A subtitle for this week’s column could be “Make fewer trips up the ladder.”
This is a story about a recent lesson I re-learned. If you are like me, you have probably learned enough lessons to last a lifetime, but are required to re-learn them from time to time. Such is the case as it applies to a recent adventure in home maintenance.
A few weeks ago I noticed that the large, bright light over my driveway was “cycling.”
That’s what the electrical people call it when a light comes on, goes off, then comes on again a little while later. That pattern in outdoor lights inevitably means that the bulb is about to fail.
Being the proactive person that I try to be, I made plans to replace the bulb. In this case, planning ahead is important since the only way to reach the light fixture is to ascend a 24 foot ladder.
I have spent many hours on tall ladders, having earned my way through graduate school working as a window washer. I used to be quite agile while hanging from a shaky aluminum frame on two story and three story windows. But that was twenty-five years ago. Since then I have aged and gained weight, and generally lost my desire to be climbing ladders at all.
So, I tried to plan ahead to avoid the need to climb the ladder more than once.
Unfortunately, I had to give up on that goal, since I could not recall what type of special bulb fit the fixture. I would have to make at least two trips: one to remove the bulb, then a second to replace it after driving to Team Electric to get another one.
But I did think ahead enough to carry both a Phillips and flat head screwdriver up the ladder with me, since I could not recall which type of fastener held the cover in place. I was proud of this bit of proactive planning to carry both until I reached the top of the ladder and found that the fixture actually required a hex nut driver to open the cover. Dang it!
Back down the ladder I crept, taking quite a while longer for the descent as I used to. I located the proper driver and crawled up again, retrieved the spent bulb and headed for the store. About a half hour later I was headed back up the ladder to complete the job. In all, I had to make three trips up and down the shaky ladder, as well as make a special trip to the store in between. A job that should have taken ten minutes required about an hour to complete.
To save time next time, I have now placed the empty package from the lamp, along with a note that I need a nut driver instead of screwdriver, next to the switch that controls the light. This way I can buy the correct lamp while I am running errands and accomplish the task with one trip up the ladder next time.
This week’s column is a reminder that the principle involved applies to countless tasks that we routinely do with too little preparation. Thoughtful planning can save us hundreds or thousands of hours during a year’s time.
Thinking ahead to have the proper supplies on hand, realizing that today’s tasks will need to be repeated again at some future date and other planning steps can make our lives much easier and often save money as well as time.
This week’s suggestion is to work harder at planning and preparation so you can enjoy the benefits of “fewer trips up the ladder.” |
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