When my students inevitably come to the realization that engineering analysis is hard work, the future stars among them will raise their hand (the shy stars will pull me aside) to ask “How the heck am I going to do all this? This looks hard.” It’s then that I tell them about one of my favorite books about writing.
You may find yourself asking, “Wait, how does engineering analysis tie into writing?” Good question. The short answer is “In more ways than most engineers are comfortable admitting,” but that’s a topic for another series.
Anne Lamott wrote a great book about writing called Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. In it she tells a story about her brother’s struggle with what he perceives to be an overwhelming task. The gist of the story is that the brother has procrastinated several months on a school project wherein he must create a report about umpteen birds. He’s in tears at the table when his dad comes to give him the titular advice. “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
Engineering analysis, computer programming, and many of life’s problems can be deconstructed into bite-sized pieces. If you find yourself as an analyst, a programmer, or any other professional, faltering under the enormity of your task, remember the father’s wise words and the pressure will lift.
Jonathan Pietkiewicz 