“Technology and tools are useful and powerful when they are your servant and not your master.” ~ Stephen Covey
Most tasks require some kind of tool, and using the right tool the right way makes any job more efficient, effective and enjoyable. Using the wrong tools increases the difficulty of successful task completion, the likelihood of damage or injury, and your level of frustration. It’s not even necessarily about having the right tool in your possession. It’s being willing to find it, get it out, and use it. If you’ve ever used a butter knife for a screwdriver, a heel for a hammer, or a hair straightener as an iron, or teetered on top of a kitchen barstool to change a light bulb, you’ll probably relate to this.
I’ve been using an old electric weedeater with a rechargeable battery for the last few years to tackle overgrown grass and weeds. The battery dies after about 30 minutes, and whatever the mechanism is that makes the “string” come out has stopped working, necessitating stopping every few minutes to take the contraption apart and manually extend the string. It’s a slow process, so when my oldest grandson said he was doing yard work this year to save money for a car I hired him to mow and weedeat. The first time he came over to do the work he revved up his weedeater and set to work on a long stretch of grass in the alley that would have taken me an hour to tackle. He was done in five minutes.
When our necessary tasks seem too hard, whether it’s housework or getting your mental health in order or cleaning up your budget, check your tools. Are you substituting butter knives for screwdrivers? It may work, but it’s not nearly as efficient. Is there a chore you absolutely despise? Maybe it’s the tool you’re using.
