My old foreman said log everything, I thought it was busywork

Worked under Gary for 3 years at a framing crew outside Denver and he made us write down every single measurement and cut on a scrap board. I figured it was just wasting time, so I skipped it whenever he wasnt watching. Last month I had to rebuild a deck where I guessed a joist spacing by eye and the whole thing came out an inch too narrow. Had to rip up 14 boards and redo it. Gary wasnt even around anymore but his voice popped in my head and now I track everything on a cheap notepad. Anyone else have a boss whose dumb rule turned out to be the right call?

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joel_clark3729d ago

That story reminds me of a tile setter I worked with years ago who made me mark every chalk line twice. Drove me crazy at the time, seemed like pure superstition. But after one job where a line snapped wrong and we had to cut a whole bathroom floor out, I understood. That extra 30 seconds per line saves you hours of fixing later. The thing is, older guys like Gary and my tile setter learned those habits the hard way, probably from their own mistakes or someone else's. They are not trying to make your day harder, they are trying to save you from their own pain. Once you see it that way, a notepad and a pencil starts to feel like the best tool in the truck.