands with less dexterity. As my dexterity improved the way I tied my shoes changed. >
  
  I learned the "rabbit ears" method (two loops tied together). I saw others use other methods but could never get it right so i never bothered switching. Well past 30 and i still use "rabbit ears". >
  
  I learned the "rabbit ears" method too,i used to do two ears at once but  now i do one ear at a time thats the only change i did lmfao >
  
  I did not know I was supposed to advance from the rabbit ears phase, though I guess they do come apart more often than others’ laces. >
  
  Do the first knot opposite to how you tie the rabbit ears. They'll stay on much longer. >
  
  I was about to say I don’t use rabbit ears but I learned that if you cross the first time in the opposite order then your laces will sit straight across your shoes, so I did that until it became habit. >
  
  Not true. I learned to tie them using bunny ears. I changed to the standard wrap around method when I was older. >
  
  Quick survey. Asked my gaming group.
  Of 16 responses (ages 21-38):
  13 learned "bunny ears" as a kid, but now use the standard wrap around method.
  2 still use bunny ears.
  1 always used the standard wrap around.  
  So most people do actually change.
  (Also way to many people are sat on their phones on boxing day ready to answer a dumb survey, including me 😄) >
  
  Interesting poll, seems I may be in the minority having never changed from bunny ears 😰 >
  
  I doubt it makes any real difference tbh. I'm not sure why I changed. >
  
  I think the reason most people change is because bunny ears is taught to small kids, because it's easy and then when you grow older, the bunny ears method is seen as childish for some reason and the wrap around is the "adult" way to do it, so every kid wanting to be more adult-like switches to that. >
  
  That's exactly why I changed. I didn't want to be a "baby" anymore. (I was like 6.) >
  
  I disagree with this, i was teached one way, ended up  learning a diferent way that was more easy for me. Later on i learned the way that most people learn how to do them but kept doing the way i learned. And some years after i learned a third way that is much faster and is the one i keep doing until this day ( sorry if i dont know the knots names) >
  
  Is this the faster method you learned? I started using this technique a few years ago now. >
  
  Not that one but i might try it
  Edit: i just did a slowmption of mine and yeah, its the same but with different  finger position >
  
  Not true, I started tying my shoes correctly when I was 35.  I no longer have to double knot my shoelaces to keep them from coming untied.  The loops should lay flat with the ends if you tied them correctly. >
  
  not true. Go to Ian's Shoelace Site and learn a thing or two. >
  
  This ^
  I learned the "Double Slip Knot" method and it's so much better, especially for my work or motorcycle boots because the laces never untie until you pull them loose intentionally. >
  
  It's my choice knot.  I find it a little clumsy to tie, but have not had a single problem with it getting stuck, nor coming undone, even with round nylon laces. 
  The real super quick knot other commenters have mentioned is good for robes, or going out to get the paper. >
  
  Wrong. I just learned a new way at 48 and it's easier. Stop assuming. >
  
  I also learned a new way in my 20s. This is a bad shower thought. >
  
  It's a fun shower thought, even though it's just straight up wrong. >
  
  Agree. I think the vast majority of shower thoughts have a certain funny element. >
  
  Not true at all, I was taught one way and now I do it in a very different way >
  
  Learned it one way, now doing it a different way. Ask yoir football (soccer)  friends how to tie them quickly >
  
  I actually went 1 way then to a different now I'm back to the first way >
  
  False. I learned it one way as a kid and another, faster and easier way as an adult. >
  
  Not true, i learnt one way the first time but when I found a better and faster way of doing it I switched and have been using it ever since >
  
  Incorrect. 
  I did it the old school way until I was in my upper 30's.  That's when I saw a video of Japanese schoolchildren tieing thier shoes and how much faster and easier it was.
  That's how I tie my shoes now. >
  
  Reminds me of a ted talk that teaches the “correct” way to tie a shoe - apparently most people does not do it correctly. >
  
  Hahaha. It's probably the granny knot vs the square knot. The difference is the direction (clockwise vs. counterclockwise) that the rabbit goes before ending in the hole. >
  
  I learned 2 loop and was good with it. My family made such a huge deal about it and talked a ton of shit about how I wasn't doing the one loop wrap around thing. They kept talking about how adults don't tie their shoes like that and how much I'll be made fun of when I'm older.
  No one outside of my family has ever once asked me how I tie my shoes. Not once. >
  
  Fun fact, if your shoelaces ever come undone, you're probably tying them incorrectly. I found out my parents taught me incorrectly, learned a better way, then never had undone shoelaces ever again.
  It turns out the way you overlap the loops (right-over-left vs left-over-right) completely changes the strength of the knot.
  Also there are several other ways of doing it. >
  
