Decay rarely announces the day maintenance became overdue.

There is no moment when neglect announces itself. The gutter, the tooth, the relationship, the aging component all pass silently from fine to overdue, and the notification arrives only as the failure. That is why maintenance has to run on a schedule rather than on perception. Waiting for a signal means waiting for the damage.

Put recurring upkeep on a calendar rather than trusting yourself to notice. Choose intervals shorter than you think necessary. The whole point is to act before anything looks like it needs acting on.