Too busy chopping wood to sharpen the axe?

This is the article I supplied to Exilesoft magazine last time. Hope it will help someone.

He, who wanted to start his life as a wood cutter, bought an Axe and went to the jungle. He earned money by selling trees that he cuts. He wanted to be rich, so he worked hard to achieve his goal.

When days turned to weeks and weeks to months, his productivity went down. The amount of wood he collected each day started to decrease day by day. But he worked more hours till his hands hurt but he was barely able to achieve his margin. He couldn’t collect as much wood as he did in the beginning.

One day he thought, “If I continue like this, I won’t be able to achieve my goal”. Then he sat on a fallen tree and wondered what had gone wrong. Aha... His enemy was right in front of him. His productivity was low due to his own fault. He realized that he was only concerned about his output. He hadn’t spared a thought for the tools he used in his work. He quickly sharpened the axe and started to cut the trees. He realized that productivity was not based on his effort alone but also on the improvement he made.

You may have heard of this story but have you taken this lesson to heart? Do you act in a similar manner in your own career? Think about it.

1. Are you always busy with your job, completing your tasks?

2. Do you also complain you don’t have time to improve your career?

If so you could end up being less productive. It’s true we all have plenty of work each and every day. But be wise enough to manage your work while spending few minutes to develop your skills. If not you will become a person with obsolete knowledge. On that day even your employer will not acknowledge the work you did. They will blame you for your redundant knowledge. 

Let’s say you are given 86 400 rupees every day. If you spend it all without saving any, at the end you will have nothing left. Imagine this 86 400 as seconds you are blessed with every day. If you just waste it without doing anything for your career, you are not investing in your future.

Just think about it and spare few minutes every day to enhance yourself.

Be a person who contributes something towards your career every day.