The Greatest Riddle Ever Told

I can't even remember where I heard this riddle, perhaps it was passed down to me as a child from a wise elder, or maybe I saw it late one night when floating through the television sphere. Regardless as to where it came from, it stands as one of the Greatest Riddles Ever Told:

Jim @ foresthiker.com

Two identical twin lumberjacks are assigned two identical plots of land. Both brothers (Lumberjack Jake & Lumberjack Jeffrey) never tire, never need food or water, and both are assigned to the standard eight hour shift on their identical plots of land.

Lumberjack Jake spends his entire 8-hours doing nothing but swinging his axe, and by the end of the day manages to cut down an even 100 trees.

Lumberjack Jeffrey on the other hand, spends his time by chopping trees for 50 minutes, followed by a 10 minute break, for the entirety of his 8-hour shift (8 breaks in total). By the end of Lumberjack Jefferey's shift, he manages to cut down 115 trees. (15 more then his identical brother).

So the riddle is; What Was Lumberjack Jeffery's Secret? How did he cut down so many more trees?


The Answer? 

Like any great riddle, the answer is simple; Lumberjack Jeffrey spent his ten minutes of every hour sharpening his axe.

And like any simple answer, its context can be applied to much further concepts. Lumberjack Jeffrey outperformed his brother by literally staying sharp. He used a great skill known as "working smart" instead of "working hard." We should all take a cue from Lumberjack Jeffrey and spend some time sharpening our axe. Take some time to step back and prepare for the next step, and most importantly, take some time to stay sharp.