Lessons from Jigsaw Puzzles
A few years ago I wrote something I called “Jigsaw Puzzles remind me of my job (and maybe yours). I had bought myself a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle for Christmas and wrestled with it ever since. (It was Pieter Breugel the Elder’s Netherlandish Proverbs. Try that in 1000 pieces!)
Probably the most valuable thing about it was the time I spent, while working on it, compiling a list of the ways that jigsaw puzzles remind me of my work. Perhaps some of these resonate with you:
It’s okay to start at the edges as long as you spend time everywhere else, too.
It’s easier to work in the light than in the dark.
If you’re honest with yourself, you can tell when there’s a perfect fit and when you’re forcing something that isn’t meant to be.
The job is easier when you can see faces.
It’s tempting to think there are missing pieces, but there generally aren’t. You just haven’t yet found what you’re seeking.
Just when you think there’s a pattern, there’s a surprise.
You get a lot done in one small area, but the work yet to be done looms large.
It’s not cheating to look at the picture on the box, but be sure to adjust your expectations to match the real thing.
Systems theory is helpful, but more often than not, you just need to do what’s in front of you.
Most of the time, the work is satisfying and even joyful. When it’s not, it’s okay to take a break.
Sometimes, there actually are missing pieces, and there’s nothing you can do about it
That was then. Now I have a new job and a new puzzle. Two thousand pieces this time—Thomas Kinkade, Sunset on Lamplight Lane. And there’s a pandemic going on. I’m spending a lot of time at home, but not so much time on the puzzle as you might think. So I’ve added a few more things to the list:
12. You won’t get as much done in a day as you think, although you don’t know where the time goes.
13. It’s okay to let the puzzle take over your entire dining room table; no one is coming to dinner anytime soon.
14. Bigger is not necessarily better.
15. You may or may not finish the puzzle, but this pandemic will end.