One Bite at a Time
A Bench Jeweler’s Guide to Organizing Their Work
Many jeweler’s productivity rate is low not because they don’t work hard; it’s because they don’t work efficiently. Once the job envelopes are sorted and scheduled in the order they are to be worked on, the manner in which you perform the work must be organized.
Remember: Work Smarter, not Harder. The most efficient method to planning your work is the same way you eat an elephant - One Bite at a Time.
19th century author and business consultant Samuel Smiles said “The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once.”
To accomplish more in your day do one thing (one bite) at a time and do it until you have finished. Then move on to the second thing you need to do and do it until it is finished, then move to the third.
To many bench jewelers this means taking one piece of jewelry and finishing it, then taking a second, etc. However if you look at what work you are doing, instead of applying this principle of doing one thing until it is finished and then the next. You are actually doing several things (eating the whole elephant) and then repeating those same steps over and over again. For example if you are repairing several chains and you get one chain ready and light your torch and solder it. Then you turn your torch off to get the next one ready, light your torch and solder it. Then you turn your torch off to get the next one ready, light your torch and solder it. Then you turn your torch off to get the next one ready, light your torch and solder it.
Then you turn your torch off to get the next one ready, light your torch and solder it. Do you see how much time is wasted re-lighting the torch? Or in sizing rings if you size one ring you measure, saw, bend, solder, file, hammer, sand, polish, and clean. Then you repeat all of the steps on each ring you size.
Many hours per week are wasted using one tool for one job, setting it down, and using another tool, only to return to the first tool to use it on another job. Like picking up the torch, lighting it, and soldering one item. Then turning the torch off, and setting it back down, only to pick the torch back up a few minutes later, and re-lighting it in order to solder a second item. Then turning the torch off again and setting it back down. Then going to a third job, which requires picking up the torch and re-lighting it, to solder this third item. Then turning the torch off, and setting it back down, repeatedly all day long.
In planning your work, you need to think of the one thing that you are doing concerning the work you are doing and not the one piece of jewelry. Think through each group of jobs that you have to do, and break your work down.
First, Break the Project into Steps
Then, Break those Steps into Activities
And finally, Schedule those Activities
Organizing Thier Work continued