Why Is Picking Up a Bobby Pin Harder Than Running a Business?

The Struggle Is Real (And Weirdly Humiliating)

There are few things in life more frustrating than attempting to pick up a single bobby pin off the floor. It should be easy. It should take half a second. And yet.

There I am—bent at an awkward angle, swiping at the floor like Swiper from Dora the Explorer, completely baffled by my own lack of coordination. Why is it so hard to grab a tiny piece of metal?! I even gaze up at God and say aloud “Really, Really? Nice.” That’s right, I blame the lord for when I can’t pick things up on the first try.

The Bobby Pin vs. Human Dexterity Showdown

At this point, I have three choices:

✅ Abandon it completely and pretend I never saw it. (Best option.)
✅ Keep awkwardly swiping at it for an embarrassing amount of time. (Worse option.)
✅ Sigh dramatically, accept my fate, and bend all the way down to pick it up like a responsible adult. (Rare option.)

Let’s be honest—lightly kicking it under the fridge for my spouse to find later ends up being the way I go every time.

The Real Science Behind It (Because Clearly, There’s a Conspiracy)

Physics has entered the room. Bobby pins are small, lightweight, and flat, which means they have minimal surface area for your fingers to get a grip on. Combine that with the friction between the pin and the floor, and you’ve got a tiny object that refuses to cooperate with basic human dexterity.

And if you’re on a smooth surface like hardwood or tile? Forget it. That little sucker is cemented to the ground like it’s been superglued there by forces unknown.

Right About Now, You’re Thinking—How in the Hell Do Bobby Pins Relate to Being an Entrepreneur?

This whole bobby pin debacle is oddly similar to the small tasks we actively avoid in business and life.

The quick email reply that turns into a 12-minute overthought draft.
The invoice that could be sent in two seconds but gets postponed for three weeks.
The follow-up call that somehow feels harder than filing taxes.
The business idea you know could be great but never actually start.
The difficult conversation you’ve been putting off because it’s easier to avoid than address.

And the longer you ignore it, the more impossible it feels to tackle.

But it’s not just putting things off that gets frustrating—it’s failing at them multiple times first.

Just like failing to pick up the same damn bobby pin 17 times in a row makes you want to throw it across the room, repeatedly attempting to solve a business problem that keeps slipping through your fingers can be infuriating.

Ever tried to fix a website glitch? Understand technology? Send an email over low Wi-Fi signal? It’s the same soul-sucking energy.

The Bobby Pins Are Multiplying & My Husband Is Over It

Despite my best efforts to keep them spayed and neutered, bobby pins breed overnight.

My husband picks them up constantly, yet every morning, there are more. They migrate. They spawn. They wait until he steps out of bed barefoot just to remind him of their existence.

At this point, I can only assume there is an entire secret society of bobby pins living in my house, in my hair, and I am merely a pawn in their game.

Small Tasks = Bobby Pins: Ignore Them & They Multiply

In business (and in life), the smallest tasks are the ones that pile up the fastest. You think it’s no big deal to push them off another day—until suddenly, you’re staring at a Gremlins-level situation where every little thing you’ve ignored has tripled in size.

And now? You don’t know where to start.

So, what’s the fix? Start small. And also, have a full-blown negotiation with yourself if that’s what it takes.

The Bobby Pin Productivity Plan: Tackling Small Tasks Before They Take Over

✅ Tackle the smallest, most annoying task first.
This is easier said than done, so here’s a trick: I talk myself into it. Literally. I say out loud,
"RaeAnne, you are putting this off, why? There’s no reason. Get up, and get going right now and Get. It. Done."
Do I bully myself into doing things? Guilty. But hey, it works for me.

✅ Put systems in place.
Automate emails, create templates, make life easier for Future You. Because let’s be real—Past You is the one who made this mess, and Present You is dealing with the consequences.

✅ Make it a game.
Time yourself, make a checklist, whatever tricks your brain into thinking it’s fun. There’s a reason why we all get weirdly competitive over stupid things. Harness that energy.
My personal fave? Pretending that if I don’t complete my top five micro-tasks before a certain artist plays on the radio, my car will explode in the driveway. I never said I was normal.

✅ Use the "5-Second Rule" (And No, Not for Food).
This is a real productivity trick: If something takes less than 5 minutes, do it immediately. No procrastinating. No overthinking. Just get it done before your brain tries to talk you out of it.

Final Thoughts: The Business of Bobby Pins

Picking up a single bobby pin should not be difficult, yet here we are.

Just like in business, it’s never really about the bobby pin. It’s about the frustration of small, annoying tasks that we put off until they snowball into a bigger deal than they ever should have been.

So the next time you catch yourself ignoring that tiny thing that needs to get done, or avoiding that difficult conversation, just remember if you don’t handle it now, it’s only going to multiply. And we all remember how that ended for Gremlins.

💡 Have you ever purposely kicked something under the fridge just to avoid dealing with it?