# Do you do things the easy way, or my way? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102 "2005-06-13T16:34:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/1 "2005-06-13T16:34:59Z")
No matter what the activity is, I seem to find the hardest way to do it. Even using the microwave, I don’t use 60, I use 1:00. A tiny difference, sure, but a difference that other people seem to grasp readily. I don’t make grocery lists. I tell myself that I’ll remember. Of course, I don’t remember it all which means doing without or a second trip. It’s like I’m just naturally inclined to make my life harder. How about you? ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/2 "2005-06-13T16:45:19Z")
I’m all about the easy way. It makes life more fun. Seriously, on your microwave, I would put in 1:11 or :55, because it’s easier to punch in and close enough. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/3 "2005-06-13T16:45:39Z")
I’m so lazy I microwave things for 11 seconds instead of 10 or 55 instead of 60, just so I won’t have to move my finger. So I guess I go the extremely easy way. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/4 "2005-06-13T16:46:09Z")
I’m sure I still do some things the hard way, but I can’t think of a good example off the top of my head. Our microwave has settings in tens-of-minutes, minutes, tens-of-seconds, and seconds. So if I want to cook something 1 minute I hit the minute button once, not the tens-of-seconds 6 times or the seconds button 60 times. I guess I’m missing something here. Maybe we don’t have a modern enough microwave? I have always wondered if I tie my shoes correctly… ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/5 "2005-06-13T16:48:04Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > I’m so lazy I microwave things for 11 seconds instead of 10 or 55 instead of 60, just so I won’t have to move my finger. > So I guess I go the extremely easy way. OMG, I thought I was alone in this. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/6 "2005-06-13T16:51:52Z")
No offense, but you’re like my husband and you would drive me batshit crazy. 😉 Not only do I not use ‘1:00’ on the microwave for one minute, I use ‘:66,’ because it’s quicker to just hit the ‘6’ twice than have to move over to the ‘0.’ I am an obsessive list-maker. Grocery store, Target, for running errands, for chores at home, whatever. I need order in my life. I had a bunch of errands to do this morning. This was what my list was like: Post office: Mail bills, buy stamps Blockbuster Dry cleaner Grocery store: Hamburger, rolls, cheese, milk, tea, dog food Target: CD player case, Band-Aids, Father’s Day cards, sandals It made it so much easier knowing exactly where I had to go and what I had to get. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/7 "2005-06-13T17:43:52Z")
I’m a Jazz fan. I’ve got a nice CD collection, purchased in the locally-owned used CD store. I walked in, Sunday afternoon, lookin for anything by a certain artist. Mental Block. I stand in the Jazz section for 15 minutes, trying to think. Louis Armstrong. BAD BRAIN! BAD! **BAD** BRAIN!! ---
**Author:** ![Butterscotch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@Butterscotch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Butterscotch)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/8 "2005-06-13T17:52:04Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > No offense, but you’re like my husband and you would drive me batshit crazy. 😉 > > It made it so much easier knowing exactly where I had to go and what I had to get. I tend to make a mental list but we were having a lot of people over for lunch and my SO offered to do the shopping if I wrote a list. I did this and he came back most annoyed because I hadn’t written the list in the order that you find the aisles in the supermarket… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/9 "2005-06-13T17:52:17Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > I had a bunch of errands to do this morning. This was what my list was like: > Post office: Mail bills, buy stamps > Blockbuster > Dry cleaner > Grocery store: Hamburger, rolls, cheese, milk, tea, dog food > Target: CD player case, Band-Aids, Father’s Day cards, sandals You and me both. My lists look just like that. My microwave is analog; I have to _gasp_ TURN THE DIAL. No punching numbers for me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/10 "2005-06-13T18:06:37Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > You and me both. My lists look just like that. > > My microwave is analog; I have to _gasp_ TURN THE DIAL. No punching numbers for me. 😃 Wow. Do you still have the Conestoga Wagon your microwave came out west in? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/11 "2005-06-13T18:13:44Z")
I’m so organized that it only _seems_ like the easier way. My grocery lists are organized by the order items appear in the isles as I browse the store. In a counter clockwise direction. Always. Changing grocery stores can be a challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/12 "2005-06-13T18:30:22Z")
