Just Hold Down the Button

It’s a clever idea, to put a water filtration machine in your hotel hallway. Everyone gets as much water as they want, and no one has to pay ridiculous mini bar prices.

I went out to refill our bottle at night. To get water, you had to press the bottle against a lever, then wait until it’s full. I was tired and thought I’d be clever, so I tried to place the bottle in a way that would push the button and allow me to let go while I wait.

My first attempt failed. So did the second. And the third. Then, I realized: “What are you doing? It’s 30 seconds. Just hold down the button.” I gave up—and by that I mean I finally accepted the task as it was. I pressed the bottle against the trigger, waited a bit, and voilà, my bottle was full.

Sometimes, the work is easier than the workaround. Don’t try to outsmart what only needs doing.

Nik

Niklas Göke writes for dreamers, doers, and unbroken optimists. A self-taught writer with more than a decade of experience, Nik has published over 2,000 articles. His work has attracted tens of millions of readers and been featured in places like Business Insider, CNBC, Lifehacker, and many others. Nik has self-published 2 books thus far, most recently 2-Minute Pep Talks. Outside of his day job and daily blog, Nik loves reading, video games, and pizza, which he eats plenty a slice of in Munich, Germany, where he resides.