Increased productivity, the ability to get more value for our time, our land, or our invested money, is as important at home as it is in the workplace. Let's consider the case of our imaginary friend Jane, and her grandmother.
Jane's grandmother had just one occupation after marrying in her late teens: homemaker. She raised children, and she cleaned and maintained the family home. That was a full-time (and often more) job.
For example, Jane's grandmother spent at least half a day and often more, on Mondays, Blue Mondays, washing clothes. When Grandmother did laundry, she put a small load at a time into a wringer washer. First the clothes went through a wash cycle with soap. Then, she drained the washer, and refilled it with fresh hot water for a rinse cycle. At the end of each cycle, she fed each piece of clothing through a wringer which squeezed out the excess water. After a couple of wash and rinse cycles, the clothes landed in a tub, were carried outside, and pinned to a clothesline, one at a time. And after drying, each item was unpinned and carried back into the house. Of course, almost all of the clothing in Grandmother's time then had to be ironed.
On the other hand, when Jane needs only a few minutes to do a load of washing. She gathers up a pile of clothes, puts them in the washer, adds soap, turns on the water, and leaves. The machine automatically takes care of all those steps Jane's grandmother had to do by hand. When Jane returns to the automatic washing machine half an hour later, she simply moves the clothes to the dryer, which takes about a minute. In most cases, the clothes require minimal or no ironing, and Jane folds them and puts them away immediately.
Grandmother cooked on an electric range, which in itself represented a big improvement over the wood stove her mother used. Jane has a microwave oven, as well as an electric range, and can make a meal more quickly. After the meal, Grandmother spent at least half an hour washing dishes. Jane spends a couple of minutes loading the dishwasher.
Jane, obviously, is more productive than her grandmother. Not because she's necessarily better in any way or works any harder, but because she has tools that allow her to be more productive, to get the same amount of work done in less time.
That extra time allows her to earn an income outside the home, which in turn increases the family's prosperity. And so productivity in the home, like productivity at work, contributes to a family's increasing standard of living.
Robert F. Abbott is the author of the forthcoming book, Ownership Revolution: How Working People are Buying Up Big Business, from which this article is taken. If you contribute to a pension fund, mutual fund, or whole life insurance policy, you're probably one of the new owners of the big corporations. Find out more at http://www.TheNewOwners.com.
One of the most challenging aspect in life is time... Read More
"You will never find time for anything. You must make... Read More
Hey - Did someone press the FFW button?Have you ever... Read More
Many organisations view time management training as something they'll spend... Read More
In this world there is something more precious than gold.... Read More
Many of you have expressed the challenge of not having... Read More
Everyday, in life, we are bombarded with 101 tasks that... Read More
Sometime ago, my lovely wife woke me up in the... Read More
We all face decisions that involve doing things that affect... Read More
41 practical and quick ways to get on top of... Read More
How do you know what's the best use of your... Read More
Are you drowning in a sea of unread papers? Do... Read More
"Time management" is a myth. Time ticks by, whether you... Read More
"The bad news is time flies. The good news is... Read More
As a professional organizer, consultant and trainer, I have come... Read More
Why waste your precious time working on tasks, which are... Read More
We are constantly inundated with routine (often boring!) tasks around... Read More
My husband and I recently returned from a trip to... Read More
Are you obsessed with getting everything just right? Do you... Read More
"At my back I always hear time's winged chariot hurrying... Read More
If you have spent any time at all working at... Read More
As a business owner, wouldn't it be great if you... Read More
At Home? Keep related items together, for example the coffee... Read More
A year and a half ago I was introduced to... Read More
The biggest time management mistake you can ever make is... Read More
If you can motivate yourself at will to get any... Read More
My job in Chicago began with three months of probation.I... Read More
What would be your reaction if someone said to you... Read More
One of the biggest problems most people have when it... Read More
I have worked with so many people over the years... Read More
How often have you tried to manage your time in... Read More
As the song goes, this is the time to relax,... Read More
You can lose, damage or waste some things in life,... Read More
There is an old way of goal setting and a... Read More
Too much to do, too little time, constant stress. Most... Read More
Work life balance is the new Holy Grail; that search... Read More
We are constantly inundated with routine (often boring!) tasks around... Read More
What does it mean to practice self care? It's creating... Read More
How do you eat two elephants? The same way you... Read More
To work smarter all you need is the consciousness of... Read More
When trying to achieve a quality education, everybody knows that... Read More
Here's a smart system for doubling or tripling your daily... Read More
There is no such thing as time management. You cannot... Read More
If you work from home, you know the kind of... Read More
Many of the world's most driven and successful people sleep... Read More
I used to think video game addictions were a joke... Read More
Of all the Attraction Principles, the most popular class I... Read More
I'm sure we've all had the experience of having a... Read More
Most people want to start a home-based business to make... Read More
Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking... Read More
This may not sound like a big deal. But it's... Read More
Want to improve your time management?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker,... Read More
Let's look at your time management skills. Most of us... Read More
As a small business owner, does the following paragraph sound... Read More
Sometime ago, my lovely wife woke me up in the... Read More
There are two ways to start your day. The first... Read More
What would you say to me if I told you... Read More
From Potential to PerformanceOne of the great things about life... Read More
You can lose, damage or waste some things in life,... Read More
A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More
What are the most important things you should accomplish today?... Read More
Work more efficiently and be more productive using these time-management... Read More
Goal Planning-Achieving balance in a person's life requires assessment of... Read More
How often have you tried to manage your time in... Read More
If you're like most people, you want to get better... Read More
Looking out through my picture window during a recent winter... Read More
Time Management |