This weekend, while working on some rental house renovations, I had my daughter help me measure a length of cabinet space so I could get a 2-by-4 cut to the exact length.

It was cold. We have the heat off, so we are not paying extra for heating an empty house. The cabinet was almost out of our arm’s reach.

My daughter had been reading a book when I asked for help and could barely peel herself away. She held up one end of the tape measure. I stretched it out to the other side, took a quick look at the number, and marked the board for cutting.

It turned out to be an inch too short.

I didn’t look at the space long enough to realize that there was a face board that was sticking out, and the board I needed would sit behind this face board.

“Measure twice, cut once” has been ringing in my head ever since.

We all know that advice, but, sometimes, we rush anyway, trying to get through our never-ending list of to-dos. Maybe it’s cold and we want to get done fast so we can warm up. Maybe there are so many things on our list to get done that we try to cram as many tasks into a day as possible, not realizing that, as a result, we don’t give any of them the proper concentration they deserve.

Or, maybe, “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator” is such a good book that we can’t possibly take a break from it without causing mental anguish.

As far as lumber goes, I can always cut another piece. It isn’t cost-effective or efficient, but it is possible to have a do-over with lumber. We don’t get do-overs on everything, though, and “measure twice, cut once” is a good filter to apply to many things.

If you treat someone poorly for long enough, they will most likely find a way to do life without you. It is not about a lack of forgiveness or a lack of compassion. It is about not willingly entering into an abusive relationship. So, if you want someone to remain in your life, measure your words twice before you cut someone down with a sentence that won’t get a do-over.

Do you have enough time to measure your tasks twice and complete them appropriately? If you say “yes” to everything, then it will eventually become fairly difficult to thoughtfully measure out your roles and responsibilities and complete them with success. Saying “no” to people is hard. But saying “no” is really saying “yes” to doing a good job on what you have in front of you.

Do the people in your life know you care about them? Are you giving your family and friends a measure of your time that reflects your emotions, or does this always seem to get cut short on your list of to-dos?

For about a week prior to my grandma passing away last summer, I had vivid dreams about her. I thought I would give her a call after we got through the busyness of the Fourth of July holiday. She was gone before I had the chance. Overwhelmed by everything that was in front of me, I didn’t take the time to measure and prioritize what was really important.

Measure twice, cut once.

Mary Beth Stutzman’s “Inspiring A-Town” runs biweekly on Tuesdays. Follow Mary Beth on Twitter @mbstutz.