Measure Twice, Cut Once

[Nazreen]

I believe that most of you, if not all, would have already heard of the saying "Measure twice, Cut once" but did you know that this age-old saying is not only applicable for dressmakers who painstakenly measure the cloth, measure again to make sure that the pattern has the correct measurements, and then after that cut the cloth? It is also not only applicable to carpenters who measures the wood twice before cutting, to civil engineers who builds homes and other high-rise buildings, nor to bakers who makes delicious cakes and pastries but is applicable to each and every profession in the world.

Chemists have to measure twice before mixing solutions so as not to blow up their chemistry labs. PHP and Web Programmers have to measure twice to check the syntax and overall logic of their scripts and programs before actually running it. The list goes on and on.

I'd bet that you're already probably thinking how this rule of thumb can also be applied to your day jobs. Am I right? Anyway, since we're in the discussion of business, I'd like to share with you how the saying "Measure twice, cut once" can also be applied in business. In business, we should constantly measure our progress, or lack there of, in reaching our business goals.

I'd guess that thinking of where you are now with regards to your business goals isn't enough and doesn't just cut it. In order for you to stay on course, you need a visual representation of every progress you've made towards your goals. This way, you can see your progress with your own eyes and not just imagine it. Once we've got a correct measurement of our progress, we can then implement effective steps into achieving our goals.

If however our measurement is wrong, then this will be very costly because we would have then wasted our time, energy and resources into achieving something that's incorrect. You would then be redoing your work and work even harder to finish your tasks. Remember that working hard doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting the task done effectively.

If you know of any other applications of this saying with regards to business or any comments, please feel free to share it here.

[silent_thunder]

really nice thread nazreen but the title could have been its better to walk in the right way than run in the wrong way!!..sorry if i am wrong that is what I understood of this article. You are really talented !!

[Nazreen]

In a way you're correct silent_thunder because if you measure twice or double check your work, you would normally get good results and be one step nearer to reaching your goals. On the other hand, if you didn't double check your work, there's a good chance that you won't be getting the results that you wanted.

[Fergal]

I knew an excellent carpenter who used this very phrase regularly. It's a great philosophy to have and it can save yourself and your company a lot of time and money.

My own experience leads me to believe that successful people are more likely to have this approach and that less successful people have a habit of rushing in to get the job done.

[Nazreen]

Aside from being applied to work like carpentry, what other things should be done twice? I think that in communicating with others, we should also think twice of what to say before speaking our minds. A lot of misunderstandings and even failed marriages would have been avoided if we learned to think twice before talking. This is especially true when the married couple are having an argument because once you say something, you can no longer take it back.

[Fergal]

Your post reminds me of Stephen Covey, Nazreen. He says that everything is created twice, first in your imagination and then when you actually implement it.

[harmin]

Hello everyone.I believe in this phrase.My father says this phrase twice or thrice in a day.Whenever,I move to do a new work,he always remind me this phrase and it always help me to reach my goal.