Thursday 17 November 2011

Just Breath

Just Breath...Relax...It is going to be ok.  That what I tell people when I see that there stressed out about anything.  So why can I not for the life of me do the same thing when I get frustrated.

Inevitably when working some things go wrong or become difficult to do.  Working as a one man operation installing trim work (especially big crown moulding) can be rather frustrating.  I try and I to do things, that would be so much easier with another person or at least at clearer head,on my own.

On a recent millwork job in which I installed some store bought cabinets, new door casing, baseboard and crown moulding I shamefully admit that I lost my temper while working, packed up for the day and left work early.  Not very professional but with being so frustrated I felt like I was about ready to break something and I figured walking away was much better then damaging the work or my clients home.

So why couldn't I just breath and take a moment to collect my thoughts.

I think that there is so much emphasize in our world about making a quick buck that people rush always to get the job done.  Or (this is at least my case) feeling guilty about displacing people in there own home.  This recent job was a bedroom, and with demolition and painting and trim work it was necessary to ask the home owners to move into another room for a time, so I felt guilty about keeping them out of their own room because of how long the job was taking.

Should I rush to get them back into there room.  Should I take my sweet time to insure that I don't raise my heart rate at all.  Or should I just breath and take the time I needed and work as efficiently as possible. 

Now a few weeks later with a cooler head I can think back on the job and see what I could have done differently.  If I had taken the time to breath and think straight I wouldn't have lost a half day of work.  It seems that the rushing actually cost more time then it saved.

The situation isn't all bad.  The job was completed and looks good and the home owners are happy with the work.  And I learned somethings that I know I can use on future jobs.  Most important is to just breathe.

Cheers
Hans Christopher

2 comments:

  1. Great post and topic , sometimes it's hard for us to take our own advice . We can dish it out but rarely do we use it for our own good . Fresh air always helps me think better and clearer . It's good to take a break and relax ( or breath) from time to time . The plane picture throw me off , I thought this post was going to be about planing . Have a great one!

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  2. Another good thing to consider I found is that when your stressed or something is not working is asking for advice. Not necessary to get physical help but advise and another opinion on how to accomplish a job you maybe able to avoid some headaches.

    As for the plane picture, Jerry are you looking for a post about planing.

    Cheers
    Hans Christopher

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