I admit, this is a silly problem.
The water filter on my refrigerator has been in need of changing for longer than I care to admit. Not just that the little light was on telling me it was time to change, that is easy enough to ignore. The water had slowed down to a glacial pace when filling up a glass of water.
Finally, the other morning, I had enough. After another session of filling up the water glass in the morning, I immediately pulled out my phone, opened my apartment’s residence app and put in a work request for a new water filter. (Yes, I live in an apartment and don’t even have to do this myself!)
Within 6 hours, the problem has been resolved and the water is flowing like Niagara Falls (I even overflowed a couple glasses because I was so used to it being slow).
After enjoying a few glasses of fresh water, I found myself wondering why I suffered for so long when the issue could be resolved in less than 2 minutes of my effort.
I procrastinate in many other arenas, ones that I can make much better excuses for, but putting in a work request? Come on man.
“The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit. We don’t just put off our lives today, we put them off til our deathbed.” While perhaps a bit extreme in the case of changing a water filter, I did change the filter after all. This line from The Art of War by Steven Pressfield stood out to me because this incident made it clear that I was making procrastination a habit.
The water filter became just another thing that “I will get to tomorrow.” Another minor task looming over me. I wasn’t thinking about the water filter all the time, but I was reminded of it every time I was thirsty.
It was easier to continue to live with the default option than take action.
This is a widely documented phenomenon in the field of behavioral economics. Many studies have shown that when there is a default option – in other words, the option that will prevail if the chooser does nothing – most people will stick with that default even if it is not in their best interest. This has been proven when it comes to activities ranging from saving for retirement to choosing a healthcare plan.
So what happened with my water filter? I chose to stick with the default. Other options, like addressing the problem, were very much available, but I was content with the status quo.
What are some things I can do to prevent this in the future?
Maybe set a reminder on my phone for a few months from now reminding me to put in the work request for a new filter before it starts going bad.
But even more broadly, these tasks and decisions that we punt on weigh on us. The best thing to do with a nagging problem like this is to just do it now. Or at a minimum do it early. I find that when I knock out activities like maintenance requests in the morning I feel some sense of accomplishment. Additionally, tasks like this at the end of the day tend to be draining to me. Get it done, get it over with before the day takes over.
I challenge you to think about the water filters that need changing in your life and just fucking do it.
And if you are still reading and think I am an idiot for writing this piece about my water filter, I will leave you with this quote from Nudge by Richard Thaler.
“People aren’t dumb. The world is hard.”
Here is to making the world a little easier.
Jeff Kruman 