Picking Nits

by Nate Croft

There is a very definite line between the drive for excellence and the desire to nit pick something to death. Excellence has the good common sense to recognize itself. Nit picking knows only picking. Doesn’t matter what it picks as long as there is picking.

I like to call this Nit Harvesting.

But let’s face it, picking nits is fun! At least for the person picking them, because it sounds like they know what they are talking about!

Rather than a little selective hand pick here and there, there are some folks who have developed Nit Combines! Massive and rapid harvesting of nits large and small can now be achieved through the wonders of technology!

Ok, so I’m exaggerating a bit. I know that sometimes you need to get rid of the good, to make room for the great. But let’s face it, picking nits is fun! At least for the person picking them, because it sounds like they know what they are talking about! And they might. More often than not, I find that Nit Harvesters are simply insecure. They have a need to show you that they know something too. That or they are simply cannot be pleased. That can happen too. Watch out for anyone who wants to hire you for any other reason than they like your work.

Dealing with people face to face alleviates a good bit of Nit Harvesting. It’s much harder to do that to someone face to face. However, the anonymity of the internet can encourage this sort of thing with good people who wouldn’t normally do this.

So, what do you do with a Nit Harvester? Two things. First, call them on it. And remember to kind about it, there’s no need to spiteful and unprofessional. People always respond much better to kindness. Second, if they don’t consider their actions over the top and simply can’t be pleased, cut them loose. You might lose a few dollars (or pounds/euros/etc.) but you will save your sanity and you can get back to doing something profitable.