Bryan writes:
>>>You would be surprised at how many of the non-paper pushers take their
work home with them. Mulling over in their heads how to over come the
complications that have developed on the worksite during the day or the
ones that are still to be tackled.  <<<

True. True. With my hands-on work I build everything and do every proceedure
in my mind at least ten times, right down to the finest detail. I skip over
some oft-repeated routines, but when I skip something it is often where I slip
up in implementing the actual work. During the work day I put my full
concentration and awareness into the work, so the only time to do this "mind
work" is in the evening and while I'm sleeping, the weekends are spent
managing the business and with the family. In the early years of my life and
work career I thought everyone had this approach. It was a real mystery to me
why some people's work did not come out right, not even the way THEY wanted it
too, until I realized that as they worked their minds were elsewhere and when
they were not at work they never thought about work. How can you hand plane a
board, or safely and acurately run wood through the bench saw if you are
plugged into a walkman? To do you absolute best work you have to hear and pay
attention to the snick of the plane blade to know when it is getting dull, or
hear variations in the  whine of the saw blade to know when the wood is
beginning to bind.

This creeps into my consulting work too. I consider and reconsider all the
various reactions my clients will have to my recommendations as I refine them.

When I have to select tradespeople and artisans for training or a special
project I usually consider that if they are plugged into a walkman they have a
limited ability and limited committment to the results of their work.

John Leeke