Embrace your weakness

Last week I bought a secondhand computer monitor for the home studio that I am creating. It is a huge Philips 43-inch 4k monster display, one of the very best on the market. I had been looking for a computer monitor for a long time when this behemoth showed up in my feed, close to where I live, for a fraction of the sticker price. However, the ad stated that the previous owner had damaged it by dropping a tool when installing it, which resulted in a big bright dead pixel with white light in the middle of the screen. Here’s the catch: I find dead pixels extremely annoying! My eyes are drawn to that sucker constantly. Even though the price was a bargain, the dead pixel disturbed me so much that it was a no-brainer to walk away. And that is precisely the reason that I bought it.

Engineering, PhilosophyRikard ÖqvistOctober 17, 2020perfection, focus, productivity, it, growth, mindset, engineer, 4kComment

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