Some things are necessary to get into a “focused” kind of haircutting.
(1) You spend time finding out what your customer has in mind for their hair.
(2) You possess the cutting skills and quality tools.
(3) You have the confidence to give them what they want.
(4) You know you will be giving a very good haircut, but perfection is not attainable nor is it strived for.
(5) When you begin the haircut, check that the cutting is being done according to plan. (Some haircuts start on top, after a few cutting paths up there, check if it is what they had in mind; if the side was the starting point, check with them before moving on to the back or other side.)
Once these things are taken care of, you can get into a zen-like focus on your cutting. This focus is a kind of meditation that has everything out of your mind other than the task at hand.
Your customer may want to talk while you are cutting their hair, but if you are like me, I recommend you stop cutting to do your communication (some can “multi-task” and have good conversation while cutting hair, I cannot). Resume your haircutting focus when your talk has finished.
Focused haircutting produces excellent haircuts, and it will make your 15 to 20 minute task fly by like it was done in 5 minutes or less.
HAIRCUTTING WISDOM
“Cut hair evenly and it lays like shingles on a roof.”
Told to me by my Dad when I entered barber school in 1963