I was cleaning a flue in a 1920s bungalow and the homeowner asked why I never checked the smoke shelf.

I had been just vacuuming the main chamber for years, but that one question sent me back to my old training manual. Has anyone else had a basic step they totally missed for a long time?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_seth3mo ago

Yeah that's a great point, it's wild how easy it is to skip a step once it becomes routine lol.

jesseb203mo ago

Totally, that "skip a step" thing is real. I started putting a physical checklist next to my work area for tasks I do on autopilot. It sounds dumb, but having to look at the list and check off each point forces my brain to slow down and actually do the full process. I still mess up sometimes, but way less often. It's the only thing that's worked for me.

the_val20d ago

Seth's got it right, it's amazing how those muscle memory screw-ups can snowball. I used to keep my keys in the same pocket every day for years, then one morning I absentmindedly tossed them in my bag instead. Spent 20 minutes tearing my house apart before I found them in the bottom of my lunch tote. The checklist thing works though, I had a buddy put a sticky note on his coffee maker just to remind himself to put the pot under it before hitting brew. Saved both his counter and his marriage after the third time he flooded the kitchen. It's those tiny brain farts that get you.