The Next Step

To find the easiest, quickest way to do something, ask a lazy person.  We spend a lot of time thinking about such things.  I must have been affected by exposure to Frank Gilbreth's time-and-motion studies when I was ten years old and saw the movie "Cheaper By the Dozen" (the original with Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy).

One trick, especially with a recurring task, is not to do just the job at hand, but think about what comes next and plan ahead.  An important step in cooking is mise en place (putting in place) during prep so that ingredients are organized before turning on the stove.  It's a good principle.  I'm down in the barn every morning anyhow, either sweating or freezing as the weather dictates, so it only takes a few minutes more after milking to set up for the bedtime snacks and to get everything ready for the next day.  Before I worked out this system, getting the goats into the barn at night took a lot of running around in the pen and took over half an hour, and they would mob me as I coaxed them in with grain.  Now it takes about five minutes.  I open doors, they go in.  Nighty-night!  In the morning, food is in the dish before the first girl gets on the stand and the show begins.  Easy-peasy.

Hanging laundry on the line is so much easier than using the dryer.  I have some control over the next step.  It doesn't matter in which order clothes are hung on the line, but as I take them down to fold, I take them in groups as to how they'll be put away or used.  For instance, fresh bedding was going right back on the bed yesterday.  Pillow cases go on last, so they went in the basket first, then the top sheet, followed by the bottom sheet which would go on the bed first.  I didn't have to dig through all the clean laundry and making the bed took a matter of minutes.  Even if I remember to take clothes out of the dryer before they wrinkle again, everything comes out higgledy-piggledy and I've got to spend time sorting out to put stuff away.

Consistency is another element.  Once a system has been perfected, I stick to it.  Sometimes an offer of assistance, though appreciated, is declined because the order is disrupted.

Investing a little time thinking about the next step when working gives me more time to do something fun, or to do nothing.  That's a pretty good return on an investment.  Think about it.