This summer I had a young fellow working for me that had an opposite outlook from me. Whenever I gave him a task he would roll his eyes and exclaim how much work I was giving him. He got the repetative tasks as part of his training. One job was to cut 300 leaves from steel with the plasma cutter.
As he worked I found his method of counting his progress interesting. He really fixated on how far he had to go... and with each leaf he did would repeat that large number of UNDONE leaves. He also counted the minutes to the next break on a constant basis. He really bummed himself out during the project... continually.
Today I was doing the last of our shop reshuffle and was movong sheet stock from the back room to where the router now lives. It was a big job for I carry a goodly amount of stock. Phoenix helped me with the heavy stuff yesterday, but today I was by myself as I set to the task of moving the thinner stock. I was NOT looking forward to the task. Unfortunately the good fairies took last night off it seems.
I counted the sheets of plywood and HDU before I started... then set to task. The first few went fast and easy... and in my mind I continually kept tally. Before I knew it I was 20 % done... then 25 %... I was half way done before I started getting a little tired and a little bored with the repetitive task. But it was time to celebrate... not counting the sheet in my hand I was more than half way done! At that point my thinking shifted from what was done to what had to be done... the SMALLER number of the two. Each time I grabbed a sheet of stock it immediately was crossed off the list before it was even moved... and I celebrated the dwindling number.
I promised myself a reward when I was done and I could taste the delicious 'peach platz' - only a half block away at the deli.
The few remaining sheets went quickly, although my energy was flagging... then it was time to celebrate a tough job completed... and dome in far less time than I imagined.
It's Pollyanna thinking I suppose... but it sure beats my former employees way of thinking...
Taking the positive route in Yarrow...
-grampa dan
[ September 15, 2009, 01:10 PM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
Posted by Catharine C. Kennedy (Member # 4459) on :
I far rather count your way!
Posted by David Wright (Member # 111) on :
I thought there was some resemblence. Posted by Joe Cieslowski (Member # 2429) on :
I like your new hat, Dan!
Joe,
Makin Chip$ and Havin Fun!
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
He still needs to shave.
Posted by Michael Clanton (Member # 2419) on :
That guy would never make it in the screenprinted t-shirt world- I remember my first day on the job- Jan. of 1992- my boss showed me how to manually print a 4 color screenprint job on a large stack of t-shirts. I asked him, "OK, what do I do when I finish this stack?" he pointed to a wall of about 100 large t-shirt boxes and replied "just grab another box and keep printing, there are about 10,000 more that need to be printed... then you can go to lunch." haha
Posted by Pierre St.Marie (Member # 1462) on :
yeah,.... she showed up here in 1961. In true St.Marie fashion I slapped her good and sent her Pollyanna-ing on down the road.
P
BTW Grumpy Dan......... Here's my Pollyanna. Scarlett Lyn is growing, and in the oddest places.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
