Gain Control in a World Out Of Control
The World Feels on Fire
Chaotic.
Scary.
Like big monster forces are wreaking havoc on our lives and we have very little influence over what happens next.
And that chaos feeds on uncertainty, which fuels our fear and makes us feel like things are spinning beyond our control. This makes it easy to fall into the belief that everything is wrong and there’s nothing we can do about it.
But that’s not true.
While we may not be able to control the bigger forces around us, we usually have far more influence over the smaller parts of our lives than we realize. And taking control of those smaller things can do something surprisingly powerful for our mental state.
For years, our silverware drawer drove me crazy…
The wooden tray we use to organize our silverware is slightly shorter than the length of the drawer. This meant that every time I opened or closed the drawer, the tray would slide forward into the deeper part of the drawer.
Every.
Single.
Time.
So, whenever I opened it, I had to pull the tray back down again just to grab a fork.
Not a major problem, I know. But for me it was a small and constant irritation because in my head, a silverware tray should be designed to fit the drawer it rests in.
But apparently our drawer is an odd size, and finding a replacement tray that fit well was a dead end. I had even thought about trying to wedge something at the top of it to stop it from sliding, but I never found anything that worked.
So, the drawer stayed annoying.
For years.
Then recently, a very simple idea hit me. I have a pack of small double-sided adhesive pads in my office. Why don’t I just stick a few of them underneath the tray so it would stay in place?
And that’s all it took.
Thirty seconds later the problem was solved. The drawer opened and closed normally, and the tray stayed exactly where it belonged. What had been a constant frustration for years disappeared almost instantly.
And fixing that small annoyance felt good.
Really good.
Because something that had been irritating me every day was finally handled.
Something else I had been tolerating for far too long were the dim lightbulbs in my office. I had thought about replacing them many times but never got around to doing it until one of my bulbs burned out. So, I took a 10-minute drive to Home Depot, grabbed a few brighter bulbs, went back home, and swapped them out.
Another simple fix.
Another small improvement to my life.
And another thing that was always within my control.
Why moments like this feel so satisfying.
See, when we have unfinished tasks, even small things, our brain keeps them active in the background, creating a subtle sense of tension until it’s completed. This is called the Zeigarnik Effect.
In other words, small unresolved problems can stack up and add to our sense that the world is out of control.
That silverware drawer was one of those problems for me. Every time I opened it, my brain registered the irritation again. And the same thing happens with dozens of other small things we allow to linger in our environment…
A lightbulb that needs replacing.
A loose screw.
A fridge that needs cleaning.
A torn screen.
Unread emails.
Low wiper fluid.
A disorganized closet.
You get the idea?
None of these things are overwhelming by themselves, but when enough of them pile up, they begin to create a subtle feeling that everything around us is off. And when that feeling lingers long enough, it becomes easy to convince ourselves that everything in our world is wrong and out of our control.
But odds are, everything isn’t wrong. And there’s always something within our control.
Like a handful of small things that have been quietly waiting for our attention.
And those small wins you get by dealing with them have a positive impact on your mood and motivation to do more. Meaning tiny progress can give you a greater sense of control over your life.
We also tend to overestimate just how long most of those things will take. Which is why these little problems linger in our lives longer than they should. But the truth is, many of the small annoyances we tolerate every day could be solved in just a few minutes.
And in chaotic times, those small actions matter more than we think. Taking care of something simple—fixing the drawer, replacing the bulb, clearing a cluttered corner—reminds us that while we can’t shape everything happening in the world, we can still improve the environment we live in.
And sometimes that’s exactly the reset our minds need.
So now what?
Take a look around your space. What’s one small thing you’ve been tolerating that could be fixed or handled in 15 minutes or less?
It might be something broken, something cluttered, or something you’ve been meaning to take care of but keep putting off. Whatever it is, give yourself a few minutes and deal with it.
I dare you.
And when you’re done, you might notice something interesting…
That even in a chaotic world, there are still things within your control.
Ever upward.
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