I bought a desk for my son last year. The kind of desk which comes in parts and you have to assemble it. I enjoy doing things like this and we did it together with my son. When I do it the first time I carefully follow instructions. I organize all the parts and the tools I need for the task. Being organized and following every step in the instructions makes it much simpler.
I bought the same desk for my younger son this year. I thought that since I put it together a year ago this time it'll be a lot easier and faster too. I didn't spend that much time organizing the parts and later on I found out that some of the tools were missing too. I also tried to remember the step-by-step instructions without looking at the instructions. It turned out that it was a bad idea. I ended up putting together parts in the wrong order and had to take them apart. I realized that doing it the second time was much harder. I thought I would remember everything after a year but I didn't. We finally put the desk together, but it took longer and it was a real headache.
I head the same experience with directions too. When I drive somewhere I've never been I carefully plan the trip. I Google it and I print it out for reference. There is no problem if I have to go back the next day but a year later could be a problem. The second time I just try to remember the trip and on the way to my destination I realize that most of the details are pretty foggy.
It happens to me all the time with the computer too. When I have to fix a problem the first time I gather all the information I need and then I just follow instructions. The second time a few months later I just try to use my memory which very often fails. Many times I even forget where to start and I just remember bits and pieces.
I learnt my lesson in the past so when I do something now the second time I try to do exactly the same way I did it the very first time. No more frustration.
No comments:
Post a Comment