"What’s wrong with this darned thing?"

This past weekend I took a few hours to help my dad build a new vanity cabinet for his bathroom.

I had limited time on Sunday afternoon, but figured we could knock it out quickly enough.

Not so fast, cupcake.

When you haven't used your table saw in a while, it may need a few adjustments in order to make perfectly square cuts.

And if you're not really familiar with the tool, those adjustments can take a lot more time than you expected.

I said a lot of unpleasant words to that table saw during the first hour.

Finally I got things right, and we were able to make some good headway. But that vanity is not done yet.

Here's the thing:

Working on your tools is important and valuable. But it's not nearly as fun or satisfying as working on your actual work.

And the more time you spend struggling with those tools, the less time you have to get the results you're really after. Cursing at the tool is a bit of a release, but it doesn't get the work done.

That's why it's important to budget time to master your tools and keep them in good working order.

That's true for table saws, and it's true for your CRM software.

Next weekend I'll head over to Dad’s again, and I’ll finish that vanity. Now that I know how to handle my tools well.

All the best,
A.