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I oiled my box knives today
(self.dull_mens_club)
Nothing better than a well oiled tool. Good on you OP
What a comfortably satisfying series of events
It was pointed out to me one of the downstairs doors was squeaking. So I took some WD40 down. I know it's not a proper lubricant, but it seems to have always worked fine. I applied a squirt to the outside of the hinge expecting to then have to work the door back and forth to work it into the mechanism. But to my surprise the squeak went away instantly, no door swinging required!
A similar spray like wd40 that I prefer is Ballistol. Doesn't seem to gather dirt and dust as much but that might just be me imagining things.
So many people I know have no concept of maintenance - if something is not working correctly they'll just keep using it, and when it breaks put it outside to rust (doors that don't open, gates that don't close, bikes that don't shift well, mowers that won't start...)
I was given a leather ottoman last weekend which came from a $10k plus sofa set, which had sat in a sunny room for 8 years without any maintenance. Almost a full tub of conditioner and about 2 hours of labor went into that piece and now it looks and feels amazing
A few years ago I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and while I understand the mental health journey of the protagonist, I really liked the basic conception of Quality which has at least some alignment with Zen - whatever you are doing, that's what you are doing, so do it with focus and care
The number of "garbage" locks i have fixed with a squirt of ballistol or other metal on metal lube is disappointing.
"sharpen the saw" is one of the 7 habits of highly effective people.
Abraham Lincoln is quoted* as saying "If you ask me to cut down a tree I'll spend the first four hours sharpening the axe." (There's no evidence that he actually said this)
It's a skill I try to teach everyone that I teach anything to. It's the reason why I'm almost always seen standing around at work instead of running around like crazy. If I have a problem, I stop, figure out the problem and move on. Other people will have a problem, and keep having the same problem over and over again without looking into it and have a bad day.
"let the tool do the work" Whatever that may be, set it up, let it do it's thing don't interfere with it.
However, at the same time, don't be fooled by random events. Sometimes you just need to turn off the computer and turn it back on again and move on with your day.
Verify the concern, replicate the problem.
When there's a verifiable problem you work on finding the root cause of the problem. That means, don't fire the parts cannon at it. Taking the time to properly diagnose and fix the issue will save you time.
Learn to walk away. It's important to take breaks every so often. It's more productive to take a 5 minute break every 20 minutes than it is to work continuously for 8 hours. If you're really having a hard time figuring something out, go to lunch. When you come back you'll figure the problem out right away. If you don't figure it out right away, talk out loud about the problem. You might talk to someone else about it, but it's better if they don't try to throw out suggestions while you're talking. It's called "rubber duck debugging."
Lastly, If it's stupid but it works, then it's not stupid. I've seen many people start tinkering with something because they don't like the way it looks. This falls into the category of "if it's not broken, then don't fix it" There's nothing wrong with it, it's working fine, they just don't like something about it. It's not "the way we've always done it."
Can't do it any other way. People follow all kinds of mindfulness courses, but I'm just naturally wired that way. Luckily.
You well be the most popular person during present opening.
this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2024
47 points (100.0% liked)
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