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For many people, being born a day earlier would solve most of their problems. That extra 24 hours would give them the time to organize their papers, clean their home and finish the marketing plan. They would also be better off financially because they would have received one extra day's pay. Alas, you can not change the time of your birth. Must your life be endlessly playing catch-up with your to-do list? How do you overcome the handicap of your birth?
A few years ago, I was developing a complex section of software. I was carrying so much information in my head that every brain cell was in use. I was thinking about the relationships to other parts of the software, what would happen if the user pressed the enter key, what would happen if they pressed the esc key, what if the user knew exactly what they wanted, what if the user was very confused. It was an exhilarating time knowing I was working at my maximum capacity. But, at the same time, I was disappointed that my capacity wasn't greater. Since then, I have been able to develop much more complex software. To do this, I broke the task into small chunks. Then, I completed a chunk at a time. I could then think of each chunk as a black box. I did not have to know what was going on inside the box, just what the box did. You can think of the engine in your car as a black box. You don't need to know how an internal combustion engine works to drive the car. Another way to simplify your life is to treat everyone fairly. Otherwise, you have to keep track of who you have offended. If you lie to someone, you have to always remember what you said. Telling the truth is a lot less work. The time you save will more than make up for being born a day late. |
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