Rule #1--Easier is better

Rule #1—easier is better—exists because we are human. When a task is difficult, we avoid it. That especially applies to washing dishes, in my opinion. The truth is, the easier the systems are that we establish in our lives, the more likely they are to work. If we choose to store things in places that are hard to reach, we will never put them away after they have been used.

For example, if a bicycle is stored in the back of the shed, behind the mower and over the bags of fertilizer, then we will park it in the driveway or, worse, never take it out to ride it at all. Rule #1 needs to be evaluated based on the person most likely to be doing the task. If the bicycle belongs to a tall, strong individual, then it might be stored on hooks in the garage; but if the bicycle belongs to a small child, then the bicycle might need a space on the floor of the garage with a taped or painted “parking space” to help him put it away in the right place.