Why the why is important

The famous quote by Nietzsche: “He who has a why can bear almost any how” is a personal favorite of mine. Last weekend I was reminded of the why in a rather funny way. My wife, who also is a motorcycle rider, mentioned on the fly that it might be time to consider a mini 50 cc dirt bike for our petrol head son. Time flies. I used to love motorcycles. Around ten years ago, >20 000 km per year was an average season for me. But since becoming a father my offroad bike has mostly collected dust. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it anymore, but the problem is that it is not an activity that can include my family. Riding the bike is a solo endeavor. However, when my wife planted that PW50 seed in my mind, I instantly visualized a new timeline where the motorcycle passion might enter my life again but in a different format.

Motorcycle, ParentingRikard ÖqvistMay 2, 2022dirt bike, motorcycle, adventure, parentingComment

Stay below 70%

A very good rule of thumb when riding a motorcycle on a racetrack is to stay within 70% of your maximum capacity. Because you will need those spare 30% when you mess up – which you will. I love to do track days with my motorcycles. It’s the best practice there is. To expand your skill level and learn exactly where your current limit is and how it feels to approach it. That has saved my ass and perhaps even my life on several occasions in the real world, which is less forgiving than a racetrack.

Music, MotorcycleRikard ÖqvistFebruary 21, 2022himalaya, meshuggah, drums, trackday, racetrack, motorcycleComment

How do you over-book yourself, while keeping space in your calendar?

One thing that I have clearly noticed as a self-employed consultant is that you always need to over-book yourself. Because even if your schedule is at 125%, things get cancelled, deadlines are moved, and most of the time, my 125% schedule becomes 100%. This has worked fine for me for the last year. However, you also need to allocate time for unforeseen events, which runs contrary to the above statement. Your kid might get sick, your dog needs veterinary treatment or urgent mistakes come to the surface with your clients. These instances may bump your 125% schedule up to 200% if they coincide. These past weeks has been some of the worst ones so far. And it traces back to problems about a month ago. So, what can I do to avoid similar workload explosions?

Philosophy, HabitsRikard ÖqvistOctober 31, 2020motorcycle, racing, racetrack, scheduling, analogy, planning, consultant, parentComment

Done is better than perfect

A trait that is common among engineers is the desire to make things perfect. We find beauty in a system that is well-designed and optimized so that nothing is there that shouldn’t be there. The system does exactly what we want it to do. This desire is a blessing and a curse. Without it, buildings would probably collapse, and airplanes would fall from the sky. But the strive for perfection can also be the reason a building never gets built or an airplane that never flies. Have you ever worked on a project where you have done a perfect design only to realize when you are finished, that you have made incorrect assumptions regarding the foundation? Like proof-reading your doctoral thesis without detecting a spelling error in the title?

Philosophy, EngineeringRikard ÖqvistMay 30, 2020perfection, motorcycle, electrical, design, conscientiousness, personalityComment