I started writing down my 'stupid' questions at work and it fixed a huge problem

For months, I was stuck on a specific type of matted poodle cut. The fur would just clump up around the legs no matter what I did. I felt dumb asking my coworker, Sarah, the same thing over and over, so I stopped. Last month, I got a cheap notebook from the dollar store and started writing down every single question, even the ones that felt silly, like 'why does the clipper catch here on the third pass?' I forced myself to look at the list for five minutes before starting the next dog. On the third poodle, I saw my own note about blade angle and realized I was holding it wrong on the back legs. I fixed it right then. The cut was clean in half the time. Has anyone else tried something like this to get past a mental block?

3 comments

3 Comments

graydavis28d ago

Man, that's smart. I keep a notepad by my workbench too. For me it was torque specs on rebuilds. Wrote down every little hunch, like "feels tight at 40 ft-lbs." Checked my notes later, saw a pattern. Realized the manual was wrong for my old model. Stopped stripping bolts. Writing it down makes your brain see the fix.

hollyl4528d ago

Ever have that moment where you check the notes and realize you've been trusting the wrong info for years?

the_nathan22d ago

Wait, what if the notes themselves are the problem though? I've been burned by trusting my own scribbles before, @hollyl45. Sometimes you write down a hunch and then it just becomes a fact in your head, even if it was wrong from the start. My brain needs that outside check from a manual or something solid, or I'll just keep repeating my own mistake on paper.

-1