Yeah, that prompt is a trap because it's trying too hard to be deep. It sets you up to write something vague and pointless, which is exactly what you fought. I've seen contest prompts that are basically just a fancy way of saying "write about disappointment." Next time, I'd take the literal object and force it to open something completely unexpected, like a character's own stubbornness.

Man, I was the same way with those little makeup sponges that look like eggs. Thought they were the dumbest cash grab ever... swore by my trusty old brush. Then I tried one on a whim and ended up looking like I actually knew how to blend my foundation for once. Felt pretty silly for all my earlier ranting about it.

Dude, that's awesome! I hit 300 inspections last year and it hit me the same way. Found a whole family of raccoons living in a chimney on number 297, place could have gone up like a tinderbox. Those numbers really do sneak up on you.

My old shop teacher called that "letting the hammer do the work." He said if you're swinging full force, you're just fighting the rebound. I started aiming for a rhythm where the hammer almost bounces back into the next strike.

Yeah that's actually a thing I read about somewhere, how just putting your phone down can make you move faster without even trying. Your brain isn't split between walking and thinking about notifications, so your body just finds its natural rhythm. Shaving 13 minutes off is huge, that's basically free time you just got back every day. Makes me want to try leaving my phone behind more often, lol.