40 The Business of Prairie Agriculture Better Farming | October 2024 Life is complicated. They say it was easier in the old days and I think they may be right. In the old days you spent all your time working hard – chopping wood, doing everything by hand, walking everywhere – and you didn’t have all the labour-saving devices we have now. Perhaps all the labour-saving devices just add more complications to our life. How much time did you spend on your phone today? Here are a few ideas to simplify our daily life on the farm or anywhere. Have the proper tools One day at the shop, the guys had to install a fifth-wheel trailer hitch for a customer and they needed to drill a four-inch hole in the box floor. No problem, I said, just get the jigsaw and do it with a metal blade. Well, luckily they didn’t listen to me and went up to the hardware store and bought a four-inch hole saw. Job done in 10 minutes and a lot neater than a jigsaw would have done. Now we have the tool for the next job. The proper tools make work a lot easier and often safer. Next time you try and use the wrong tool for the job (Confess! We all do that), think about getting the proper tool and doing it right. If the proper tool is lost or broken – buy another one. Sometimes the time spent looking for a lost tool is more than the time it takes to go and but a new one. This, of course, is tempered by the cost of the tool. Often, once you buy a new tool the old one will magically show up – then you have two tools to lose next time. A few years ago we went to a viewing for a farm auction. The farmer was Tractors, Trucks & Growing Grain Stay productive and minimise stress by keeping up with on-farm repairs and upgrades. mily McKinlay photo SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER Stay organized & be proactive to minimize your stress. By Ron Settler
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