Bug List

1)      Searching my House EVERYWHERE for my keys 10 minutes before work starts.

i.                     Why? I always leave my keys in different places.

ii.                   Make a designated key rack by the door and get in the routine of using it.

2)      Having to iron my clothes every day before work.

i.                     Why? My clothes are wrinkled.

ii.                   Hang work clothes back up after every shift so they don’t get wrinkled, rather than throwing them on the floor.

3)      My computer dying on my halfway through an essay for class and losing all my work.

i.                     Why? My computer does not warn me before it dies.

ii.                   Charge my computer over night while I’m asleep so it will be fully charged the next day.

iii.                  Save my progress on an essay after every paragraph typed up.

4)      Getting sent home from work to shave my face even though there is barely any stubble.

i.                     Why? Publix is super strict about facial hair.

ii.                   Although I can’t see I need to shave, hang a sticky note on the mirror to remind me to shave in the mornings, soon enough it will become a daily routine.

5)      Lowering the life of my car by not getting the oil changed frequently enough.

i.                     Why? No light pops up saying I need an oil change.

ii.                   When I get an oil change I can put a reminder in my phone for every 4 weeks to check my mileage and next oil change date.

6)      I sleep with my phone on my bed and sometimes the alarm will go off but I roll onto it and either snoozes the alarm or blocks the sound of the alarm.

i.                     Why? I am afraid I won’t hear my alarm if I am not right next to it.

ii.                   Turn the alarm sound higher and just keep it on my nightstand.

7)      I get off of work at 11, by the time I get changed and get to the gym it almost always closes before I am done with my workout.

i.                     Why? I go to school 9-2 and typically work 3-11.

ii.                   Wake up 3 hours before classes start, go to the gym, then take classes, work, then just go right to bed to have the energy to be up that early the next day.

8)      Phone dying while in the middle of a conversation.

i.                     Why? I start my day with 30% on my phone life.

ii.                   Have a phone charger long enough to reach from the outlet to my bed so I don’t forget to have it charging overnight.

9)      Having to constantly trade shifts with people from work because it conflicts with exams and school events.

i.                     Why? When something is 2 months away, I believe I have plenty of time to take off work.

ii.                   Gather all class syllabus’ and event dates and designate a day to go through my calendar and request every date off, even if it is 2 months away, that way when the time comes I’m available.

10)   Going to check out at a store and leaving my wallet in my car.

i.                     Why? I am focused on my cell phone and what groceries I am going to buy.

ii.                   Have my screensaver on my phone set to a funny picture that has the words “Got Wallet”, due to the fact I check my phone a lot more often than checking my pockets for my wallet.

11)   Ice watering down my soda before I have time to finish it while at work.

i.                     Why? I drink soda throughout my shift when I get thirsty. Not chug all at once.

ii.                   Get two cups, one with ice to pour coke into that I want at the moment, the other cup can be put in the fridge with no ice, next time I want soda, it will be cold and not watered down in the slightest.

12)   Internet going out during an exam at my house.

i.                     Why? I hate driving all the way to the library and finding parking just to take an exam I can take at home on my couch.

ii.                   I and my roommates split the cost of a new router 3 ways so it will be more affordable.

13)   Toothpaste getting stuck to the bottom of the sink.

i.                     I use way too much toothpaste and overflows into the sink and globs up.

ii.                   Use a little less toothpaste on my brush so large clumps aren’t just falling off into the sink.

14)   My dog scratching at the door by 7am every morning to go outside.

i.                     Why? She needs to use the restroom and eat when she wakes up.

ii.                   Keep the dog awake until I go to bed so she will get on my sleep schedule and sleep in until I wake up.

15)   Social Media being a huge procrastinator during homework and studying.

i.                     Why? I hear a “ding” noise and see a really funny video someone tagged me in, 20 minutes later I still haven’t done anything.

ii.                   Turn off push notifications for all apps, that way I check them when I have time, not because “amber just poked me on Facebook”.

16)   Having to wait in the sub line at Publix on my break, making my break way less enjoyable and wasting time I should be sitting down eating.

i.                     Why? When I go on break I am competing with other employees that are on break for food as well as our customers.

ii.                   Check my meal time when I check what time I work for the day and order my sub online for that time.

17)   I have a small lawn business and sometimes during the fall months grass does not need to be cut every week and leaves me having a weird schedule, never knowing when peoples grass needs to be cut.

i.                     Why? I have to drive around town checking peoples yard to see if it needs to be cut, Wasting time and gas on yards that do not need to be taken care of that week.

ii.                   Have automatic emails that are sent out every week to my customers saying if they need their grass cut this week, wait a few days, or wait until next week.

18)   I have to drive past an elementary school every Friday for work right when the kids are released from school, making traffic at a standstill for almost 20 minutes.

i.                     Why? There is only one way to get to my job.

ii.                   Rather than driving a car to work I can ride my bike. Work is only about 15 minutes away by bike which is much quicker than my car and skip frustrating traffic.

19)   Getting food sta

ins on my clothes in between meetings for organizations.

i.                     I am normally on campus all day long and don’t have time to eat at home so I need to find time in my day to go eat out.

ii.                   Find places closer to my meetings so I can sit down and eat… most of the time I spill things on me because I am halfway running with a pita in my hand to the next meeting.

20)   Burning my fingers with one of those tiny lighters trying to light candles to make the house smell good.

i.                     Why? My fingers are too stubby and the lighters are so small but release a big flame.

ii.                   Get a pack of gill lighters and keep them near my candles so I don’t lose them and stop burning my fingertips.

Reflection: The “bug list” activity was very eye opening for multiple reasons. The first thing I realized was how many daily “bugs” I put up with and never do anything about. I saw that most of my bugs were routine errors and lack of time management throughout my day. Another aspect to this activity was that the problems were so hard to find because they are constantly happening in your daily life. As for the solutions those were much easier to come up with because it’s very difficult to compile a solution to a problem you never knew existed. Once the problem was seen, a solution was easy to create.