Just as a tip for some of you that, like me, have ADHD and a tendency to be impatient when completing a task, you might want to try a strategy that has worked for me.
In the past, I tried to take a razor from eBay dull to shave ready in one night. I have a 9 month old and a wife who isn't particularly keen on me spending an hour or two a night on razor activities. So I often found I was rushing to get it done, with sub-par results. Also, my stroke would deteriorate after 20 minutes or so due to a combination of impatience and fatigue. I'm used to implementing behavioral strategies for my patients (I'm a neuropsychologist) and assessing patterns of executive dysfunction that lead to poor behavioral results. So...I made a single change that was very effective, at least for me.
Separate your honing session into two nights (or days). The first night, focus on just setting the bevel. That should be the only goal. Then, the most important part for me...set the razor down and finish the rest of the honing the next night. This is whether the bevel is set in 10 minutes or 40 minutes...your goal for the night is done, set the razor down.
I found that with my personality style (somewhat impatient, somewhat impulsive, prone to agitation at times...) that just by changing my goal for each session has drastically improved my honing.
As most people will tell you, getting a proper bevel is the key to a good edge - and it doesn't matter if you have a 30k stone to finish on...if the bevel isn't right, forget it.
Therefore, thinking of honing as two distinct sessions, at least for me, helped ensure that I stayed focused on the bevel for an entire session. The rest comes easy and the next night is much more fun. If you have a good bevel, you'll enjoy the rest of your stones much more.
I know, just as with most behavioral therapy, this sounds kind of obvious...but if you're struggling with frustration while honing, break it up and let a good nights rest or a "new day" help alleviate that feeling.
In the past, I tried to take a razor from eBay dull to shave ready in one night. I have a 9 month old and a wife who isn't particularly keen on me spending an hour or two a night on razor activities. So I often found I was rushing to get it done, with sub-par results. Also, my stroke would deteriorate after 20 minutes or so due to a combination of impatience and fatigue. I'm used to implementing behavioral strategies for my patients (I'm a neuropsychologist) and assessing patterns of executive dysfunction that lead to poor behavioral results. So...I made a single change that was very effective, at least for me.
Separate your honing session into two nights (or days). The first night, focus on just setting the bevel. That should be the only goal. Then, the most important part for me...set the razor down and finish the rest of the honing the next night. This is whether the bevel is set in 10 minutes or 40 minutes...your goal for the night is done, set the razor down.
I found that with my personality style (somewhat impatient, somewhat impulsive, prone to agitation at times...) that just by changing my goal for each session has drastically improved my honing.
As most people will tell you, getting a proper bevel is the key to a good edge - and it doesn't matter if you have a 30k stone to finish on...if the bevel isn't right, forget it.
Therefore, thinking of honing as two distinct sessions, at least for me, helped ensure that I stayed focused on the bevel for an entire session. The rest comes easy and the next night is much more fun. If you have a good bevel, you'll enjoy the rest of your stones much more.
I know, just as with most behavioral therapy, this sounds kind of obvious...but if you're struggling with frustration while honing, break it up and let a good nights rest or a "new day" help alleviate that feeling.
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