Measure Twice, Cut Once
Anyone who does DIY home improvement projects knows that rushing always slows you down. You’re in a hurry, so you cut a board too short, and then you spend an hour going back to the lumber yard to get a replacement.
Life is full of DIY projects. You need to get it done, and you don’t have all day to do it, but the chances of screwing it up are higher than you’d like to admit. It’s good to remember that, sometimes, you have to go slow to go fast. Don’t just act on the first impulse. Get out your pencil and ruler before you pick up a blade.
So what does that look like? How do you slow down and pick up a tape measure when you need it? Here are a few examples:
That thing that just happened--how much information do you have? Do you really know what happened, or are you jumping to conclusions? Does what you think you saw conveniently confirm exactly what you wanted to see?
That thing that someone else just said or did--are you sure you know what they intended? How good are your mind-reading skills? Are they such an open book that you can know their motivations without asking?
Are you seeing the whole picture? Does the simple story you’re telling yourself include people’s complicated emotions? Their unspoken needs? Their history, heartbreaks and regrets?
Sometimes, you can avoid a world of trouble by just slowing down and taking a more accurate measure of things. It can be hard to do if you tend to react in the moment, but it’s a habit worth acquiring.
Measure twice--cut once.
