Today is Quote Friday on Lynne's Blog. The quote is "Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative," Oscar Wilde.
This is a great quote for me.
In manufacturing companies, some engineers devote their livelihood to process control. That includes dictating what steps a human operator should carry out in order to assemble some product.
Something as tediously mundane as changing the order in which you tighten four screws that hold something together can have a pick impact on how that product performs, especially over a long period of time.
So production companies gravitate toward hiring assemblers and technicians that show a remarkable, almost inhuman, ability to be consistent.
Which explains why I've always avoided production. I just can't do something the same way repeatedly. I get bored. I also need to satisfy my curiosity. I'm always wondering if there's a better way to do something. And my imaginative thinking ultimately leads to splendid innovation.
If you listened outside my cubical, you might hear, "Cool, I just eliminated all those keystrokes," or, "Wow, I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore."
If you're stuck in a rut of consistency:
This is a great quote for me.
In manufacturing companies, some engineers devote their livelihood to process control. That includes dictating what steps a human operator should carry out in order to assemble some product.
Something as tediously mundane as changing the order in which you tighten four screws that hold something together can have a pick impact on how that product performs, especially over a long period of time.
So production companies gravitate toward hiring assemblers and technicians that show a remarkable, almost inhuman, ability to be consistent.
Which explains why I've always avoided production. I just can't do something the same way repeatedly. I get bored. I also need to satisfy my curiosity. I'm always wondering if there's a better way to do something. And my imaginative thinking ultimately leads to splendid innovation.
If you listened outside my cubical, you might hear, "Cool, I just eliminated all those keystrokes," or, "Wow, I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore."
If you're stuck in a rut of consistency:
- I can't imagine how you can live like that, and
- You should try to pay attention more to what you're doing and not the end result.
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4 comments:
I 100 bazillion percent agree! Free spirits unite:)
I don't know about looking for a more innovative way to do things, but for sure my attention span is way too short for consistency. Please do not ask me to do the same thing twice. And if it is absolutely necessary, do not expecct me to do it the same way. I'll get cranky. Heck, downright ugly even!
Square Peg, had I been consistent, I would have perhaps been super boss instead of the present has been hippy! Your post could have been written by me.
Thanks for the comments, everyone!
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