24 Hour Workday
ThinkSolveDo
Well the tradeshow is just about 1 week away and this is when things
really start jumping. I have much of my major work done on the project
and need to make a final part or two. That means I am now working in my
24 Hour Workday Mode.
I so wish I could show you what I am working on but I do not have the
time to shoot photos and post them on the web. I am working to resolve
this and will let you all know when the new web site is up and running.
It will give you photos and videos of how and why we create prototypes
and production the way we do and why it is so successful.
Before a tradeshow you never seem to have enough time. There are always
demands being made on you and each must be handled, decisively, before
the show. That is why it is so powerful to commit to the project and a
show or release date. It creates in you a determination that is
difficult to snuff.
The product looks pretty cool, works pretty well and can be made, in
small runs, for a reasonable cost. I need to create a single part that
is a little complicated but has many ways to create. This is one of
those, "I know it can be made... the real question is HOW should it
be made?", problems.
To resolve problems like this I tend to let it marinate in my brain for
a few days (or hours if I do not have enough time) and often I will get
that flash of inspiration. It is not mystical like some of you believe.
The brain is a tool, a computer that is fed a series of commands and
then processes them in downtime (subconscious) to find an answer. This
is how I see it and my personal experience seems to bear this out as
accurate.
Fast forward to this morning... I am brushing my teeth and it hits me.
I think, "Forget the precision machining, use a ball bearing and a
bigger blade. That will let me use the tools I have and still make a
great part." Sounds weird to you? Well it all made sense to me,
mostly because I know the history of this design. Now I am ready to
make the final part.
I have been working like mad, it feels like I now have a 24 hour
workday because all I do is think about the show and business and
manufacturing and sales and et cetera. But it is also very exciting to
see a project come to life, to feel the aluminum parts and actually see
the product work. I enjoy comparing the final version to the 3D
drawings to see how it went from virtual to touchable. Cool.
Now it is time to get back to work. Hey, tell some friends about this
group. I am working to get 1000 members so when my Community web site
goes live we will all have ways to communicate with each other. I want
us to be able to speak with each other and increase our ability to
create. "The more people... the more ideas!" is how I see it.
Also, ask some questions to the group. I get a couple of dozen emails a
day from people requesting advice, info and
answers-from-the-innovation-trenches but none of you get to benefit of
my answers because the questions are not posted. Please, post to the
group and keep creating stuff, the world needs new things.
ThinkSolveDo
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