Just yesterday, I started assembling a yarn organizer that hangs over a door to save floor and closet space. I was excited. I put the hooks over the door and fastened them into place. Then I hung the organizer and began to place the hard plastic liners inside each section. Just for a test, I tried closing the door. Oops! The door wouldn’t close. I stared up at the hooks and studied them for a moment, and then I picked up the instructions.
Yes, you read that right. I assembled the organizer and put the hanging hooks in place all without reading the instructions. I only turned to the instructions after I put it together wrong. Do you do that, too?
It turned out to be a simple fix. I just had to correct how I fastened the hooks in place, and the door closed just fine. It’s a good thing I didn’t have several pounds of yarn in place before I tried closing the door. I wouldn’t have enjoyed unpacking the yarn so I could correct the hooks after the organizer was full.
As always when I make a mistake, this sparked a thought in my brain. Why didn’t I read the instructions first, and how often have I wasted time because I failed to do that? Part of it had to do with my enthusiasm of getting the organizer up and packed because it would hold a lot of yarn in one place and get some bags off the floor. In a small craft space, you take advantage of every square inch to store your materials. However, I slowed down the process by not taking two minutes to review the instructions beforehand. The simple fix still took longer than it would have to just read the instructions first.
There are times when jumping in without reading the instructions is great. When we’re just having fun and being spontaneous, we don’t want to be weighed down by the details. Nonetheless, there are times when we need to stop and read the instructions first. I’m a fan of learning as I go, but I’m also practical enough to know I waste time when I don’t read the instructions. It’s such a small practical piece of advice, but I’m giving it from experience: read the instructions first.
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Inspirational Verse for the Day:
For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures. (Romans 15:4, CSB)
All Things Subject to Change 