When you start to view everything you do as experience to make you better at it, it really puts more joy into the activity. What good is 10,000 practice sessions if mastery isnt any closer to achieve, what good is 10,001 practice sessions if you've already perfected it. I dont think mastery and perfection are one in the same, mastery is just perfection mirrored imperfectly. I dont think there is anything i am doing that im not getting better at when i do it, or at least i hope there isnt. I dont think you can perfect something ever, but through mastery and practice you approach the limit closest to perfection, and constantly approaching that untouchable is of upmost importance.
I thought of the best way to torture myself, psychologically of course, and for me its not doing the same task forever, its not some extravagant psychological mind break, its having to deal with doing the same task and not once being able to improve despite an unlimited amount of experience, but this torture is never complete, its only complete once you become aware you cannot get better. As if through no fault of training or my own, as if there is limitation to my own being set not by me, not by method, not set by time, but set by something i am unable to perceive. I think i would spend forever trying to figure out what it was that stops me from improving till it drove me mad.
Right now time is fleeting and i see time as the only hindrance in my ability to master anything. I don't think i ever get enough of it, but I found something i can always improve, each broom stroke, each mop stroke has become more graceful, more refined, and im starting to think that as i age that at this rate my broom stroke will be on the level of some sort of sweeping god. I sweep as if there must be some sort of divinity to my motions.My only fear left is that I'm blaming time for my unwillingness to learn or practice other things, that i might be amazing at.
Time truly is the most reliable, reasonable, and effective scapegoat. Nonetheless, my broom in my right hand, dustpan in the left, i sweep better and better each day.
Start with an ideal grip, i like my right hand over left, hold the broom angled toward the floor, when you sweep your should apply equal force from your right and left hand toward the center so that the bristle glide across the floor gentle, you dont have to squeeze the broom let it sit in your hands. Stand sideways to make clearance for the broom, with the leg of the lower hand infront. If you want more pressure push with your left hand closer toward the ground your right shoulder will adjust if you maintain your grip.
the sweeping motion is completely when both hands are above each other connected by the broom at this point lift and stroke again. This lift comes off the right hand (on top hand) and should be executed perfectly at the end of the sweep. You should be able to stroke the same strong over and over with a proper. If you want to push the dirt further allow your hands to extend further past directly above. You can pivot around depending on area of sweep.
a good stroking stance feels comfortable and infinitely repeatable, you can pivot easily from it at the end of your motions.
For one handed sweeping with dust pan, grip should be dominate hand toward center weight of the broom so lower than what you would consider the center length as more weight is toward the head of the broom. From here allow the remaining part of the handle to rest gently on your arm this motion is more of a pull toward the dustpan, repeat till its picked up. The beauty in this stance is the ability to rotate the broom effectively to push the materials. with a small twirl off the manipulation of your fingers you can put the broom sideways to maximize the push from the bristles, also very effective on hard to pickup things that the broom would normally glide over like in cement cracks cigarette butts. A skilled brooms man has no problem twirling his broom and can even position his body to move as he sweeps up an object into his dustpan. It is ineffective to try ot push dirt into a dustpan that is not braced on the floor with one hand. Aka using a double hand sweep into a dustpan.
If you want to double sweep into a dust pan use your foot to brace the back end of the pan and sweep straight. Finish with a one hand into dust pan after moving the dust pan back for the dirt that went under.
The center round: Sweep all dust toward a focus point of the room. each broom stroke closes in on this center pushing dirt from all angles, toward a pre placed dust pan for reference. Finish by pushing both sides in and a rotation of the broom for the top and bottom sides.
Guiding dirt : by holding the broom into the ground and walking you can guide dirt from one side to whatever destination you choose. some dirt will slip through and the effectiveness of this decreases with distance traveled. Maintain the original ground pressure for best results.
Overfilled dustpan broom hold: Place broom over dustpan, lift dustpan and broom so that the broom rest on your shoulders, let the broom sit on your shoulders as you walk and hold the overfilled dustpan, mastery of this is being able to carry the dustpan with two hands while the broom sits gently holding the objects in place.
Autumn's special leaves sweeping technique: Useful mostly in the fall time. hold dustpan in left and broom in right with a proper one hand group, put dustpan on your right side as you walk forward, sweep the leaf as your dustpan touches the ground into the dustpan. while heading toward the next leaf. If mastered correctly you should never have to stop walking. You can also reverse this technique to work on the dustpan side if you please, even pick up things behind you with ease by placing the dustpan around your body and pivoting off of it. If you miss the leaves you may have to stop and pick it up but if you master the behind placement you can just slow down your walking and pick it up with a behind placement and return to your normal speed.
You can get a 60 inch broom handle and save it.
48 is usually the standard for brooms
I usually use a handle until it breaks, i change out brooms when their bristles are not suitable for indoors, i use them as outside brooms for the remainder of their life
The dustpan scoop: Usually if there is a big pile of stuff you need to pick up you can scoop it directly with the dustpan by pushing it into the ground near the pile and sliding it with your feet while using the broom to block the otherside and keep the stuff in
I've become so fluent in broom and dustpan that i once said hi to someone with my right hand bringing the broom into the air, opening my hand to say hi, and catchin the broom at a higher point in the handle so I could say hi long enough for it to be recognized. The weirdest part was i didnt mean to do it, it came so naturally. I really had become one with the broom at that moment. It sounds cringy but there is no better feats than the ones that come without thought and yet perfectly play out as if practiced a million times.
I'm a superintendent so sweeping is just part of my overall job, yet this dirt worker has found joy in working with dirt. I dont know why you wouldnt want to listen to someone who has told you to do your best to enjoy mastery of even the simplistic task such as pushing a broom. You are waiting for advice from someone great, maybe a billionare, well you can find that advice online, im sure some bilionare has posted his get rich shit. The truth is they probably dont care about your well being, and you may never get rich but if a literal dirt worker has found a route to happiness in his bizarre broken drain pipe, head in toilet, broom in hand, lightbulbs in fixture, workplace life you can at least understand that where you like his advice or deem it idiotic ramblings, he moves objectively and thus is somewhat logical given his what you view "lesser class" circumstances
Most people wake up mad that they hve to go to work, upset when the work his hard. Im trying to help those people find means to enjoy it as much as it is and can be considered a struggle.
taste my rot is struggling with internal happiness, maybe he needs a better diet
refpsi I enjoyed reading your take on tasks I try to do similar things at my work with my hourly guys. Be the change you want to see. it's just a lot more easier and fun to work with people who you got to know and helped them in some way.