You may not realize, but you have a way of doing things. A system. You don’t know it because it’s so engrained in you that you think that’s just how it’s done. Habits that you use to get through your day that are completely different from other people’s habits.
We also think that everyone else on the planet does things the way we do. So, when someone does things differently, you think they’re insane.
Instead, try to see their operating system. And what’s more, see if it works better than yours.
I’ve always been in too much of a hurry to clean up. I come in through the door and toss my coat because I’m carrying the groceries and can’t stop to hang it up. That’s been my philosophy for 40 years. I can’t pick up the bathmat because I’ve got to get on to the next thing.
I’ve since met countless other people who will meticulously put their things away. I used to think they were nuts. Now I know it’s just different philosophies. Different ways of doing things.
Take laundry for example. Do you do a load every day or spend all day Sunday doing laundry? Same job. Two different approaches.
I’ve been teaching myself to adopt a philosophy of putting things away, of untying my shoes to put them on, rather than jamming my feet into shoes that haven’t been untied in months.
This morning, I was running a few minutes late for work. I grabbed my headphones, went to toss them into my bag, and then I froze. A month or so ago, I got a new backpack that I LOVE. All of my stuff is organized in it and it’s great to know where everything is. I took a breath and took the 15 seconds to hook the headphone case onto the tiny carabiner inside the second pocket from the front where the headphones go.
I know it’s small potatoes, but it’s everything. It’s seeing a new way of doing things, recognizing that it may indeed be better than the way I was doing things, and testing it out. It isn’t the headphones I’m talking about. It’s being open minded. Realizing that there are hundreds of ways to do things, and realizing that there could be a better way than what you’re doing now.
That’s what Physician Assistant Exam Scholars has always been about. New ways of thinking. New ways of solving old problems. The December issue is particularly special because the ideas are sent in from the community. The community came forward and talked about what helped them get through the tough times, what helped them study something they couldn’t grasp, what helped them pass the PANCE.
New ideas. Maybe you’ll find something useful. This issue goes to the printer on Tuesday Morning bright and early.
Brian Wallace
