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I usually reach that “time to call it a day point” right after I break something that I really didn’t want to have to bother with replacing / repairing lol.
I’m strictly an amateur but for me if I start hurting myself that’s a good indicator the day is done. Or if I start forgetting more than usual. I’m good at forgetting where I put my tools and if I spend more than a minute looking for them, I’m done.
This is soooo important. Many times I have been way too focussed on a problem (desk computer job) and spent hours flailing around. But then if I get up and walk to the vending machines, many times my subconcious finds the answer along the way. Doh!
Another time we had a serious problem at work, had brainstorming sessions, and no soap. Then later that day I’m walking the dog and again the old brain pops up with a solution, without even thinking about it really.
So often we get tired and don’t realize that our effectiveness is down to near zero. Take a 20 minute tea break and you’ll be surprised how much more productive you are when you go back to work. Bosses never seem to grasp this though.
my most favorite video on ETCG,
when i have bad day and crappy mind, these video always worked for me 🙂
thanks Eric for that ![quote=”rushlife” post=95611]my most favorite video on ETCG,
when i have bad day and crappy mind, these video always worked for me 🙂
thanks Eric for that ![/quote]I’m happy to be there. Thanks very much for your comment.
Knowing when to call it a day-
This is so important for getting good final results. Taking a break can help you return to the task refreshed and with a different perspective.
My experience with my fuel filter replacement is case in point. I tore into it a month ago but had to button it back up because I couldn’t find the after market part I wanted. Then I came back to it recently but ended up with a broken fuel line to add to my frustration. Then trying to figure out how I would deal with that…well, long story short (the longer version is found in the Maintenance forum post “Glad That’s Finally Done” in case you are interested in the full story 🙂 ), I had to walk away and regroup a couple of times and it took a lot longer than I had hoped but when the task was finally done, I felt a sort of accomplishment. I stuck with it and got it done.
I get the feeling that this is how I will have to approach the remaining repairs (exhaust, lower control arm and brakes). They seem to be getting more complex than the maintenance items (and diagnostic tests I have been learning) that I have been addressing up to this point.
Thanks for reading.
that was one of the worst designs they ever made on those Chevy Astro vans, and I’m told that blazers aren’t much different either. basically you have to take apart the entire manifold which in that van is inside the car in order to change out the spider injectors. Those things always go bad on those vans, I’ve heard lots of horror stories about that. My advice is while you’re in there replace everything, if you’re not doing it to help yourself do it to help the customer. Because something else is always bound to fail inside there and when it does you have to go through this entire procedure again.
[quote=”rushlife” post=112771]This video always work for my mood :-).
😀 😀 :D[/quote]It’s great to know that my work has a positive influence. Thanks for your comments.
My brother and I have been working together since we were kids; cars, trucks, motorcycles, boat building. One of his favorite tools is his “thinking stool.” When things start going ugly he pours himself a cup of coffee, sits on the stool, and practices the “thousand yard stare” until he gets a good idea.
I start watching ETCG in 2009 at a time when the economy was in the toilet and the company I worked for was feeling the effects of the recession. So things were pretty rough for me and a lot of people. ETCG came at just the right time when I really needed to save a little money and moreover, as other’s here have mentioned, his videos had a calming affect on me as he also shared a lot about his personal life and his feelings with us.
Great work Eric!
[quote=”twiggy02919″ post=112939]I start watching ETCG in 2009 at a time when the economy was in the toilet and the company I worked for was feeling the effects of the recession. So things were pretty rough for me and a lot of people. ETCG came at just the right time when I really needed to save a little money and moreover, as other’s here have mentioned, his videos had a calming affect on me as he also shared a lot about his personal life and his feelings with us.
Great work Eric![/quote]
Thanks very much for that comment. I really appreciate you sticking with me all this time.
I’d say the day is over when you’re fatigued beyond what a break will fix. The easy ways to tell for me are…
1. I’m no longer thinking at least 3 steps ahead of what I’m doing. If I’m not sure of my next move, I’m too tired to concentrate adequately to perform my job as I should. Go home.
2. Forgetting where I set tools or parts. When I’m spending too much time searching for what I need because I’m not focused on my organization, I’m wasting time now. Go home.
3. If I’m just generally distracted and not focused on the task at hand, I’m not helping myself or the customer. Go home.Tomorrow is another day, the last way you want to start it off is fixing all the clumsy mistakes you made the night before.
[quote=”jlbiv” post=142350]I’d say the day is over when you’re fatigued beyond what a break will fix. The easy ways to tell for me are…
1. I’m no longer thinking at least 3 steps ahead of what I’m doing. If I’m not sure of my next move, I’m too tired to concentrate adequately to perform my job as I should. Go home.
2. Forgetting where I set tools or parts. When I’m spending too much time searching for what I need because I’m not focused on my organization, I’m wasting time now. Go home.
3. If I’m just generally distracted and not focused on the task at hand, I’m not helping myself or the customer. Go home.Tomorrow is another day, the last way you want to start it off is fixing all the clumsy mistakes you made the night before.[/quote]
Nailed it!
I can relate to what you’re saying. I work in the IT industry and there are moments when I will find myself being stumped at a particular problem at hand, and no matter how much I bang my head against the wall trying to figure out the problem, I always come up blank. I find that if I leave it alone altogether, and come back later, the problem gets resolved in 5 minutes.
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