🧼 The One Small Change That Fixed My Sink

(and My Brain)

You ever make one tiny change…

…and suddenly, the whole system feels new?

That happened to me this week. And it blew my mind.

So here’s the story.

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Before: A Messy Sink, A Messy Mind

For the longest time, my sink was a war zone.

By the end of the day, it would be full of dirty dishes.

Unmanaged. Gross. Unpleasant to look at.

I’d only clean it when it felt disgusting—

which meant I always associated the act of cleaning with guilt and grime.

My process looked like this:

• Pile up dishes throughout the day

• Load them into the dishwasher all at once (usually annoyed)

• Scrub the sink only when it got really nasty

• Feel good for a few hours… until the cycle repeated

It was this subconscious loop I didn’t even realize I was trapped in.

Until something changed.

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The Vacation That Gave Me a System Upgrade

I went to visit my brother for a few weeks.

And I noticed something weirdly inspiring in his kitchen.

They had this tiny wiper—just a simple silicone scraper—

and every time someone rinsed a dish or used the sink,

they’d wipe the sides down. Instantly.

The sink stayed clean.

Like, actually clean.

No food bits. No grime. No buildup.

It was such a tiny habit… but the results were massive.

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After: A New Loop (Built by One Micro-Change)

I came home and thought: “Why don’t I just do that?”

So I moved my own wiper into the sink.

That’s it. One small change.

And now, my sink has been clean 90% of the time.

Because:

• I rinse the dish

• I wipe the sink

• It stays clear

• And that makes me want to keep putting dishes away

It’s no longer a shame-driven cleaning event at the end of the day.

It’s just a part of the rhythm now.

That little tool—repositioned just a few inches—

changed the entire feedback loop.

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The Bigger Lesson That Hit Me

This is about way more than a kitchen sink.

It made me realize:

👉🏼 Sometimes, one tiny shift inside a system

can completely change the way that system behaves.

And the shift doesn’t have to be huge.

It can be:

• Moving one object into easier reach

• Creating one visual cue to help you remember

• Changing when or where something happens

• Removing one friction point that makes you resist starting

It’s about thinking like a system—not just a person.

I’m now looking at every part of my life through this lens.

Where else can I move one thing…

…and change everything?

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🪞Reflection for You

What’s one small, 5% shift you could try this week

that might bring a 95% difference to a habit or system you struggle with?

No overhauls. No pressure.

Just a wiper in a sink.