A good craftsman knows that his job isn’t done when he holds up the magnificent object he just created, using all his skills, judgment and passion. He knows that his tools have to be cleaned and put away, his workplace swept and the debris removed. The creation of the object is the thing of wonder, but the job isn’t over until everything is restored to the way it was when he began.
Seth Godin uses the post-Christmas dinner analogy to make the point.
If you don’t have time to clean up, you don’t have time to cook
Professionals understand that the project is the whole project, not simply the fun or urgent or interesting part of the work.
There are countless productive shortcuts along the way. But not finishing the project isn’t one of them.
Sure, everyone knows that after the Thanksgiving Christmas dinner that couldn’t be beat, there will be dirty dishes. But they’ll still be there tomorrow, or whenever, and who wants to deal with the drudgery when they’re feeling happy? When you put the delicious food on the table, people “ooh” and “ahh,” and compliment you on the beautiful meal. You feel so appreciated. No one compliments you on how well you washed the dishes, how nicely you swept the floor.
This isn’t to say that the aftermath, the notably unsexy aspect of finishing the job, is fun or likely to get applause, but that it’s as much as part of the job as the fun stuff. And Godin’s admonition is that you should approach your work with an understanding that the job includes not only the preparation leading up to the fun stuff, the execution of the fun stuff, but the cleaning up after the fun stuff.
This is the job. It’s not severable. It’s not over when you decide you’ve had enough. You can’t rationalize away the parts that won’t bring you appreciation because who wants to do the unpleasant aspects? It’s the job. If you can’t, for whatever reason, finish the job, then you can’t do the job, and you didn’t.
This astoundingly banal point will seem obvious to most people, but bear in mind that Jordan Peterson has made his bones telling young men to “make their bed.” If the dishes remain dirty, the brief unedited, the shop floor covered in sawdust, the bed rumpled, the job isn’t done. If you can’t manage to do find the time, the effort, the interest to finish the job, then you failed to perform the job you started. Finish the job.
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Did something specific happen to prompt this post? I think the kids call this “Vaguebooking”. Or is that “Voguebooking”? I’m not sure.
Kids have a lot of funny words these days. Nothing specific prompted the post, but I’ve been cleaning up a lot of unfinished work lately by people who seem to believe they’ve done enough to get by.
A very timely post. Today is also a feast day, but I will be feasting on leftovers from yesterday’s huge dinner. At the office, it is suddenly quiet. The last 2018 transactions have been closed, the last discovery responses served, the last briefs submitted. It is time to clean up and get files and work areas in order for the start of the next cycle.
End of year is always a good time to make sure all loose ends are tied up, like unpaid bills.
It is timely. When I was a newish lawyer, a wizened old head told me the last two weeks of any year are best spent touching every file to make sure everything was being done. The Skink Law Firm closes whenever state or federal courts close, so we’re closed four of seven working days this year. That’s perfect for touching all 102 litigation files. New lawyers have less of a grasp on the likely run of a case; after a bazillion, I know what’s important and where the information is hidden. New lawyers should do this monthly.
Thank you for the reminder. I have way too many projects left unfinished because I have just a little bit left to do, and those bits are the un-fun bits. But, they need to get done.