(20 Minute Jim) As part of my mid-life crisis, I’m taking a class in motorcycle repair. It’s been a great chance to go back and learn things I missed earlier in life. When other kids were monkeying around under the hood of cars, I probably felt more comfortable on my knees weeding a row of carrots. The class is starting with the basics of tools and measurements and how to fill out a time card.
Which brings me to the piece of wisdom that I want to share. The instructor said something to the effect of “you don’t have to work at some break-neck crazy speed. Just keep doing something all the time and you’ll likely be the most efficient worker in the shop.” So simple. So clear. This week, I’ve really adopted that mantra of “just keep doing something.”
It’s easy to let myself sit down and take a break when I’ve finished some portion of a larger project. I deserve it, right? For instance, the other day when I was planting the tomatoes, it took far less time than I’d imagined. I was going to call it quits but since I still had time left in my “20 minute” allotment, I kept plodding ahead and I also got some squash and some more broccoli planted. Even if I’d banked the unused time, I suspect the effort to overcome the psychic inertia of getting started again would have eaten up most of the time savings. Instead, I just kept working and ended up planting all the seedlings.
I admit that this advice seems a little bit obvious. But so far, it’s working for me, not just around the garden and not just around the motorcycle shop.
