Make faster

How to speed up the creative process

Happy Friday, all. Here’s a quick essay on how to make fast - while making your best. Be well. ~JRC

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Speed. It’s not just for tight curves. Image by Shiro Hatori, via Unsplash

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Savoring the maker moments is a big draw for anyone who creates. But there are times when we need to speed things up. Perhaps we are completing a project for an upcoming birthday or a contract deadline. Or maybe we want to get through a tedious part to get on to the more enjoyable aspects of a build. Regardless, working faster is sometimes required. But you can't rush - this invites mistakes and can be dangerous. Instead, to hasten a build, one must work smarter. 

Here are five tips to get your making up to speed.

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Know where your tools are

Having a well-organized shop is essential to working efficiently. So make sure your tools are in places you'll remember. Label drawers and bins to ensure equipment has a home. And, when possible, reduce obstacles to retrieving tools altogether. If you have to move your bandsaw to open a drawer that hides that wrench you want that's under a pile of other wrenches, it'll eat up your time (and frustrate the heck out of you). Instead, have high-use tools at arm's reach and not tucked away in a drawer at all. Adam Savage refers to this as "first order retrievability" - when you never have to move something else to get at a tool. Easier said than done, sure. But done whenever possible, you'll thank yourself for doing it. 

Put your tools back

Tools get strewn about a shop during almost every build. And it's tempting to leave them there, especially when a project is ongoing. But leaving tools out invites chaos. That wrench you used yesterday is now under a scrap piece of lumber. And your favorite tape measure found its way beneath your workbench. I've spent countless hours searching for tools I had in hand the day before - all because I didn't bother to put them back where they belong. Don't do this! Take time to put your tools away every time, and you'll save, well, time. 

Clean your space

Since we're on organizing, be sure and keep a tidy workspace. Putting tools away helps. But if you're still tripping over piles of chips & dust and other shop detritus, you'll find yourself stuck. Although it feels counterintuitive, taking time out from a build to clean up will actually save overall time. It's much better to clean as you go, keeping check on all the disorder. That way, you have space to move, work, and think. And you'll work more efficiently as a result.

You know the rule - measure twice, cut once

Nothing eats up time more than a do-over. And most do-overs happen because we failed to ensure a proper cut. Measuring twice (or more) helps us guarantee we have the correct dimensions. And doing so is one of the best ways to keep a build moving along on schedule. Enough said.

Make more and make often

My absolute favorite way to make faster is to make all the time. Practice makes perfect, as they say. And the more you make, the more familiar you'll be with your tools and how they work. With practice, you become comfortable with processes and techniques, executing them efficiently. And best of all, you'll gain confidence in creating and grow willing to jump in and do the job immediately. The more time spent making the more you’ll create in a given time, plain and simple.

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I hope these tips help. Some are intuitive, for sure. And others common knowledge. But a reminder on how to work smarter and more efficiently never hurts. So remember these few tips and do them religiously - your projects will fly by, and you'll have more time for other fun stuff. Like more making.

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Do you have any other tips for working fast? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time.

JRC