This is where safety, human performance, and the potential for mistakes come into play.
As I said, I do this virtually every morning.
And for me, when I do ‘simple’ things over and over and over, I tend to develop a subconscious muscle memory.
In other words- it’s pretty gosh darn easy for my brain to be “somewhere else”.
I’m willing to bet this is true for you as well.
In Human Performance jargon, this is classic Skill-Based Performance.
The thing is, while your brain tends to focus less and less, any potential hazards remain the same.
I discovered this a while back as I ‘carelessly’ thrust my hand beneath the suds, scraping the skin from the knuckle of my middle finger.
What was the lesson?
It ain’t rocket science-
I instantly learned the need to be much more mindful while cleaning my Vitamix!
Now- while I can still allow my brain to wander a bit while completing the other tasks involved with crafting my morning smoothie such as setting out my supplements, opening the protein powder, scooping out the avocado, and so forth, cleaning the pitcher has my FULL attention.
Developing this level of focus was Step 1 in becoming a “safe” Vitamix pitcher cleaner!
And since we talk about this stuff in our
PPI Learning & Development Sessions (reducing errors…not cleaning Vitamixes), each time I now clean the pitcher, I ask myself- “How can I do this [even] more safely?”
And recently I discovered this- IN ADDITION TO being mindful each time I reach into the soapy water, I can also hold the sponge in a way that my fingers have ZERO chance of coming into contact with the blades.
Things that make you go hmmm (simplicity on the far side of complexity).
What’s the point?
Well- if you own a Vitamix, remember this next time you need to clean the thing.
Far more important though, while performing routine mundane tasks (at work and at home)- engage your brain to consciously and consistently consider how you might combine appropriate mindfulness, i.e., PAYING ATTENTION, with simple methods or tools, like…how you “hold the sponge”.
Doing this over time will virtually eliminate your potential for making the types of mistakes that can get you or someone else hurt, or cause other types of bad things to happen.
Look, I’m human, and…I’m pretty sure you are as well.
Most of what we do each day is the same…it’s routine.
And doing these types of things is when our minds naturally tend to wander.
Some underlying science?
Each time you and I do something successfully, our confidence grows.
While this is a good thing to a certain point (aka, as skill development), it turns against us when we cross the line into overconfidence- where reduced levels of engagement and awareness set us up for bad things to happen because we’re not paying enough attention.
