Life's Little Irritations and Annoyances That Can't Be Helped

Ranked #11,369 in Culture & Society, #230,259 overall

Do Little Things Get Us Down More Than Big Things?

What little things irritate you? What makes you see red, that annoys no one else. I seem to be reasonably calm when quite major things go wrong but feel the mercury rising when for instance the coat I just hung up flops to the floor as I walk away. And did I tell you to stop munching that apple right in my ear!

I'm not suggesting that anything much can be done about these peeves, but it's real nice to get them out of my system, do any of mine match yours?

Definition of Annoyance

Annoyance is an unpleasant mental state that is characterized by such effects as irritation and distraction from one's conscious thinking. It can lead to emotions such as frustration and anger. The property of being easily annoyed is called petulance. Annoyance and irritation can sometimes build up over time to be unbearable even though the annoyance itself is small. My father always left the spoon in his mug, and the noise of it swinging round the cup every time he took a sip drove me potty.

Top Ten Annoyances

Heck I know there are a lot more serious things going on in the world, but really it's the little things that I bump into every day that get my goat.

Equipment Beeping

Somewhere a cellphone or any other battery-powered more...1 point

Going into town and do all BUT the most important thing

You get back and there's that big check/cheque you more...0 points

Letters that needed posting

The letters you placed on your passenger seat are more...0 points

You park your auto in a remote corner because you don't want to risk it getting scratched

But when you return other autos are clustered arou more...0 points

You have carefully prepared a document/map for a meeting

Later on the way , you realize it's still on the p more...0 points

Forgotten USB Memory Stick

All the files you got ready for the meeting includ more...0 points

You've Mislaid your Cell Phone so Why Don't You Ring it?

Because Cuckoo you forgot to switch off SILENT mod more...0 points

You are telling some story/anecdote to a friend/colleague

Half way through you realize, you've likely told t more...0 points

Tight Return Envelopes

Your insurance/credit card company have provided a more...0 points

You are telling some story/anecdote to a friend/colleague

Whoops here I go again!0 points

You've put special expensive photo or label paper into the printer

In the mean time you absent-mindedly print somethi more...0 points

Staining or tearing or scratching your brand new shirt,blouse

On the very first day you wear it!0 points

Annoyances Books

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More Peeves and Annoyances

  • Cables Knotting/Tangling
    You lay a cable down and immediately pick it up again, too late it's already tangled hopelessly
  • Typing in a Vacuum
    You are typing away but when you look at the screen you find you weren't in the right window so all your typing is lost
  • Websites with Confusing Navigation
    You know what you want to do, but you cannot find the link. This often occurs on an expensive government or corporate website
  • Cell phone and Gadget Cables
    Nearly all look the same but oh no they're not
  • Your Cell Phone Rings
    But by time you find which pocket it's in and get it out they ring off
  • Ruining your Brand New Thing the First Day!
    Yep you spill something on your new shirt, it wouldn't have mattered with your old one!
  • Don't Eat/Crunch an Apple Near Me!
    It's a torture to me, like a drip-drip torture.
  • Self-Undoing Shoes
    Expensive business/wedding shoes seem to have always self-undoing shoelaces, programmed to undo approximately every 30 minutes, to make you look extra cool in front of your potential client.
  • Replacing a Beloved Clothing Item
    Try finding the same model of shoes or jacket or skirt or pants 12 months later; impossible. Usually the same for tools, equipment,furniture etc
  • You finally get to bed and reach for your book
    Then you remember that you haven't got your glasses, got to check door locked etc.
  • Websites that Time-out
    The complicated website booking form that you've been painstakingly completing announces when you finally click the Submit button that it has "Timed Out"!!!
  • That Buzzing Fly
    That idiot buzzing fly that cannot find its way back out the open window!
  • Product Dispensers
    That unless you take extreme care dispense much too much shaving gel, cream, sauce or whatever.

Other People's Peeves

  1. Price Labels
    Price Labels that only partially remove from a product, leaving a worse mess than if you left it alone
  2. Indestructible Clam Packaging
    e.g.Plastic clam shell packaging
  3. Going Upstairs to Do A Job
    Do a couple of things that needed doing but entirely forgetting what you ORIGINALLY meant to do.

Hole in the Bucket Days

Everyday Paranoia

I had an urgent parcel to post before going to an important meeting.

The following is the sequence of events




  • The Franking machine stops working, no problem I pass a Post Office on the way to the meeting

  • I find in the rush I've forgotten my wallet, no problem I keep a few coins in my car

  • Whoops I've already used those and not replaced them

  • So what do I do miss the meeting or go back and get my wallet?



All these things were my fault but all the same I feel an inner rage at the injustice of it all

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What Little Annoyances Drive You Crazy

  • Edutopia Feb 14, 2012 @ 8:49 am | delete
    I tend to think that people only get annoyed with things when the thing is sufficiently small enough that the person COULD have influence or control over the thing but currently DOES NOT have influence or control over the thing.
  • JaguarJulie Dec 14, 2010 @ 3:56 pm | delete
    Hmmm, where do we start? Can I have a consultation. It's usually when I haven't slept very well that I tend to think of annoyances. Lately? Mom making me feel YOUNG again; seriously! Seriously young. You know?
  • Dec 14, 2010 @ 7:15 am | delete
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  • Tipi Nov 8, 2010 @ 9:35 pm | delete
    It is the little things that make us crazy for sure! You've got several examples that hit home for me. For some reason it's always bothered me when someone can't walk over a scatter rug without messing it up. Now that sounds silly even to me!
  • thesuccess Nov 9, 2010 @ 2:51 pm | delete
    You really made me laugh, I could just imagine it!
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