..that it takes 308 days to make a can of, um.. let’s say generic brand-name cola. First, the bauxite ore is mined in Australia, then it’s shipped off to Brazil for the first stage of refinement. After that, it sails off elsewhere to be refined further into something more closely approaching the food-grade aluminium required for the cans. Only then is it taken to the cola factory where it’s filled with fizzy deliciousness, sealed, and dished out to consumers.
The amazing thing is that out of the 308 days that it takes from start to finish, only eight of these are spent actually working on making the can. For the remaining 300 days, the materials are either being transported or, more often than not, sitting idle on a dock or in a yard, gathering dust.
Isn’t it amazing that something so iconic and useful can be created from just eight days’ worth of work? But, simply because no one has reviewed the situation and implemented ways to make the process slicker, more efficient, that ore has to wait a full 300 days more, awaiting the loving attention it needs to blossom into its intended incarnation.
What’s your intended incarnation? And are you sitting on the docks, or idling in a train, waiting for something or someone to mould you?
Where’s the waste, the slack in your life? How can it be tightened up or removed completely?
What would you be capable of becoming if you worked on yourself for just eight days?