It looks so good when everything lines up. Our brains are actually wired to appreciate this. Walk by a picture that’s a little crooked and you can’t help but reach over to get it right.

“Is that OK?” we ask someone across the room.

I was thinking about how much time we spend in our work each day getting things ready to line up. It’s really the bulk of our work.

I agonize over how one room should lead to another, all the functions in the right sequence. Then I sweat over how all the pieces will fit and flow together in three dimensions. Inside and out. Upstairs and down.

Budgets are put together and costs assembled and added up, reviewed and revised, trying to fit as much as possible in the shopping basket without checking out over budget. Nothing missed. Each line making sense.

That feels good. Things are all lined up. But in what order? Time!

Look at these swimmers. After all their obvious skill and preparation, it really comes down to timing. The right move at the right time with enough strength and enough breath. And what makes it work?

Practice. Practice. Practice.