Everything requires maintenance. Whether it is a piece of furniture, a computer, a vehicle or even our own body and mind, they all need to be maintained for as long as we use them.
Maintenance is usually understood as performing some repairs in case of some problem. It is common practice to wait until something goes wrong and then fix it by tightening a screw, reformatting an operating system or popping some pills. But we have to think, it lacks common sense? It is said that prevention is better than cure. What we need therefore is a kind of maintenance that will prevent, rather than cure.
Preventive maintenance is one such concept that is catching on in the world today. It is being applied in the management world to a large extent and is being used on a daily basis by professionals as well.
As the name suggests, preventive maintenance is the process of avoiding problems in the system by keeping it is good shape. The basic principle behind preventive maintenance is to spend some time at regular intervals to check, clean and spruce up the system.
Preventive maintenance can be used on ourselves too. We usually ignore the needs of our body like proper food and exercise, until we become sick and are treated for the illness. Similarly, we ignore the needs of our mind, like rest and timely stimulation, and end up with hypertension or nervous imbalance.
But by practicing preventive maintenance, our body and mind will not only be consistently fit, we can also save the trouble of being sick.
There are many advantages of preventive maintenance over conventional maintenance. One is that it makes life much more economically. A timely check up and a regular maintenance of the system may cost a bit. But it will definitely be cheaper than the time and money that will be spent in repairs and recovery otherwise.
Another important advantage is that through preventive maintenance, the efficiency of the machine, the tool or the individual is consistent. It does not reduce until it crashes down for repair, as it is the case with the usual form of maintenance.
All one needs to do is determine the timetable of maintenance and remember to do it at that specific time. For example, regular exercise, timely rest, occasional medical check ups and proper diet all constitute preventive maintenance of our body and mind
