5 Work Lessons I’ve Learned From Speed Packing Lunch
- By Erin Mittelstaedt
- Reading Time: 4 mins.
My wife, Julie, and I have an informal competition going on at home: Who can make the kids’ lunches the fastest? In all fairness, it’s not really a competition because Julie always wins. But I like to do things well, so I at least try to beat her.
The competition started a year or so ago when I came back from a work trip to the East Coast. Getting two kids out the door on time can be challenging even with two grown–ups helping, so I was worried that four solo mornings in a row had exhausted Julie while I was gone. But she told me that she handled it all with ease. Of course, I had to learn her secrets and prove that I could do it, too—so the competition began!
As I try to improve my morning lunchmaking skills, it’s been interesting to learn a thing or two about myself and how I do my best work. Here are a few of my takeaways.
1. Less Interruptions = More Efficiency
The fewer times I’m interrupted, the more successful I am at packing lunches quickly. This isn’t super surprising since many studies have shown that humans aren’t as good at multitasking as we think. But I’ve noticed that Julie is better at recovering from interruptions than I am. (Or, to look at it another way, that I’m more easily distracted than she is—we can have a whole separate Chief Banana about whether it’s undiagnosed ADHD or “mom brain” another day.)
That said, interruptions and breaks can be good, especially in the office. The benefit of those face–to–face interactions or in–the–moment discussions can outweigh the downside of being interrupted. But if you need to really focus or think deeply, it’s best to put up a “do not disturb” sign.
2. Make Decisions Up Front
Lunchmaking always goes more smoothly when I pull out everything I need before I start. That way, I don’t have to go back and forth to get things, but more importantly, I have to decide what to pack right away. This saves me from stopping and thinking between tasks and ultimately makes me faster. Of course, at work, we can’t make all of the decisions up front, but having an outline or plan can make it easier to move forward.
3. Find Little Wins
My dad always says, “Do the hardest things first.” And for difficult thinking work or daunting tasks, I think he’s probably right. However, I’ve found that sometimes it’s nice to do something small first and celebrate that progress. For example, I might start making lunch by pouring a pack of crackers or other dry snacks into a compartment. Suddenly, half of the lunch container is filled, and it feels like I made progress! This isn’t a huge deal for lunches, but for big projects, having a few wins early on might help you build momentum. If you start with the hardest thing and get stuck, it can be tough to keep moving.
4. Finish the Task
When Julie and I first started the lunch competition, I was in the habit of making the lunches and leaving them on the counter while I went off to make sure the kids got dressed. Once they were all set, I went back to the kitchen to pack their school bags. One day, Julie asked, “Why don’t you just put the lunches in their backpacks as soon as they’re done?”
This is a simple little thing, and as an operations person, I’m sort of embarrassed to admit that I didn’t realize I’d left the task incomplete. I was essentially interrupting myself by not seeing the task through to the end before moving on to something else. Now, as soon as everything is made, I zip it into their backpacks so I don’t have to think about it again. The sooner you finish something, the sooner you can address the next thing facing you.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter which one of us makes lunch the fastest. As long as everyone is happy, healthy, and gets to school on time, we’re all good. But I’m surprised by how much making lunches has taught me about myself and even helped me be more effective at work. Plus, it brings some family silliness along the way!
If you want to get a leg up with lunch, too, check out our blog for recipe ideas. We have roundups of kid–friendly lunch ideas and heart–healthy lunch recipes for adults.
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