We all have small irritants in life. They’re often issues that seem small on the surface but can really be quite inconvenient and annoying when they happen. For example, have you ever had the power go out when you’re taking a shower? What about the batteries dying in your electric razor halfway through a shave? Sometimes, having no hot water could mean boiling your kettle and having a rudimentary morning wash from the sink. All fixable, but never encouraging.
Luckily, it’s good that some of these annoyances can be prevented, or at the very least resolved quickly and easily if you have good planning. That way, the feeling you mostly experience won’t just be an annoyance, it will be a twinge of inconvenience met with the relief of an immediate fix.
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Without further ado, let’s consider ten life annoyances, and how to deal with them:
- Traffic Jams
This happens to us all sooner or later, even if we don’t drive. While such an outcome can’t be avoided forever, you can use GPS apps to help alert you to accidents, keep an ear out for your local radio traffic updates, and plan backup routes on your journey. Having audiobooks or podcasts to listen to can also help. Sure, you won’t have fixed the issue for good, but at the very least you can feel calm while you wait through it.
- Long Queues
If you can, getting to your destination early can help you avoid the long queue, or going at off-peak times can also help (like voting after most people are attending their 9-5). Having noise-cancelling headphones can also help you pass the time in peace.
- Noisy Neighbors
Speak to them directly, and be polite. If you’re ignored, document the noise pollution, record it with your smartphone, and submit a complaint to your local authorities. If nothing happens, contact the police. Also, talk to other neighbors who may be suffering. You can take action, but it’s about incremental steps.
- Spam Calls
Block and report all numbers that spam you. Google a number if you’re not sure, usually other people have reported it. Many law enforcement agencies also have numbers you can text with the contact info of the spam caller, which they can then take action against. Or, you could use the tried and tested method.
- Slow Internet
Consider resetting the router. If that doesn’t work, check if you have any work going on in your local area or if the ISP has notified you of slow speeds. You can also check how many devices are downloading content in the household, if any. Always complain and report the issue and downtime if encountering this consistently.
- Misplacing Keys
Adding a small airtag (or similar device) can be a great solution to fixing losing your keys for good. Having a spare house key can help too. Also, having the contact information for a reliable downtown locksmith can help you get back into your car or house if you have no idea where your keys are, providing you the chance to get back in with a small wait.
- Forgetting Passwords
Logging back into an account we haven’t used for some time can be frustrating to say the least, but it’s entirely possible with a little work. Forgetting passwords is difficult, but can be overcome by contacting the support of the service you use and providing information to let you back into the account. From there, saving your passwords in a password manager like Bitwarden can be helpful, as it prevents you from having to note down your passwords in a thousand different places but forgetting all of those, too.
- Endless Emails
Have you ever come into work after a period of weeks off only to see thousands of emails accruing? Perhaps you’re tired of the constant pings and alerts from random email lists you’ve been on for years, or old services you no longer use. Endless emails are annoying, certainly, but you can organize them. Setting up basic filters in your inbox can help you send certain options to spam or to your important folder. You can also unsubscribe from the newsletters of past services if you click at the bottom of each email where the option will be shown. In addition, you can set up scheduled notifications on your phone so you only get email alerts at a couple of times a day, instead of pinging constantly no matter where you go.
- Unwanted Charges
It can be annoying becoming repeatedly charged for a service you no longer use. Cancelling the subscription for good can help, but if you don’t have access to that account, you can detach from it by moving your money into a savings account, withdrawing when you need it, and let those subscriptions lapse on their own. You can also report any unwanted charges to your bank or process a chargeback, which should provide you with a clear-cut and helpful means of recovering any undue money taken from your account. You might also open a second bank account with an app-only bank that might be solely for subscriptions, limiting your exposure to unwanted charges from your main balance.
- Needy Friends Or Relatives
It’s nice to be wanted, and it’s nice to be appreciated, but sometimes it can be tough managing someone who needs you all of the time or expects you to cede attention to them (our children and partners, or those we care for don’t count in this, of course). In these circumstances, being clear is important. Perhaps you’re not interested in going to every social event at work, and politely telling that one colleague so is important. The same can go for friends who might be a little too keen. Sometimes, being direct but still respectful can help you avoid feeling obliged to move in a million directions, when you have your own life and loved individuals to care for.
With this advice, we hope you can overcome 10 life annoyances. There may be more out there, but this is a good start.
This is a contributed post.
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