Be specific. That, in any craft work or any repair, and even in some
cooking, is the essence of success. Know exactly what you want to accomplish and
follow a predetermined set of plans. Don't improvise. Don't try to make do.
Know what you need for the task and assemble your materials and tools.
Precisely measure everything. I cannot emphasize that enough. The old rule of
carpentry is 'measure twice, cut once.' That is completely true.
In addition. if you are building anything in 3 dimensions, which is pretty
much everything, measure your angles. Even something as simple as a box will be
a total mess if you don't make sure you have pure right angles. A miter, meant
to be cut at, say 45 degrees, will be a useless mess if it is 44 degrees.
Need a circle? use a tool, say a
piece of string, anchored at one spot, with a marker tied to the end, and make
a perfect one. If you try to freehand it, you will botch things.
Even in cooking, an art that often allows improvisation, there are sometimes
recipes that must be followed to the letter. If I am making a stew, I can toss
in whatever I want, however it suits me, and the results will at least be
edible. If i am baking a cake, I must follow the recipe and measure the
amounts. A bit too little flour and it falls apart; too much and I end up
with a very tasty doorstop.
The point is that some things must be done by-the-letter correct. Make
your jobs simple by being precise.
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