One day two lumberjacks were squaring off in a contest. They were surrounded by a huge crowd and had a giant log in front of each of them. When the bell sounded they both began chopping very aggressively. One lumberjack noticed that his opponent had stopped chopping so he figured himself to be way ahead. This happened two more times but the lumberjack was dumbfounded at the end because his opponent won. Afterwards he asked how he took three breaks and still won.

The victorious lumberjack replied, “I wasn’t taking a break, I was sharpening my ax!”

Taking time out to sharpen your own ax will save time, effort and lead to consistently better results. Ignoring your ax, however, is eventually like cutting your steak with a spoon. It can be done but the results are frustrating, ineffective and messy.