Travel expert Nicole Dieker suggests taking photos of household appliances when leaving for a trip to reduce anxiety.
Everyone knows the feeling: you’ve left the house and suddenly it hits you. Did I leave the hob on? Are my straighteners currently burning the house down?
You’re faced with the issue – do you go home and check (inevitably finding them off), or leave it, and run the risk of returning home to a pile of ashes?
Dieker, in an article originally posted in 2017, suggests taking photos of those pesky appliances. She argues that, if you’ve taken photos before you leave, when you’re hit with fire-anxiety, you can just check your phone. When you see the photo of your off oven, you know you’re safe. No more making yourself late for the airport because of a last minute dash home.
Where did the idea come from?
The idea came to Dieker after stressing about the new thermostat her landlord had put in. As it was new, she spent the whole first day of her holiday worrying she had forgotten to turn it down. Taking photos became a habit, one that greatly reduced her stress levels.
The great thing about Dieker’s method is that, in taking the photos, you are ridding yourself the need for them, really. The process forces you to look at all your appliances. If you take a picture of the hob, and its on, you’ll probably notice. Hopefully, you’ll then turn it off. Her method is a great exercise in checking the house properly.
Another perk is that, if something does happen to the house while you’re away, you have photo proof it wasn’t your fault. Look: here’s a photo to prove my straighteners were off when I left!
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