maintenance
Maintaining mechanical or eletrical equipment is fundamental for the longevity of said equipment, you can't leave a car without turning it on, changing oil every now and then. Even if boring, repetitive and/or a pain to do, maintenance is required.
Some maintenances cycles are self inflicted, for example when you make an adaptation to an equipment that was working before, but you had to make an workaround to make it barely function again.
One example for me was when the cable of my main headphones broke and I had to buy another one, all the offers I saw online for buying the cable were way too expensive for a simple trrs 2.5 - 3.5mm cable, so I did what every sane person without money would do, and I opened my headphones and adapted it so it could use a wider range of cables. This then came with a whole other range of problems, as I couldn't get my hands on another 2.5mm-3.5mm cable, So I took matters into my own hands again and made my own cable, it was barely well put together, but then every 3 months the right side of the conector would fall and I had to resolder it.
It was a pain having to open the headphone again every 3 months, and resolder the cable everytime It came off, But If I didn't do it, I would be left with a very expensive piece of plastic being idle, that also happens to be my favorite pair of headphones, so Maintenance was required, a constant effort so that I could enjoy the things I do everyday.
(p.s I did found a solution that involves way less toomfoolering with cables and I basically don't have to be as constant with maintenance, but If the problem arises again I still will know how to fix it)