Stop Tolerating the Little Things: Tiny Fixes That Make Life Easier

Do you have a tiny annoyance you keep living with—like gunk on your iPad screen, dirty glasses, or something around the house that almost works but not quite? In this episode, we talk about tolerations: those little everyday frustrations we tell ourselves aren’t worth dealing with… even though they keep charging us a fee in irritation and mental energy.

We also touch on how perfectionism can sneak in here—when we tell ourselves we have to do something the “right” way (with the “right” supplies) or not bother at all. We share a bunch of real-life examples (including one very satisfying vacuum “shim” and a WD-40 moment we’re still proud of), plus an easy way to spot your own tolerations and knock them down in small, good-enough steps.

What We Talk About

1. 02:27 – The “gunk on the iPad” toleration: how not cleaning it becomes a recurring energy drain
2. 03:33 – When a tiny task feels like a big job: the story we tell ourselves about needing the “right” supplies
3. 05:03 – A satisfying quick fix: shimming a vacuum wand with folded cardboard (and why it feels so good)
4. 06:18 – Fixing a long-term tech annoyance: the Mac dock that jumps monitors, and the simple downloadable solution
5. 09:13 – The hidden cost of small discomfort: how daily friction wears on us over time
6. 10:42 – Keys, clutter, and systems: simplifying a too-full key setup and creating a lock box for rarely-used keys
7. 16:17 – The “just one thing” solution: how removing just one coat can make a cramped closet feel easier
8. 18:34 – Turning a small fix into a big project: when “I could blog about it” makes it harder to start
9. 19:08 – The tolerations list idea: making a list, tackling it 5–10 minutes at a time, and enjoying the wins
10. 21:53 – The WD-40 effect: how one fix makes future fixes easier (and why it only takes a few minutes)
11. 22:23 – Listener challenge: what are you going to “WD-40” in your life this week?

Key Takeaways

1. Tolerations have a hidden cost: Even small annoyances take energy—every time we notice them, avoid them, or think about fixing them.
2. Good-enough fixes are often enough: We don’t have to do it perfectly. A quick wipe, a simple workaround, or a small system tweak can make life smoother.
3. Small wins keep paying you back: Fix something once, and you get a little hit of satisfaction every time you use it afterward.
4. Reduce friction in the places you touch every day: Keys, coats, cables, drawers—tiny improvements in high-traffic spots can make your whole day feel easier.
5. Make a “tolerations list” and work it in short bursts: When we write them down, those semi-subliminal annoyances become visible—and way more doable.

The Bottom Line

Tolerations are sneaky. They seem too small to bother with, but they can take up way more energy than we realize. The good news is that a lot of them don’t require a big overhaul—just a quick, good-enough fix that makes things quieter, smoother, and less annoying.

Listener Action: Pick one toleration and make it 20% better this week. Set a timer for 10 minutes, do what you can, and then notice how it feels the next time you run into that thing.

Want More Like This?

Episode 63: Tolerations If you've been around for awhile, you'll know we’ve been talking about tolerations for a long time. In this version, we dig more into what tolerations are, why they drain our energy, and how to address them without letting perfectionism run the show.

Episode 90: Acting on Good Impulses If you ever have that quick “I should just take care of that” thought and then ignore it, you’re not alone. In this episode, we talk about noticing those good impulses and acting on them while they’re fresh—so small annoyances don’t keep hanging around and draining your energy.

Episode 153: Helping Your Future Self When we do a small thing now, future-us gets a little gift—and present-us gets a little relief. We talk about strategies for letting go of perfectionism and taking action in ways your future self will genuinely thank you for.

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Connect With Us

What are you going to “WD-40” in your life this week?

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• Email: gettingtogoodenough@gmail.com

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