Measure Twice
Check Once
Sometimes, a philosophy just clicks. You immediately grasp its wisdom, apply it across your life, and find it brings immense personal value. For me, “measure twice, check once” has been a tougher nut to crack. But I’m certainly getting much better at it.
Taking things slow often feels incredibly painful. I feel a huge amount of stress and unnecessary emotional reactions if I’m not hitting a certain finish line at a certain time. This often leads me to rush through things.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with urgency. However, if that urgency becomes a detriment to getting the job done, then it’s time to just take it slow. Feel free to check your own progress, create life systems for yourself, and stop freaking out because it’s not done. The time is going to pass anyway...be here and just do.
Beyond Slowing Down: Accuracy, Risk, and Time
While it might sound like it, we’re not just talking about taking things slow.
Getting things done right
Eliminating risk
Effective time management
That shit matters, too.
Breath deep. Hold it. Let go. Hold it. Back to life.
I frequently feel impatient, though I sometimes question if it’s true impatience or just an irritating drive to do more.
I know I burn out if I do too much, and I hate myself if I do too little. Like all people, I always want for more. But frankly, I’d really like my mind to shut up more often.
“Measure twice” helps your mind to shut up.
There’s less doubt when you double-check.
And paradoxically, there’s also more time when you double-check because (ideally) you’re never running back to fix mistakes.
A Swiss Army Knife Philosophy
“Measure twice, check once” is a true Swiss army knife of a philosophy. It’s something that applies to:
Communications
Skill sets
Jobs
Projects
This philosophy is often the difference between life and death.
Stupid question: Where should you be double-checking more often?
For me, it’s definitively content creation. I often want to plow through it as fast as possible. When I fall into that mentality, I feel like I am suffering because it’s something that “needs to be done fast,” which then places a bunch of pressure on me.
The stress then demotivates me.
Training to Stay in the Present
So, I’ve had to train my focus to the point where I feel comfortable, even happy, sitting down and writing. It’s funny how everything has been in small steps. About two years ago, my typing was incredibly slow. But I knew it needed to improve because of all the writing and remote work I do.
My brother told me about a typing game, and I just got hooked. I took some regular typing classes too, but I really spent a lot of time playing that game. That was my training ground. It helped me get pretty fast. (’Nitro Type’ for those wondering).
But I still have a hell of an attention span problem due to years of screen time I’ve committed to. So, now I’m working on becoming more productive and more connected to the present moment. This is about living in the ‘warrior’ archetype. But an archetype isn’t an instruction manual or a guru; it’s just an idea.
The Warrior is:
Taking action
Getting resources
Establishing relationships
Living life in the present moment
Creating visions
Even at this very moment, it’s tough to stay tight with the work.
I feel scared and want to rush into coping mechanisms to comfort myself. So, I observe the thoughts and feelings. I know they are there in passing. I freeze a little as I watch, but life goes on.
I feel mad because things are ‘hard’, and it’s a truly annoying feeling that comes out of my reactive fear when things aren’t going perfectly.
I don’t like freezing here in my own body, petrified because I feel guilty about something that hasn’t happened, or afraid of a distant possibility. The grip comes and goes. I get squeezed for a bit. I allow the squeeze to happen as an observer for a bit.
Before long, I know I will have learned to break that pattern as well.
Just by checking.