Hit my 10,000th service call last Tuesday and honestly didn't think I'd make it this far in the trade.

It was a basic dishwasher swap in an old house built in 1952 and the homeowner offered me a beer after seeing the rusted hoses I pulled out, which got me thinking about all the stuff we used to fix that nobody bothers with anymore. Anybody else keep track of their numbers or am I just weird about it?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jana21d ago

Oh man, I gotta disagree with you there. Tracking my numbers keeps me honest, not the other way around. I know exactly how many times I've dealt with those corroded copper pipes in old houses because the tally reminds me how often I'm fixing the same kind of neglect. If you don't count, it's easy to forget when you've got a bad habit or you're skipping steps without realizing it. That 10k number isn't about bragging, it's about knowing you've seen enough to trust your gut on when a hose is shot.

the_rowan21d ago

Oh wow, I gotta push back a little on the numbers thing. I get why you track them, but for me it's less about the count and more about the actual work. I've seen guys get obsessed with hitting some milestone number and then they start rushing jobs or skipping the little details just to get the call done faster. That's how you miss a cracked fitting or a slow leak that turns into a bigger mess later. Honestly, the beer and the old house story is what sticks with me, not the 10k number. That homeowner wanted to thank you for seeing the rust and caring enough to swap it out proper. That's the real win, not some arbitrary tally. I don't track my calls at all. If the day is done and nobody is complaining and I actually helped someone, that's my number. Feels more honest to me.