My father used to say this to me whenever we were working on a project in his workshop. The object was usually made of wood, and the tool was usually his table saw.
Physical projects, as opposed to the virtual ones on the Web, have much different and permanent ramifications when you make decisions. Once you cut a piece of wood, it’s cut. Done. There’s no Command-Z.
Today though, I discovered a place in the virtual world where this mantra makes perfect sense – email messages. While I’m a fast and efficient multi-tasker, I’m also a great maker of typos. It’s most obvious in my messages to clients.
So now I read twice (or three times) and send once.