The $300 Cup of Tea

also known as: “Adapting your Environment is Easier than Changing your Behavior”

I drink tea at my desk. Right next to my computer. Yes, I know you’re supposed to keep liquids away from your computer. But I had never had a problem. . .until I did.

An afternoon tea, a cluttered desk, and an awkward arm movement resulted in a spectacular spill right across the mousepad of my laptop. 

My 4 month-old laptop. The laptop I got through a really good Black Friday deal but still cost over a thousand dollars. The laptop I used to run my entire business.

Ouch. Thankfully my IT guy had persuaded me to purchase Apple Care (thank you Max!) and my data was backed up in Time Machine. 

A visit to my local Apple store verified the mousepad and lower half of the keyboard were toast. Very, very soggy toast. My laptop was confiscated for repairs and I was out $300 for the cost of labor. I also had no work laptop for 10 days.

Yeah, yeah, I know. It was my own fault. 

While the situation was bad, it could have been a lot worse. Because of Apple Care and Time Machine backup, I paid $300 instead of the full cost of a new laptop and my data was safe.

Traditional wisdom says I should learn my lesson and not have drinks at my desk. I’ve never been one to go with the flow. There’s no way I’m giving up drinking tea and coffee at my desk. 

But what if I modify my environment? It’s an Organizing trick - modify your environment. It’s easier than learning a new behavior. Trash piling up at the end of your couch? Put a trash can there. 

In my case, I know I won’t remember to keep my tea in a safe place where it can’t spill. But, I can put my laptop on a monitor stand so that it’s out of the way of a potential spill.

Result - I get my tea and I’ve made a safer environment for my laptop. It’s not completely foolproof but it’s something I can live with.

So, what did the $300 cup of tea teach me? First, insurance and backing up your data are crucial. Second, hack your environment. It’s much faster than learning a new behavior. 

So, how can you hack your environment?