How many annoying little things do you encounter every day that you don’t address? When I was still working inside a law firm doing IT support, it was a regular occurrence for me to walk by someone’s office and encounter people doing just that day after day after day.

Here’s how the conversation would usually go:

Them: I’m so glad you walked by. This thing has been driving me crazy for weeks.
Me: Happy to help, but I’m curious. Why didn’t you call the help desk weeks ago?
Them: I kept thinking I should, but I was just too busy to take the time.
Me: Okay, let’s take a look.

What made me think of this is that I recently bought a new hairbrush. The plastic tips had fallen off the bristles of the old one over time, and I finally got tired of it scratching my scalp. Every time I use the new one and it glides smoothly over my scalp, I wonder why I didn’t replace it sooner. As I brushed my hair a few days ago, it occurred to me that I was just like those coworkers I used to help. I wasn’t being mindful of my needs. I wonder why that is.

I was annoyed on a daily basis by that hairbrush, but not sufficiently annoyed that I would actually stop and add hairbrush to my shopping list. Mind you, my shopping list is on my phone, which is generally on the counter right next to the hairbrush! Why do we do this to ourselves?!?! The answer is that we run on autopilot most of the time, especially when completing routine tasks.

Y’all, we have got to slow down and be more mindful of our needs! Honestly, my hairbrush wasn’t that big of a deal. However, back in my support days, I was frequently astounded at the things people would delay getting fixed. They’d take elaborate pains to work around those little annoyances multiple times per day as they bowed down before the “too busy” gods. The irony is that if they hadn’t been “too busy,” they wouldn’t have wasted all that time. Imagine how much that wasted time compounds across all the little things we do in a month. Scary, right?

My #TooBusyChallenge to You

Stop being a zombie and identify at least one little (or big) annoyance that you have been working around or bearing with. Do it right now. Then, do something about it! Next, slow down and watch for those things that are driving you nuts. I’d love it, if you’d comment or use the hashtag #TooBusyChallenge on one of the socials to share what you are tackling. Let’s help each other out and be more mindful of our needs.

 A few suggestions:

• Kitchen or household tools or appliances that are worn out or don’t work properly.
• Yard tools that are worn out or don’t work properly.
• Items to organize an area of your house or office.
• Bras and underwear that have seen better days.
• Computer equipment or software that isn’t working properly.

Lest anyone think I’m judging, know that I’m right here with you. I’ve been wanting to record some videos but have put off setting up my office to do it. I got the equipment, but I need to reconfigure my desk, so no videos yet. I’m putting this out there to get you thinking, but also so I will have the accountability of the #TooBusyChallenge. Why don’t you join me?

Items I purchased recently to take care of some annoyances:

I’m working on getting an 8-week course online. I needed to lay out the promotional calendar, course, and deadlines, so this full-year calendar and sticky notes were just the ticket!

I’m also a big hot tea drinker. The mass of tea boxes, bags, and mess of tea leaves were driving me crazy! The fillable tea bags and organizer below solved all my problems.

In full transparency, you should know that the links below are Amazon affiliate links, so I may earn a few cents, if you buy something. If the links aren’t displaying, you may need to turn off your ad blocker.