Toddler Logic: Empty the Bucket
by Jordan Hendler, WMABA Executive Director
Rather than doing the same ol’ resolution statements that last as long as new gym memberships – likely falling to the wayside by February – let’s flip it to say we are going to realize the change we want to see. Literally, flip it upside down!
When small children get a bucket of building blocks, train sets or a mix of toys, they’ll naturally find a space to sit, then will heave the bucket over and spill out the contents. They check out each piece and how they envision it going with another. If you are a parent, then you know what it’s like to just pick up the things left in the middle of the floor.
But watch them carefully. Each item is valued and weighed for its functionality or attributes. Does it fit the vision? Does it work well with other pieces? Will it bring joy, even? Or ask yourself this: Have you seen what an uninhibited child does with an unwanted item? They chuck it. Right over the shoulder. Then they move right on!
The bucket is your life. For this thought, let’s just go with work. Envision the carpet you’re squatting down on as the shop. There are no doubt antiquated pieces of equipment, software, storage areas of unused items, or even people who just aren’t on board with continuing education are “cluttering” the workflow. No different to this are the processes no longer serving efficiency or efficacy. Every piece of the shop is a straight-line equivalent to the space it all takes in your mind. We may not think we “see” those things, but they’re nagging your subconscious.
Another visual that’s been repeated in our office is the proverbial bucket of tasks. It’s overflowing, so you just skim off the top. It looks like only being able to address what’s currently a fire that day but never really getting to the body of the load. I refer to it as living life with a fire extinguisher in your hand. Trust me, my hands know plenty what the feeling is like. I often find myself only responding to emails in an entire day, without having checked off a single item on the to-do list.
A New Year’s coming gives us all the opportunity for reflection and what we want to see in the change categories of our lives. This is easily a personal discussion, because my experience is that all members of our industry could use some individual attention to work life balance, and categories like family, faith, finances, volunteerism AND career. The regret of many is the lack of meaningful accomplishments year over year, which can lead to depression or at least negative attitude.
Meet this year with intention to clean out the playroom, dump the buckets, and promise to refill your spaces with realization to bring renewed life, meaning, improvement and excitement. Make decisions about what you want to keep in your bucket for 2025. Reposition yourself to make space in your bucket for what matters, and chuck the rest right over the shoulder and move forward!
Want more? Check out the January 2025 issue of Hammer & Dolly!