ChatGPT Confession #005
I Asked ChatGPT How to Start a Dishwasher (yes… really)

A while ago, I went to visit my son Jordan in Melbourne at his new apartment. He showed me around like a proud adult who had officially figured life out. Nice kitchen, modern appliances, everything looking far more sophisticated than anything I had at home.

The next morning, he left for work, and I did what mums do. I started cooking, then naturally moved on to cleaning. That’s when I ran into something I didn’t expect to struggle with.

The moment I met the dishwasher

The dishwasher looked simple enough. But the second I opened it and looked at the controls, I froze. Buttons, lights, and symbols that made absolutely no sense to me.

I pressed one button. Nothing happened. Tried another. Still nothing. At that point, it felt less like a kitchen appliance and more like the control panel of a small aircraft.

Two choices… and one ego on the line

I had a decision to make. I could pretend I knew what I was doing and risk breaking Jordan’s brand new dishwasher, or I could admit defeat and ask for help.

There was no way I was calling him at work to say I couldn’t start a dishwasher. So I did the only logical thing.

I opened ChatGPT.

What I actually did

I took a photo of the inside of the dishwasher, included the model, and asked a simple question. No overthinking, no perfectly crafted prompt, just a straightforward request for help.

I have this dishwasher (attached image). I haven’t used one in years and I don’t understand the buttons. Can you explain how to start it in simple steps and what I can ignore?

What happened next

Within seconds, I had a clear explanation. It told me exactly where the tablet goes, which button actually starts the cycle, and which settings I didn’t need to worry about.

No guessing. No trial and error. Just a simple, confident answer that made the whole thing feel ridiculously easy.

Dishwasher successfully launched. Kitchen cleaned. Reputation as a capable adult intact.

What surprised me most

It wasn’t just that ChatGPT gave me the answer. It was how quickly it removed the hesitation. I didn’t have to interpret instructions or second-guess myself. I just followed what it said and moved on.

And honestly, that’s what made the biggest difference.

What this made me realise

This wasn’t about not knowing how to use a dishwasher. It was about not wanting to waste time or mental energy figuring out something that didn’t actually matter.

We all hit that point during the day where even simple decisions feel harder than they should. That’s where AI becomes far more useful than people realise.

Why I asked ChatGPT instead of figuring it out

I could have stood there pressing buttons until something worked. I could have Googled it and read through a few articles. But I didn’t want friction. I wanted a clear answer immediately.

And that’s exactly what I got.

What this means for small business owners

Most people think AI is only useful for big tasks like writing content or creating strategies. But the real value often comes from removing all the small moments of friction throughout your day.

Things like figuring out tools, writing quick responses, checking decisions, or solving small problems instantly. Individually, they don’t seem significant. But together, they easily add up to hours every week.

This is exactly the kind of thing I break down inside Wait … You Can Do That? Save 8-12 hours a week with AI without overwhelm – because most people are only scratching the surface of what AI can actually do.

The bigger picture

That dishwasher moment might sound small, but it shifted how I think about using AI. It’s not just about solving big problems. It’s about removing hesitation, saving energy, and making everyday decisions easier.

And yes, sometimes that includes asking how to start a dishwasher.

Keep exploring

If you want to see how this plays out in different situations, you can explore more stories inside the ChatGPT Confessions hub.

For more practical ways to use AI in your business, this article is a good next step: AI Content Creation: How AI Can Help Small Businesses Create Irresistible Copy.

And if you want ready-to-use prompts like this, you’ll find them here: ChatGPT Prompts.