Upgrades and downgrades

The last few days I have been home sick with the flu. It's hard to get anything useful done when I am physically ill - my head has been equally tired. I made time to upgrade my Drupal install today, though. I guess I am learning that the best upgrade may include downgrading how much work I do.

It's not that I will change how much time I spend doing work, really, but rather I will "Work smarter, not harder". Come to think of it, I can't remember where I first heard that sage advice - I'd love to know the original source (if an attribution exists).

Michael Fortin outlined his own advice in his blog post at 4hb.com. For me, Rohn's advice at the end makes really great sense. Sometimes, there is no point in being cranial and getting lost in all the details. Make sure you're working on getting the right product.

Today, rather than bumbling and wandering my way through the upgrade, I read lots of notes, took a few of my own notes, and just tried to do it the quickest and smartest way possible. On side-jobs like playing with this site, I don't always do that. I usually muck around, try this and that, figure it out ... but today I didn't think it was worth messing around the hard way.

And the shorter trip was really enlightening. I found something different than normal, it was more memorable (imagine that): it got the job done, and it was done right, and it's repeatable.

Today my hobby has reminded me to work harder first by working smart. If a project looks like it is going to take a few hours or more, then it sure is smart to begin with a plan that prioritizes brevity. Even though I'm sick and I have unsuspected time on my hands, there is no reason to waste it.

It's not like I don't have a lot of practice to do.