The Biggest Fire May Not Be the Most Important
Two weeks ago, we discussed how hardheaded and stubborn people in the construction business can be. Last week, we talked about making choices. I think one of the reasons we struggle with decisions and become set in our ways is not knowing what to do first.
Things are always changing. You make plans, and then something outside of your control happens and changes everything.
This is where being flexibly rigid comes in.
This past week, I was reminded of this as I prepared to go to Kansas City for the NASCAR races. I planned to leave at noon on Friday, which meant I had two fewer days than normal to get everything done.
I started the week already behind with things carried over from the previous week: getting Onyx and cabinets ordered for a project. This was important because there is a six to seven-week lead time, and we were already pushing up against the project deadline.
Another project was taking longer than expected and needed to be done by the end of the week. At the same time, a third project needed to be completed so the painter could start on Friday.
These were all pretty big fires that needed attention.
As Wednesday rolled around, I could see that I was running out of time. There were just two days left to get things done, and the priorities kept changing.
A subcontractor was having trouble with a doorknob on one project, and that was all that was left to finish it. So I stopped what I was doing, helped get it done, and checked it off the list.
Then, after a few phone calls, we determined the painter could wait until the first of the following week. That bought us some time, but I wasn’t going to be home for the weekend, so I still needed to make sure things were in place before I left.
Then we discovered we needed more material to finish the project. Some of it wasn’t normally stocked, so that became another hurdle to jump over.
Oh, add in bills that needed to be paid, customers and electricians to meet, ordering the Onyx, and getting ready for the trip, which included some shopping and fueling the pickup, and the list kept growing.
I had to prioritize things based on deadlines and importance.
That’s something we all have to do, and how we make those decisions is different for each of us.
And then there was another little twist.
The HVAC subcontractor who was planning to go with me to the races had a commercial customer whose unit went down. The parts wouldn’t arrive until late Friday, and the customer couldn’t wait until Monday.
I admired and appreciated him putting his customer’s needs ahead of having fun.
Now I needed to find someone else to go with me to the races. After several calls, my daughter was the closest possibility on such short notice. She wanted to go, but she had an online real estate class that needed to be completed by the end of the day Friday.
That leads me to where I am currently: 2 o’clock on Friday afternoon.
I had planned to leave for KC at noon, but I decided to wait and give my daughter time to get her course done. That might mean missing the ARCA race at 7:00 this evening. But it’s worth missing one race so my daughter can join me for two of the three races.
Small embers can turn into big fires if they aren’t put out.
I used to put work ahead of everything. There was always another big fire that needed my attention. Over the years, I’ve realized that there needs to be balance. The big fires still need attention, but the small embers do too.
It all comes down to knowing what’s important and being flexibly rigid. Know what things you can move around and what things you can’t.
Because sometimes the biggest fire isn’t the most important thing on the list.