I do things the easiest way possible. People in my office will ask me how to do something, knowing I will give them the easiest possible answer. I’m just not wasting energy on running all around the barn if I can open the door and walk through it. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/13 "2005-06-13T19:37:52Z")
I, too, do the microwave the way **SmackFu** , **Ghanima** and **BiblioCat** do. > [@](#): > > Progress isn’t made by early risers. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something. > > ``` > -*Robert A. Heinlein* > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/14 "2005-06-13T19:50:00Z")
I do everything the absolute hardest way possible. I also have to make every mistake for myself, never learning from the mistakes of others. The fact that I can now admit this is progress though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/15 "2005-06-13T19:56:28Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I’m so organized that it only _seems_ like the easier way. > > My grocery lists are organized by the order items appear in the isles as I browse the store. In a counter clockwise direction. Always. > > Changing grocery stores can be a challenge. I do this but in the other direction: the frozen foods are on the right side of the store, the produce on the left. For some reason, I insist on making things difficult for myself. I don’t use my dishwasher, it doesn’t get the dishes as clean as I do so I wash them by hand. I got a pasta maker from my mother a couple years back. It hasn’t been out of the box. I still make it by hand. Ditto my way cool bread maker. I just don’t see the _point_. Not that I don’t like kitchen gadgets; I love 'em. But I know I’ll do it right. I’m not sure it’s going to taste as good if I let the machine do it. Silly, I know. It’d probably be perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Dob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/16 "2005-06-13T20:03:30Z")
Im the hardway type of person. I never read directons, manuals, FAQ’s, or pointers. I refuse to believe I cant do something, by just simply doing it. Reading directions is for wussies 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/17 "2005-06-13T20:19:36Z")
My grocery list goes in the order in which I discover that I need things. If I was going to organize it by aisle, I’d either have to re-write the list, which is too much work, or I’d have to just _remember_ everything I need until I’m ready to leave for the store, and then write it out in the right order, which would defeat the reason for making a list, which is that I have a hard time remembering what I need from the store unless I write it down. I like figuring out efficient ways to do things. In general, “efficient” means “requiring little thought” rather than not requiring labor. I love routines, because I can do them as “background processes” while I’m doing other things. Because I do the same thing every day, I don’t have to waste any mental energy—even if it means I end up doing some things more often than they really _need_ to be done. I scoop the cat box every night and clean the toilet every morning, for example. I could probably save time by only doing it every other day, or every week, or whatever, but then I have to spend mental energy remembering when was the last time I did it. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/18 "2005-06-13T20:20:53Z")
Crap . . . “while I’m doing other things” doesn’t make much sense. It’s supposed to be “while I’m _thinking about_ other things.” ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/19 "2005-06-13T20:27:35Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > I, too, do the microwave the way **SmackFu** , **Ghanima** and **BiblioCat** do. Funny how I feel less alone in this universe now, knowing that others do the Microwave Thing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102/20 "2005-06-13T21:16:28Z")
My wife is a hard way gal. She learned it from her dad. There are projects I can’t bear to do with her. She’ll derail my linear path and find the most difficult method. It’s amazing that we were able to build a 3700 pound block wall around the new flower bed without throwing things at each other. We both knew that neither one could do it alone, so there were compromises. Because each block weighed 23 pounds, I insisted on the minimum number of times each block would be picked up. She grudgingly agreed. When she noticed one side had a rise in the middle, and she wanted to shave the ground underneath, I went off to do something else. I would have gone over the edge if I’d been there. I lined the bottom of the flower beds with wire mesh (hardware cloth) to discourage the burrowing rodents. She measures better than I do, but I’m glad I did that part while she was at work. It was really hard on my knees, and she would have found some way to make it take more time. Picking out the plants was a big deal in itself. After doing web research on sunny, semi-shady, and shady plants for the three sides, we went shopping. We ended up with 14 different kinds of plants, most of them perennials. One spot remains bare, reserved for a fall-blooming something. Sneaked in among the flowers are one thyme plant and two banana-pepper plants. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-do-things-the-easy-way-or-my-way/308102.md?page=2)