  Loafers. Velcro sneakers. Free yourselves from the tyranny of laces. Fight Big Shoesting. >
  
  Wrong! I learned to tie the “normal way” at 31. I use both ways >
  
  That's not true. I first learned to use two loops, then a few years later I switched to the single loop method, then decades later I found out that threading in the opposite direction is far more effective and so I switched to that.
  I feel like this is something you've presumed, rather than asked around on. >
  
  I tie my shoes many different ways, depends on the shoes/activity. >
  
  Or you could have psycho parents that thought rabbit ears wasn’t a good enough method randomly a couple weeks after learning it and wouldn’t let you go outside to play with your friends until you unlearned it and proved you could do the single loop every time to them while they stood over you >
  
  Unreal. That’s one of the things I’m noticing as my younger brothers and niece are being chided by their parents for ultimately stupid, small things. I just want to be like IT DOESNT MATTER, THAT TASK CAN BE DONE MULTIPLE WAYS. YOU WAY DOESNT MEAN ITS THE BEST WAY. >
  
  Not always true. For decades, my laces wouldn't stay tied; then, at around age 50, I learned that I was not tying the proper "reefed square knot" (the formal name for a bow), but a "granny" instead. I switched up the first step, which took a long time to relearn, and now my laces stay tied. >
  
  The way I initially learned resulted in a granny-knot, and I intentionally changed my method later in life upon realizing the error of my ways. >
  
  false -- I learned it one way, then after starting figure skating, learned another way, and used that the rest of the my life
  checkmate >
  
  I learned new way at 35.
  I used to tie the base knot and bunny ears from same direction. I learned that's wrong and that they should be tied from opposite directions for nicer looking and longer lasting result >
  
  I switched ways after watching a Ted talk on shoe tying lol. Turns out most of us are taught to tie the weak version of the knot - making your laces more likely to come undone. >
  
  I started out using the granny knot, but then in my 20s, I switched to the square knot and have been using it ever since. >
  
  I did bunny ears, then the loop and swoop, now i tie my shoes when i first buy them and slip them on and off. >
  
  Loop each side of lace making rabbit ears then tie in a knot then tie in a second knot . Won't slip and easy to untie . >
  
  I was quite old and still didn't know how to tie my shoes so my dad left me in the laundry room until I figured it out. I don't know what my current method is called but I'd liked to migrate to a method that looks more like the rope tying in Moana >
  
  Nah, I tie my shoes a totally different way than I was taught. I learned bunny ears but now I do a double slip knot because it’s secure and symmetrical. >
  
  I later learned to double knot the "rabbit ears."
  But even now, every so often, the rhyme "left, right, tie them tight" comes to mind as I tied my shoes. >
  
  I was never taught how to tie my shoes (youngest of 3 - a mistake and forgotten).  I taught myself and my husband laughs every time he sees me tie them.
  "Why don't you learn the proper way?"
  Dude I'm 42 and I've never had my laces untie even though I've never double knotted.  I'll keep doing it my way thanks! >
  
  Now I wanna know how your tie your laces, is it hard to untie them? >
  
  I tied my shoes a different way three days ago. I don't think I'll ever go back. I used to do the basic ass two loop knit, but my fingers finally figured out the way they teach you in elementary school. >
  
  Interesting episode of "Going Deep with David Rees" about the ways of tying your shoes. Not sure where to find that show anymore... Other than the high seas >
  
  I legit had this thought the other day and considered posting it here. What if my Mom’s way of tying shoes isn’t the best way and I’ve been doing it inefficiently this whole time? >
  
  I was taught 2 ways and sometimes use the other tbh, even though I don't have an actual reason as to why. >
  
  My favorite part of teaching my kids to tie their shoes is that the process is so automatic for me that if I stop to think about it,  I lose it. >
  
  Huh no.
  I was doing the bunny ears technique and changed to the other one because it made me feel like a kid >
  
  I changed how I tie my shoes. Used to do bunny ears as a kid, then switched to loop swoop and pull. Now I exclusive do the Ian knot. >
  
  No, I was taught one way and stuck with it for 12 years or so, currently I use 3 different ways. >
  
  I only learned the bunny ear way and don't know how to do it the other. I was helping one of my kinders with his shoe the other day and he told me I was doing it the wrong way. Lol >
  
  I once saw a YouTube video about a very quick technique and use this ever since >
  
  When i first learned how to tie my shoes i did the two bunny ears overhand. Around early high school i was pretty embarrassed by it bc i thought it was the kid way of tying shoes. I had to teach myself how to do the one step method that looks like black magic >
  
