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John wanted to hang a painting on his wall, and he invited his friend over to help. Just as they were about to put the nails in, the friend said, “Hang on, I think it’s better if we put two boards of wood on the wall first, then put the nails in the wood, and then hang the painting.”
John respected his friend’s wish and looked for a board of wood. After he found one and brought it over, they started to position it on the wall. Suddenly, his friend said, “Hang on, his wooden board is too big. It’s best if we saw a bit off.”
Thus, they searched around for a saw. After finding the saw, they started to saw the wood. Not long after, the friend said, “This won’t do. The saw is too dull. We need to sharpen the saw with a file.”
So, they searched around the house for a file. They found one, but it lacked a handle. The friend then went outside to look for a small tree to cut to make a handle for the file.
As he was about to cut the tree with John’s ax, he noticed the ax was too rusty and dull. He then looked for a whetstone to sharpen the ax. When he found one, he realized the whetstone needed a wooden stand to stabilize it during the sharpening process.
Thus, he told John that he’s going to look for a carpenter because a carpenter should have a usable whetstone set.
After the friend left, John put two nails in the wall and hung up the painting.
Later that day, John saw his friend on the street, helping a carpenter carry a heavy electric saw. He said they are going to cut a tree to get some wood to make a wooden stand for the whetstone…
(Source: Harvard Family Education)
Commentary
While this fictional story may seem humorous, it serves as an important reminder. Firstly, do we know our priorities? Secondly, when we do things, do we overcomplicate things?
Stoic emperor Marcus Aurelius once said,
"Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you'll have more time and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every moment, is this necessary?"
Another lesson from this story is appropriateness, as in doing things to the appropriate degree. Don't overcomplicate things, but also don't underestimate things. How much effort and time we spend on a matter should be proportional to its importance and how much control we have over it.
Marcus Aurelius also said,
"It is essential for you to remember that the attention you give to any action should be in due proportion to its worth."
Reflecting on myself, I'm teaching an intensive English camp these couple of months (which is one reason why my blog posts are much shorter recently), and I feel like my time is not enough. Aside from teaching, I also have to prepare lessons, do after-class tutoring, and do other work.
When I feel like time isn't enough, it's easy for my mind to become messy and anxious. When this happens, I stop myself and look at my to-do list. I make sure my list is ranked in proper order, and that the list isn't missing anything important.
When I do a task, I ask myself, "How can I simplify this?" For example, instead of making all the lesson materials myself, can I find existing resources online or from colleagues? Instead of writing the usual long-form blog posts, can I write short and simple ones?
Doing my morning and evening meditation are also very helpful to clear my mind, and I might remember important things or have creative ideas as a result.
I think Seneca said it well:
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested."
Let's all be clear on our priorities and use our most valuable resource, time, effectively.
Weekly Wisdom #334