I
t takes a lot of will power to do things right. In the kind of carpentry that I do, there's a perpetual motivation to get things done as quickly as possible. The reality, though, is that the fastest way to get things done is to not have to do them twice. It's a job in which slow and steady really does pay off; or, as they say, measure twice and cut once. But it takes focus. Not the work itself -- just the slowing down. It takes a constant act of the will to refuse to just jump into things, and make sure what I'm about to do is correct, that the cut I'm making won't go astray and mar a finished surface. I make errors every time I get onto a job site, and almost every single one is due to trying to work too quickly. If I haven't done something many, many times, I have to tell myself, then take it slow. Focus. Make sure it's right. Speed will come with time, and I haven't earned it yet.