  I did bunny ears for most of my life growing up, and then at some point in my late teens switched to the traditional way of tying and never went back >
  
  I do either method. Sometimes its easier to bunny ear if your laces are almost too short but the other method is slightly more natural for me. This is actually just not a very good post at all IMO >
  
  I've changed 3 times. Bunny ears was the first and easiest, then it evolved from there >
  
  Bold of you to assume I learned to tie my shoes, I still have the knot that was on them since I bought them >
  
  I've changed many times over the years. Specifically when hiking the Appalachian trail I tried out a lot of different lacing and tying methods to ease foot pain >
  
  I’ve learned a dozen different ways of lacing and tying my shoes out of boredom. 
  I wear flip flops 99.999% of the time. >
  
  I did. Started with the 2 bunny ears, and in my teens learned how to do it with the one loop wrap the other and pull. Faster and cleaner for me. >
  
  My 84-year-old grandfather, who loves standard transmissions more than anyone I know, can only tie his shoes using bunny ears. >
  
  This is a bad one 
  Reading the comments its more common than I thought. 
  I have a regular knot that I was taught. It was wrong to i relearned. 
  I have other styles depending on if I have shin splints or calf pain or blisters or extra thick socks for winter. 
  It's not a one knot does all kind of thing >
  
  I have been using the Ian knot for about a month now, much better. >
  
  Nope, I just learned a new way to tie my shoes with a non-slip knot that doesn't require double knotting. I  can't believe it took me this long (87 years old at the time) to find out. Now it's almost the only way I tie my shoes and boots >
  
  I changed the way I tie my shoes at 32 years old. It was a bit of a struggle to remember to tie my shoes differently at first, but I have not had any issues with them coming untied since I did this. I used to have to stop at least once a day to re-tie my shoes. >
  
  My wife tied her shoes in some really bizarre way and I taught her to how to do it in a simpler, better way. In our late 20s.
  So she changed. >
  
  The scientific term for this is called primacy. I learned this in flight school. Someone will aways remember how to do something the way they were first taught how to do it. >
  
  I watched Matt Parker do a knot in a minimum 2 step knot and haven't looked back. I did this in my 20s it is uncommon but it does happen. >
  
  You should once you start wearing work boots or hiking books. >
  
  I’m seeing a whole lot of knots coming apart, I just use the single tied rabbit ears method and it never comes undone. I guess it has to do with how tight it gets tied >
  
  Eh not really. People naturally change the way they do things so people do change it. Also just recently had a talk at work about this sort of thing, we all learned how to tie our shoes using the same method that's simple for kids but none of use that method anymore, the bunny ear method as we all knew it called. Well except the one guy he still ties his shoes that way which is what started the whole conversation because we thought that was odd. >
  
  I changed some time in my twenties. Went from bunny ears to some other method. >
  
  I learned one way and relearned in college. I had a teacher who taught us if you cast the lace under the loop, instead of over, your bows don't come undone. The tension of walking tightens the bow instead of loosening it. So I changed how I tie my shoes after that and my laces never come undone. Retaught my future husband too lol >
  
  I was told I was making granny knots as an adult and I broke the habit and engrained the habit of square knots. >
  
  I changed @ ~40yrs old. 
  Always used a overhand knot, left over right, and then overhand bow (loop, swoop and pull method) also left over right, then realized after 40 years that it resulted in a granny knot, hence shoes frequently coming untied. 
  Flipping the Loop, Swoop & Pull, habitually, is excessive difficult, but managed to retrain my brain to make the initial knot right over left, which followed by a left over right ‘Loop, Swoop & Pull’ results in a square knot /reef knot and stays tight and snug until you untie it. >
  
  Not true. I learned a new know at the age of 61 and now don't have to retie several times a day. >
  
  I actually learned a new was about 3 years ago. Don´t know if it has a name but it kinda feels like magic. >
  
  I actually change my tying style depending on the length of the string. Bunny ears for short strings. Standard wrap for longer strings. >
  
  I feel like it’s actually true, no matter how many times I tried changing the way I tie my shoes bc there is a simpler way it never worked. >
  
  Thats is completely false, I have changed my method three times >
  
  I changed. 
  Originally sister thought me with two loops (bunny ears) and I switched to 1 loop, with a kind of wrap around and pull the second loop through. >
  
  Nope. I learned a better way in my 30s and tie them the new way. >
  
  Not true. My mom taught me how to do it in a way that I didn't like; so after a couple of weeks, I changed the way I tie my shoes; also, sometimes I try to tie it in a different way, just to see if it's better; they never are better hahaha. >
  
