Life Lessons From My Robot Vacuum

Learning from machines is fun

India is one of the most populated and labor-intensive countries in the World. Labor is cheap and efficient. Hence, their presence is prevalent in our homes.

Enter Pandemic.

The equation took a complete U-turn. The helpers were forced to migrate back to their homes, and we were forced to pick up the broom, the mop, and the dish-washing liquid.

Life became tough for us and tougher for them.

The occasional surprise offs became an unending wait. The homeowners awoke to the significance of a house helper. A few helping hands are responsible for keeping the home in shape and allow the patrons some extra time for themselves.

When helpers were out of action, there was no choice but to pull out everything we had to manage the show. Physical and mental fatigue soon started appearing, and for homeowners, the battery did not last for too long.

Me, we, and Jack.

School from home + Work from home + Work for home

Soon it was clear that even a minor saving of 15-minutes in the daily cleaning “habit” can save my family and me a lot of stress.

Entered the Robot Vacuum cleaner.

Not one, two, or five; there were 10s of models available in the market. It was a welcome surprise to find so many promises on offer.

Comparing them, choosing one, talking to the vendors, weighing the pros and cons in itself was a tough job. But, the stakes were high. I soon managed to bring one model home. The costliest gift I ever gave to myself!

My robot vacuum is a small, cute, and smart machine.

With just a click of a button, it seamlessly moves across the house, absorbs the dust, cleans the house, and automatically comes back to the docking station.

Day 1 — WOOOOWWWW!!! The home was clean as glass.

Day 3 — Technical snag, and my robot was out of action.

Day 4 — back to the original schedule.

Day 8— Technicians arrive, and the robot was up and running the next day. Woohooooo!!!!

We named this guy — Jack.

Now, each day, a simple command— “Alexa, please ask Jack to clean the home.” Da Daaaaaa. Approximately 60-minutes, and Jack takes care of all the cleaning.

In the last six months, the machine has left me amazed by the technology and the intelligence and efficiency.

Observation in our life is as important as saying “Thank You” but often gets ignored.

Observing Jack for the initial days was fun. He was maneuvering, reading, charting out the path, understanding its surrounding — soon, a few life lessons started emerging.

What did I learn from Jack?

1. Jack Starts, Jack Ends.

Every day Jack starts and ends a new race. Jack comes out of the dock, cleans the home, and goes back. Whenever he is in action, it never comes back without doing the job perfectly well.

Learning — Every time, give your best! When a football player enters the pitch, people expect him to score; past performance doesn’t matter.

2. Jack identifies the path first and then moves. Moves fast.

When Jack arrived, he took a lot of effort in charting out the right path for the first few days. And, once the path was clear, his daily job became easy and fast. Once the path was clear, he knows how to achieve maximum efficiency in the least time.

Did you get the learning?

3. If Jack is in a difficult place, he still manages to come out.

If he is stuck below the sofa or at a difficult section, we don’t need to lift him. I see the struggle, and I am sure that if this guy has found a way to get inside, he will find a way to get out too. And, invariably, all the time, it happens. Jack struggles, but he does the maneuvering, and he comes out unscratched. Every time. Plus, it makes sure that the area is clean too.

Learning — If you found a way to a difficult corner in your life, you will found a way to come out.

4. Jack adjusts to change. Without making a noise.

Even if we change the setting of the furniture, Jack doesn’t mind. He still goes close to the area, reads the new settings, adjusts his path, and comes out strong. It takes him some extra time and effort, but he manages the change.

Learning — Don’t assume a perfect setting each day. Things will move around you; learn to move.

5. Jack makes sure to recharge himself.

Once finished, he goes back to the charging station. He knows that if he doesn’t spend time on the charging station, he won’t be ready for a splendid performance the next day. So, where is your charging station?

Learning — Don’t always look for opportunities to “perform”; take enough rest. Recharge your batteries every day.

6. Jack needs maintenance.

Once Jack finishes the hard part, I spend 5-minutes giving him a quick clean. Remove the hairs, clean the garbage box, wipe the dust around the machine. And, then ready.

Learning — How do you make sure that you are well maintained each day?

7. Jack is smart to ignore the area which doesn’t need attention.

I have an option to ignore the rooms or areas which I don’t want Jack to clean. Why don’t we make such options in our daily lives? Leave the areas which are not important!

Learning — If we can program our minds to ignore a few areas of our lives, our minds will act like Jack and follow our command.

8. If Jack has a problem, it makes noise for help.

When Jack has a problem, it doesn’t stand still in one place. It makes noise for help. It beeps, my phone vibrates, and both of them make sure that I go and attend to him.

If something is stuck — I release it. If the machine’s electric point is loose — I manage the docking station. If nothing works — I ask for the technician's help. There is always a solution to get him back on the job.

Learning — Don’t stand still if you are in a problem. If you are stuck, take help. What’s the hitch? Why the ego?

Thank You note: Halfway through the draft, I came across a similar-looking story on Medium. Thanks, Rose Bak, for your story. Your story helped me frame up my thoughts further.

Nishith is a Marathoner, an avid reader, author, YouTuber, Podcaster, a diarist, a personal transformation coach, and creator of a unique self-transformation platform — “Be Better Bit-By-Bit.”

Nishith’s debut book — Be Better Bit-By-Bit, is available on Amazon (Paperback and e-book). Listen to his podcasts Be Better Bit-By-Bit and 10 Bullets — 100 Words Book Summary.