Simple Tool Rule: Always use the least complicated correct object, or method to get the task at hand done.

The old way was the “Right tool for the job.” Well the jobs have changed and the right tool is now much more of a nebulous concept. When asked why some tools are more useful than others we need to consider what it was meant to do originally. From a simple beginning other uses may certainly be derived but more often than not they are not supported. You can use a knife to open a pickle jar if you try hard enough, but if you cut your hand don’t complain to the knife salesman. Read the rest of this entry »

I had a teacher in Middle school Mrs Harper, who tasked me with finding a quiet way to work out my nervous energy when working on a project. “Find or make a ‘fidget‘ ” she said. It has to be small, light, and silent. Now I just use whatever debris is handy. I have her to thank for the best productivity tip I ever received. Do you have a fidget?

I need to have busy hands. When I’m working on a problem or waiting to get something done I make things, i doodle, i draw constantly, not well mind you. The larger the product the more raw materials from the office landscape i seem to use. If I ever work on a huge project i might disassemble something important. For especially big projects keeping my hands busy is just enough of a distraction to clear my head and allow my mind to move forward. Think Lucky Bat from a Few Good Men.

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