I coined a term for myself as I was looking for a clamp today: productivity degrees of separation.
You see, I needed the clamp to hold a piece I was jigsawing. This piece was a component for a new jig, an adjustable circle cutter for my router. I need it to cut a circular template, itself a template to hold some sheet metal in a perfect cylinder.
The metal is part of a project I've been working towards for many months, it will be a mini version of a Bill Pentz dust collector. The materials have all finally been procured and I started cutting it out a week ago. But here I am, looking for a tool, to help me build a jig, which I need to fabricate a template, for a dust collector SO THAT I CAN BUILD SOME SIDE TABLES!
That's a productivity separation of 5 degrees:
- clamp looking 2. circle-cutting jig 3. circular template/form 4. dust collector cyclone 5. end tables
Which means that at this point I may have a better chance of Kevin Bacon showing up in my garage than me finishing the tables.
Obviously we all know about the need to order one's work method and shop so as to improve productivity. But I'm curious--with this new terminology to quantify my productivity (or lack thereof), could it actually help me to spot the rabbit trails so as to avoid them? Or will it have the opposite effect, giving me greater comfort to pursue side projects since making the connection to the initial goal is, well, more explainable?
Anybody else relate?
PS -- Does this documentation qualify as a sixth degree?