Our ability to adapt is both a superpower and a liability

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

One of our most amazing skills is the ability to adapt. But this skill can also be a liability because we start accepting things that make our lives less convenient, less productive, and ultimately less happy.

For example, my laptop’s power cord barely reaches the wall outlet in my home office. Consequently, I would carefully step over the cord each morning to ensure I didn’t trip trying to get to my desk. This task became even more treacherous if my hands were full with a plate of food and my morning coffee.

After nearly a year, it dawned on me that I could easily solve this problem by buying an extension cord. Voila, now I could get to my desk without fear of faceplanting on the floor.

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Top photo: I had to take extra care when stepping over my laptop cord; Bottom photo: While it may seem like a no-brainer, taking the time to plug my laptop cord into a power strip with a longer cord has been a game-changer; Images courtesy of the author.

While this tip may seem insanely obvious, it’s tiny, daily inconveniences like these that we willingly accept and that take up precious energy.

You may have heard of CEOs who wear the same outfit every day so that they have one less trivial thing to think about. To me, tackling life’s minor nuisances is the same concept.

Photo credit: ntkris/Shutterstock.com

What are some micro stressors in your life? Maybe you can never find your keys, or you always forget to take your vitamins, or you’re constantly tripping over your laptop cord.

Rather than simply adapting around these inconveniences, I challenge you to take tiny steps to make your life easier, allowing you to focus on more important things. Keep a tray by your front door that holds your keys, download an app that helps you with administrative tasks. And, in my case, take literally 2 minutes to find a spare extension cord.