More Things I've Learned Along the Way

Occasionally, when I learn something, I think, "I wish I had known that years ago." Maybe it would have saved me pain and trouble, or helped me find more joy and happiness, or maybe it just appeals to me. Whenever this happens, I write it down, or at least I mean to write it down. Many of them do get away. Here's the second installment of some that didn't get away.

• It's way better to cancel a meeting that shouldn't happen than to hold a meeting that shouldn't have happened.
• If you phone someone only when something is wrong, they'll eventually learn about Caller ID.
• Ask questions only if you think the answers (or nonanswers) will help.
• Turning the other cheek is a good way to get slapped again. And maybe that's a good thing.
• When people interrupt each other, rudeness isn't always the only reason. Some interruptions are strategic.
• When somebody consistently does something wrong, your understanding of what they're trying to accomplish might be incorrect.
• When an expert tells you it's impossible, take heed. Experts who exaggerate aren't experts for long.
• Humor is everywhere. Even in things you're embarrassed you laughed at.
• Humor helps some people get over the rough spots. Others find it most unhelpful. How wondrously different we all are.
• People who take credit for the work of others soon run out of others.
• The young have a huge advantage over their elders. They haven't yet learned that there isn't time enough to learn all of what they haven't yet learned.
• Three kinds of people who don't learn: the unwilling, the unable, and the soon-to-be-unemployed.
• Dogs understand us. It's what they do for a living.
• Get a scanner. Electronic hoarding Dogs understand us.
  It's what they do
  for a living.is better for the environment than hardcopy hoarding.
• Many of my mistakes eventually proved right. And many things I thought were right eventually proved to be mistakes. So, being sure I'm right can be a mistake. I think.
• Some people contribute much more than they get credit for; some contribute much less. The trick is figuring out which is which.
• Some people contribute much less than they think they do. Way less.
• Being loyal to an organization that's incapable of being loyal to you is just dumb. Same for people.
• You get good only at what you practice at, but practicing at something is no guarantee you'll get good at it.
• Don't practice at anything you don't want to get good at.
• Getting angry at inanimate objects hardly ever motivates them to do better.
• Taking time out to think usually saves time in the end.
• On days when nothing is going right, I remind myself that most things actually are going right. I'm just too messed up to notice them.
• Trees know how to make do with whatever comes their way. They have to.

I'm sure more will come to me. When I get a bunch, I'll send them along.   First issue in this series    Next issue in this series   Top    Next Issue

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More things I've learned

Some Things I've Learned Along the Way  [October 19, 2005]

When I have an important insight, I write it down in a little notebook. Here are some items from my personal collection.

Still More Things I've Learned Along the Way  [March 30, 2016]

When I have an important insight, or when I'm taught a lesson, I write it down. Here's another batch from my personal collection.

More Things I've Learned Along the Way: IV  [July 31, 2019]

When I gain an important insight, or when I learn a lesson, I write it down. Here's Part IV from my personal collection. Example: When it comes to disputes and confusion, one person is enough.

More Things I've Learned Along the Way: V  [March 30, 2022]

When I gain an important insight, or when I learn a lesson, I make a note. Example: If you're interested in changing how a social construct operates, knowing how it came to be the way it is can be much less useful than knowing what keeps it the way it is.

More Things I've Learned Along the Way: VI  [April 19, 2023]

When I gain an important insight, or when I learn a lesson, I make a note. Example: If you're interested in changing how a social construct operates, knowing how it came to be the way it is can be much less useful than knowing what keeps it the way it is.

More Things I've Learned Along the Way: VII  [June 11, 2025]

When I gain an important insight, or when I learn a lesson, I make a note. Example: If you're interested in changing how a social construct operates, knowing how it came to be the way it is can be much less useful than knowing what keeps it the way it is.

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In a meeting, a meandering monologue has taken over when someone speaks at length with no sign of coming to a clear point, and little of evident value. This behavior reduces engagement on the part of other attendees, thereby limiting the meeting's value to the organization. Available here and by RSS on June 25.

And on July 2: The True Costs of Contractors

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