Measure A Thousand Times, Cut Once

This proverb is one of my favorites. It is an excellent rule for a carpenter, but it comes in handy in our day-to-day lives too.

Here's a story:

The carpenter is building a table. He has to cut a piece of wood for the table's leg; he measures the wood and begins to cut it. He realizes that the part is too short; he had taken the wrong measurements. Now, he must use another piece of wood and repeat the fatiguing process. Thus, wasting resources and time.

I'm sure we all relate to this story. Often we rush through our tasks, and as a result, we don't prepare carefully or take the time to be sure. We finish our task with the wrong "measurements" and have to start afresh. This is a pesky process, but avoiding it is easy.

Unlike the carpenter, we must be patient and prepare carefully before taking action. This care taken in preparations will prevent errors.

This proverb reminds us to take the extra time now to avoid potential disappointment later. Double-checking is faster than the process after making a mistake.

While measuring a thousand times ( double-checking ), we are bound to pay attention to the minor details. It's this sort of attention to detail that makes your project flawless.