I have several springtime reorganization projects that I need to tackle. I’m never lukewarm about these projects. I either look forward to them or dread the entire thing.
Yesterday the workshop became the target of my attention. I’m in the shop so often I’m especially aware when its typical clutter descends into chaos. I estimated that I’d spend an hour sorting out the tools I rarely use, putting them into labeled drawers, and move on to another project.
That was ten in the morning. At ten in the evening, I still had work to do. As usual, bumping one thing to make room for another created a cascade effect. Each little cascade resulted in one or more items that needed relocation.
Why do I persist in mentally oversimplifying complexity? Blanket statements are dangerous, but I feel safe saying that some of this is avoidable. Have you heard of the “seven P’s” – Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance? My goal was to clean and reorganize; honestly, there are several hours of work left.
Here’s a nice German word for you: schlimmbesserung. It means an effort to make things better that ends up making them worse. Enough said.
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