  I learned one way and then changes it when my shoelaces kept coming untied. >
  
  i learned how to tie mine 3 ways and interchange them depending on how much of a rush im in >
  
  Really? My granma taught me two ways at the same time, so I could use whichever I wanted. I went for the fancy way because it was faster.  
  However, later my friend made a prettier bow so I asked her to teach me that, and now I use it and my way depending one the length of the laces. >
  
  Alright funny story: I used to know how to tie my shoes properly, but at some point, strangely, I forgot. Ever since then, I've been using this kinda-sorta knot thing with bows. >
  
  I changed the way I tie laces a year or two again after reading about how the little middle bit should go top to bottom rather than left to right >
  
  And not from a lack of trying. I tried many different types of tying my shoelaces, but none feel natural to me except the one I tried when I first tied my shoelaces. It’s like the first method you use to tie your shoelaces is bonded to you for life. >
  
  Not true
  I know of 3 ways to tie my shoes
  And 2 ways to ways to tie my boots >
  
  I had a stroke in my 30's on my dominant side.  I relearned how to tie shoes (and a million other things) >
  
  Do you guys how did you lace your shoes for the first time ever? I don't remember changing or learning a new style, yet I have a completely blank memory when it comes to such things. >
  
  I have learned 4 ways and use them on different kinds of shoes. Using that extra pair of eyeholes on sneakers the right way makes a huge difference in reducing blisters jogging. >
  
  I learned to tie my shoes like everyone else when  I was young. A few years later, in primary school, my teacher told me that I tie my shoes "backwards".
  Like the tie itself is backwards. I still tie them like that today and I don't have any problems? I never understood what she meant by that. >
  
  I don’t think this is true for a lot of people. (Me included) >
  
  I changed methods about a decade ago.  Never looked back,  it's the only way.  Butchers knot but with a bow. >
  
  I started tying them differently when I was around 23 because of the bow aesthetic >
  
  Not true. I changed the way I tie my shoes when I was 26 to a faster/more efficient method. Now I save at least one second every time I tie my shoes. Incredible. >
  
  New memory unlocked.
  I learned one way, then when I was 8-10 years old one of my teachers showed me a faster/better knot. I've been using it since. >
  
  I didn’t know there was another name for the double slip knot. >
  
  A couple of them, also known as the seaman's shoelace knot. >
  
  Unless you take up running, then you have to learn new and varied lacing and tying techniques 😁. >
  
  Nah. I have learned a number of different ways to tie my shoes over the years. My current favorite is a double slip knot. >
  
  I started doing it differently when I was 30 so, can't say that's true. >
  
  I learned bunny style and switched to Ian in my 20's. 
  Soo yeah >
  
  I changed to a better way than what I was doing about 5 years ago >
  
  I couldn't explain how I tie my shoes off the top of my head, I'd have to have a shoe in front of me to even think about it >
  
  Not true. I tie my shoes bunny ears and Christmas bow style. If I’m feeling crazy I’ll use one method on each foot >
  
  Same with chewing, I suspect.  When chewing, my lower jaw slides across my upper teeth from left to right, then opens slightly (no contact with upper teeth) while it returns to the left and repeats the cycle.  In other words, I chew from my left side to my right.  Changing direction feels weird and never happens spontaneously.  I do wonder if there is any relationship between between handedness and chewing direction (I am right handed). >
  
  I'm a grown ass man that ties my shoes like a little kid and I'm not ashamed to say it.  That "loop, swoop, and pull" never stays tied.  Bunny ears is the way to go. >
  
  I learned with the bunny ears method but eventually switched to the loop-swoop-pull. Then later on I found out about the weak and strong ways of tying that knot and have done it the strong way ever since. >
  
  that's not true at all, i first learned with the bunny ears and now i tie it another way >
  
  I vhanged in high school. Learned how to do the 1 hand thing. >
  
  My son, when he was little, could not tie his shoes. He just couldn't get it. A friend of mine at the time showed him a different way of tying them, a way I had no idea even existed and I couldn't explain if I wanted, and my son mastered it in a matter of minutes. 
  He also holds a pencil completely different from me. Instead of the pencil being kind of pinched between the thumb, index, and middle finger, his pencil sits completely between his index and middle finger and rests on the webbing between those two fingers.
  Sometimes people just need different ways to do things. >
  
  I guess like many other people here it also isn't true for me. I learned bunny ears and now I just don't wear shoes with laces... >
  
  i changed the way i tie my shoes several times during my childhood >
  
  i used to tie my shoes with two bunny ears, and after a few years i changed to the method with just one. (best way i can describe it lmao)