You can go to the library or any book store and within a glance find books that tell you how to do things right. How to build a patio, how to fix a car, how to buy collectable stamps, how to use your MP3 player…the list goes on and on. But what you rarely see is a book telling you what NOT to do. I know it sounds backwards but I think it will work.
A series of What not to do when… books that cover the same topics or telling you what you really shouldn’t do. I’m a person that gets sidetracked easily when I see something that seems like a good idea. I see something and I run with it in my head. So when I see a book that says “do it this way” I start thinking, “yeah, that sounds right and if I did this it could…” and that leads me to a trial-and-error routine that eliminates many theories and ends up with one good one.
When it comes to those books that tell you what to do, I am always left wondering if they (the authors) have found what doesn’t work. You’d like to hope so, but when you actually try the things these do-right books say, I often find myself mislead by lack of information and not enough details.
I don’t care how I get to the final goal. I want to know what not to try on my way there. If I want to take 10 steps to get the end that’s fine by me so long as I don’t try something that is known not to work along the way. I’d rather take 10 steps and get it done right than getting it done in 5 steps knowing I followed directions of someone who thought they had it right.
I guess this type of don’t-do book could steer clear of the opinions of what you should do and just tell you what outright does not work. It assumes the reader has some smarts rather than assuming they’re an idiot…er, dummy.
Now I just need some time to hide away and write a few books. So maybe my first book should be What not to do to when you need more time.
That sounds great! I run into this at the hardware store all the time!
I run into homeowners on a regular basis, of which none are as handy as they think. Now, some know that they aren’t real handy, but even they overestimate their abilities.
What kills me is that after I tell them what to use, and how to do it right, the customers immediately ask me “Isn’t there anything else?”
It’s as if they think that my part of the conversation is supposed to continue “oh, but of course, that’s just the most expensive and complicated way. I didn’t realize you wanted the cheapest simplest way! Right over here sir!” I guess this would be the appropriate time to take them to the Duct Tape department.
A set of “What not to do” books would be great! I’d carry the home repair editions in my store!
We could start with “How not to wire an outlet” or “How not to hang heavy objects in drywall”. Then we could continue with “How not to fix your leaky drain under your sink with gobs of plumbers putty and duct tape”. Then of course, there’s the perenial lawn and garden favorite “How not take the same pump sprayer that you just used to apply Roundup on your driveway to kill all the weeds and re-fill it with fertilizer to spray on your garden”.
Yeah… Take this idea and run with it. Let me know if you need any help! :O)
G+
That’s funny G+!