Today NPR released a short segment on why shoelaces come untied. Amazing - it even had a video explanation along with it! The ex-bio nerd in me also loves how they’re using the physics of this explanation to parallel to DNA and biological “knots”. What’s more exciting is that they talk about why it happens and what you can do about it to prevent it.

Secret-not-so-secret about me: I am slightly obsessed with shoelace tying. I get really, and honestly too, excited when I spot someone’s shoelaces undone because I can’t wait to burst out in excitement to share my shoelace tying secret with them. I generally only share this with someone I know or have at least met because, you know, who wants to be taught how to tie their shoelaces when they’re over 5 years old, am I right? It’s a sensitive topic so I choose to tread lightly here. But, OMG, the world of knowledge and power they are missing out on!

About two years ago, I learned how to tie my shoes for the first time. No joke. I mean, I knew how to tie them, but I didn’t know how to TIE them. I was wearing Sperry’s almost every day and I was so upset that my shoe laces would come undone practically every day if not several times in a day. I blamed the shoelaces for the longest time, out of denial that it was in fact ME who doesn’t tie it right. This goes hand-in-hand with programming and many other aspects of life. Sometimes you’re given a different type of shoelaces or a different type of code, but you can’t just blame the code. You have to learn how to work with it because, chances are, it was designed like that for a specific reason right? On a similar note, if your code doesn’t work it’s not the computer’s fault or the code’s fault… it kind of falls back on you.

But I digress - here’s how you should actually tie your shoes: You tie them as normal with the two “bunny ears” or loops method. Except this time instead of just pulling the second loop into place and being done with it, you take that same second loop through the same point twice before pulling it tight. Kind of like you’re doing the last step/looping the final “bunny ear” twice. It’s called the “Surgeon’s Knot,” according to Ian’s Shoelace Site (see photos here too), and it is just about the greatest thing ever. Say goodbye to easily undone shoelaces, especially if you wear Sperry’s. Best of all, to remove this knot it’s just the same tug on either of the two loose ends… no annoying double-knots!

Uniting for better shoelace tying education every day, with love.