At Heart of the Matter our team has come to appreciate the term “work smarter, not harder”. It can become a mindset and a fun challenge!
Each day we are given the gift of 86,400 seconds to live. When we think of it in seconds, it seems like we have quite a bit of control doesn’t it?
We won’t save time by looking for it in large blocks. Look for it in small pieces instead. Save 30 seconds every 5 minutes and by the end of the day you have an hour!
Working smarter not harder, doesn’t mean we’re lazy. It means we’re always looking for a better, faster and more productive way to do something.
I have heard it said that Henry Ford put his laziest man on a task he wanted to improve upon.
I can recall a time when my teenage son worked at KFC. When it was time to wrap things up at the end of the evening shift he was looking for the best and fastest way to get out of there. One of his tasks was to take the garbage bags out the back door and over to the far end of the parking lot to the dumpster. He couldn’t get it all accomplished in one trip, so he was looking for a more efficient way.
One evening he saw a shopping cart up-ended in the trees along the edge of the parking lot. For him, that was just the ticket. He pulled it out, got his load to the dumpster in one trip instead of two, and then tucked it back into the bushes in the hope that it would still be there the next night. As it turned out it was, and due to his good hiding technique it remained there (for his use) for as long as he worked at KFC. That was working smarter, not harder!
There are all kinds of ways to save a few seconds here and there. Here are just a few!
- Keep your dishwashing and dishwasher soaps handy. Rather than reaching under the kitchen sink every time I need these items, using them and then returning them again, I came up with a way to save a few seconds each time. I have a pretty container by my kitchen sink with liquid soap for dish and hand washing. It saves getting it out of the lower cupboard each time.I have an open container of powdered dishwasher soap in the bottom drawer right next to my dishwasher. When I need it, I open the drawer, scoop a bit into the dishwasher and close it back up again. No reaching under the sink, retrieving, opening and returning the box. Not a big deal, but saves a few seconds each time. Save 30 seconds every 5 minutes and by the end of the day you have hour!
- A favourite way for me to work smarter not harder is around food preparation. Whenever possible I double up on a recipe so that I have leftovers for the freezer or for another night the same week.If you need a few slices of bacon cooked and crumbled for a recipe, why not cook the whole pound at once and then package and freeze for the next time you need it. Save 30 seconds every 5 minutes and by the end of the day you have hour!
- Don’t do without good basics in your kitchen. If you are spending time fighting with your can open or your vegetable peeler, ditch it and replace it with a good one.
- When entertaining:
- Have a standard menu that you use. Each family member has their assigned tasks as part of the preparation.
- Have company on back to back days or double up and invite two families over at the same time. One set of cleaning, food prep and clean-up. Work smarter not harder! Save 30 seconds every 5 minutes and by the end of the day you have hour!
5. Keep extra replacement bags in the bottom of your garbage can so you can quickly get it set-up again after you take out the garbage.
6. Decide on one day a week as your main errand day. Keep a list as the week goes by and then decide on the most efficient route to travel to accomplish what you need to do. If you collect up the errands for doing on one day you may be able to find more efficient ways to accomplish what needs to be done.
These are just a few thoughts to get you going! Once you get the work smarter not harder mindset you’ll be amazed at how often you can save a few seconds!