Tips Week Day 4

For years I hated baking. HATED IT! So imagine how grateful I was to marry a man that could bake. I just put in my requests and stay out of his way. He bakes delicious cakes, cookies, and even candies. One day I saw him whip up one of cakes that my grandmother is famous for and I was amazed! It looked good, tasted even better, and it only took him 30 minutes to get it in the oven...

Speaking of my granny, she is the reason why I hate baking. She is a great cook and baker, but there is a method to her culinary genius and if you were going to cook with her, you HAD to learn that method. As a child, I didn’t want to learn a method. I just wanted to stir up some stuff and lick the spoon. But granny had other plans for me. When it was time to bake some cakes, she would wake me up early in the morning. We would measure, and sift, mix and stir---for hours. And the stirring is what really got me. According to the method, I had to stir 20 times to the right and then 20 times to the left. Really----20 times, and she would know if I only stirred 19. It seemed like she was just being extra to me, but she swore by her method and the proof was in the pudding (Pun intended---she makes the best banana pudding). If that is what she needed to do to make her cakes taste so great, I said whatever works. But I certainly wasn’t going to be the one doing all that work. So after years of baking according to granny’s method, I gave it up. I turned in my apron and left the baking to the experts.

...Okay, back to my husband’s baking skills. The day that I saw him whip up my granny’s famous pound cake in about 30 minutes, my whole life changed. When I saw him put it in the oven, I told him I think skipped some steps. He said he didn’t. But I wasn’t convinced. How did he get the same cake that took me and granny all morning to measure, sift, mix and stir---into the oven in only 30 minutes? The proof was in the first bite. It was great---almost better than granny’s---almost. We talked about it briefly and I told him all of the things that granny and I did to make than same cake. He said; all of that isn’t even necessary….

Tip # 4
Do what is necessary. You have developed certain methods over the years. From your morning wake-up routine, to the route you take to drive work---you do things a certain way. But is it all necessary? Sometimes it is possible to get lost in the method. Some things just aren’t necessary and it stalls your productivity. If you have been having a difficult time in keeping up with your deadlines and fulfilling your daily responsibilities, this tip can help.

Re-evaluate your method and see if you can eliminate some steps. There may be a way for you to get the same quality of work, with the least amount of effort. There may be a way that is just as efficient and less intensive. Discovering these new methods may free up some time that you could spend creating other opportunities.

Implementing Tip # 4 is easy. When you see that it taking you quite a bit of time to complete one task, ask yourself if all of the steps you are taking to do it are necessary.

To Blog…Nakeia