You know, life throws all sorts of curveballs at you. Sometimes they’re big, hairy problems, other times they’re just these tiny, nagging little things that chip away at your patience. For me, for a long while, one of those tiny, nagging things was this damn number: 37.5. Specifically, needing to divide it by 6, over and over again.
I was doing these small freelance gigs back then, a lot of simple material cutting and sizing for folks. Think custom shelving, small garden beds, that sort of thing. Nothing fancy, but it involved a lot of measuring and estimating. And for whatever reason, one particular type of standard lumber I used a ton, its cost and yield per project always, I mean always, came down to this 37.5 unit. And then, without fail, I’d have to figure out how to split that by 6, maybe for six identical pieces, or to gauge what six clients would pay if I bundled it. It was just a constant in my daily grind.
The Calculator Crutch – A Habit I Hated
At first, it was simple. Phone out, punch in 37.5, hit divide, punch in 6, boom. Done. But doing it five, ten, fifteen times a day? It started to get under my skin. It wasn’t just the few seconds it took, it was the mental break. I’d be in a flow, thinking about the next cut, the next measurement, and then this stupid little calculation would come up, and I’d have to stop, grab the phone, look at the screen. It felt like a tiny speed bump every single time, jarring me out of my rhythm.
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I’d be mid-conversation with a client, trying to look like I had all my ducks in a row, and then I’d sheepishly pull out my phone. It felt unprofessional, even though everyone does it. It just felt like I should know this number.
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There were days I’d forget my phone, or the battery would be low, and then I was truly stuck, scribbling on scraps of paper, trying to do long division, feeling like I was back in primary school. It was embarrassing, honestly.
I kept telling myself, “It’s just a number, get over it.” But it was more than that. It was a symbol of this small, nagging inefficiency in my routine. I wanted to just know it, to have it as automatic as knowing 2+2.
The Lightbulb Moment – Cracking the Code Without a Screen
One lazy Saturday morning, I was sitting with my coffee, just staring at a scrap of paper where I’d jotted down some numbers from the week. And there it was again: 37.5 / 6. I wasn’t in a rush, wasn’t working, just letting my mind wander. And I just decided, right then and there, I was going to figure this thing out mentally, once and for all.
My brain started fiddling with it. Thirty-seven point five. Okay, what’s a number close to 37.5 that 6 goes into nicely?
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I thought, “Well, 6 times 6 is 36, right?” That was easy. So if it was 36 divided by 6, the answer would be a clean 6.
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But I had 37.5. So, I had a remainder. 37.5 minus 36 leaves me with 1.5. One and a half. My brain went, “Okay, now I just need to divide 1.5 by 6.”
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And that’s where it really clicked. One and a half divided by six. If you think about it, one and a half is half of three. And three is half of six. So, one and a half is one-quarter of six. One-quarter. That’s 0.25.
Suddenly, it all fell into place. It was 6 from the 36 divided by 6, plus 0.25 from the 1.5 divided by 6. So, the answer was 6.25. It was so simple, so elegant, I felt like an absolute genius. I’d literally spent months fumbling with a calculator for something that could be broken down like that in my head.
Putting It to Practice – Everyday Wins and a Little Bragging
After that day, I made a conscious effort. Every time that specific 37.5 / 6 calculation popped up, I’d do it in my head. I wouldn’t even touch my phone. I’d mentally go, “36 divided by 6 is 6. Left with 1.5. 1.5 divided by 6 is 0.25. So, 6.25.”
The first few times, it was a little slow, a little clunky. But within a week or two, it was automatic. It became second nature. And man, the satisfaction! It was a tiny thing, but it felt like a huge win. No more breaking my stride, no more fumbling for the phone. Just a quick, confident, “That’ll be 6.25 units, sir.”
I even started bragging a little. My buddy, Mark, who was also doing some similar material estimates, he was still pulling out his phone. I showed him my little trick, just like I’m sharing it with you now. His eyes just about popped out. He said, “I’ve been doing this for years and never once thought to break it down like that!”
It’s not about being a math wizard. It’s about not letting those small, recurring mental roadblocks get the better of you. It’s about finding a simple, straightforward path through them. Take the time to understand the problem, break it down, and you might find the answer was staring you in the face the whole time. Those small victories, those little bits of mental mastery, they stack up. They make your day smoother, your brain sharper, and honestly, they just make you feel good about tackling problems, big or small.
