Doing Things Right, The First Time

I’m the type of person that is a “bit” of a perfectionist… most of the time.  We all know the old adage, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone does a job with a half-hearted effort. My problem however, is I sometimes try to do the job too quickly.

I didn’t always used to be like this, but this bad habit was formed and regretfully nurtured at one of previous previous places of employment, (which shall remain anonymous). The owners’ philosophy was “get it out the door!” and the pressure was always on, even at the sake of quality. After 3 years of this driving “get it done yesterday” mentality day in and day out, I found myself with a deeply formed bad habit.

What’s the problem trying to be fast at everything? Well for starters, not everything is a race… in fact, only a race is a race. Getting something done fast or first, rarely is the right thing to do I’ve learned. In all actuality, it’s time robbing in the outcome. When you do things too fast, you tend to overlook key steps in the process, or give a poor attempt at those steps. I would much rather be methodical, diligent, and efficient, which I’ve come to learn actually increases productivity. Remember, measure twice and cut once.

Thankfully, my current job supports the idea of taking a little extra time to do the job right. Oh and guess what, my current company has had sales that have increased incredibly year after year, while the company I left had either laid nearly everyone off, or like me they quit. I personally believe it’s due to the “faster faster” mentality.

I’m a web developer and designer, I like wood working, I’m a father and a husband. These are all areas where taking a little extra time and doing something right the first time pays off in the end. It saves time and money. From a better looking and functioning website, to a perfectly cut dado joint, to tucking my kids in at night, when it’s right, it’s right. After all, the pyramids weren’t built in a day.