Have you guys noticed the 20 minute rule. This rule is easy to state: no matter how long and how hard you worked on the layout today, it looks like you did about 20 minutes of work.
I’m glad I don’t have a boss over me while building my layout as it seems to absorb a lot of labour, with little apparent return. I was talking to a friend of mine about this rule, and he wished I could talk to his boss and explain it.
I put about 3 to 4 hours of work today into track work, adding some rail, adding feeders, checking the rolling integrity of the track, cleaning up, fixing old mistakes, making new mistakes, and generally trying to advance the track work. When I was done and I looked at it, I swear it looked like I put in about 20 minutes of work.
I’ve seen this before, with my benchwork it was the same, especially putting up the hard board to take my commercial backdrop. Then when the backdrop went in, I had a buddy come over and we’d go at it pretty hard for a couple of hours. And when he left, the backdrop looked like we spent about 20 minutes putting it up.
I was thinking, maybe if I only put 20 minutes in; the layout will look just as good.
A good and useful rule except that if three hours work work looks like 20 minutes, 20 minutes of work will look like maybe 2 minutes.
One of the smartest things I ever did was remove most of my best railroad books from the layout area. It was always so much easier to pick out a book sit down and before you know it … bedtime!
Dave Nelson
You’re not the only one. My layout has taken years…and it’s still in the plywood stage! Of course that’s only because the only time I have to work on it… is on weekends! But, at least I have some factories and other buildings on the tables now
Actually 20mins to 1 hour but its still not a lot of time. I look at it this if I do 20-30 minutes a day that adds to 6 1/2 hrs a week! I get a little part or bit done per day and while it might seem miniscule it really dose have a cumulative effect, one day you realize “hey, my benchwork is done” or “that track section is finished” it all adds up, even 10 minutes a day has more effect than no minutes. Its called Patience, one of the things this hobby has taught me.
I think it boils down to relativity, When I’m using skills I am comfortable with 2-5 hrs. goes quickly. When, for example I am sodering and accidently soder myself second’s are eternity (Its only happened a few times but still). I was told by some friends after completing a section of my 1st layout, that “you are your own worst judge” after saying it was horrible ( it was the last section I ripped up to build my 2nd layout.). So just take a look at your standards and see if that is truly what you intended and have others judge it to balance your oppinion.
It’s worked for me. I live close to work so I’m able to come home for lunch.
15 minutes a day allowed me to fini***he wood work & the main line.
I set my mind on what I wanted to accomplish & made it happen.
A good reason why it worked for me was the Wife was at work.
Well the answer is in time distortion and something that Einstein did cover in one of those relativity thingies he worked on.
[8)]
To test this, check the clock in your kitchen or wherever you have a “standard non influenced timepiece”. Then write down the time. Go to your layout and then work the seemingly normal time you do. Get back to the location of your standard non influenced time piece and check the time again.
Surprised at the results? The time distortion is because your layout is under the influence of a “fast clock”!
To correct this, ignore the non influenced timepiece, get down to your layout some Friday night and then work to your heart’s content. Before you know it, it will be Tuesday and you not only accomplished weeks of work, according to the time dilation in the layout area, but missed the dreaded Monday at work as well!
[:D]
Been there, done that! I usually spend at least 20 minutes staring at the layout and trying to remember what I did the last time I worked on it that needs to be completed, or wondering what to do next. By the time I have that figured out, it’s time to quit. Another rule of thumb that I have noticed is the following: A project that should require a simple tool such as a screwdriver to accomplish, will wind up requiring 20 or more tools. By the time the project is finished, my tool box is empty and all the tools are scattered around the project area. Have others experienced this rule, too?
There is the rule that there is an inverse relationship to tool importance and ease of finding it. The more important the tool for the job, the harder it is to find.
I am new to model RR but have already experienced this phenomenon first hand.
I spent about 6 hours this past week building my first return loop. Monday - Cut the sub-roadbed, installed it and sanded it smooth. Tuesday - Laid the roadbed (cork) and sanded it smooth. Wednesday - I laid the turnout and flextrack. My daughter and son-in-law came by the house last night (Thursday) and I showed them the new addition to my layout. After looking at it for a few moments she said… “So daddy this must of only taken about 30-40 minutes, right?” [:(]
The 20 minute rule is close cousin to a rule the humorist Robert Benchley wrote about more than fifty years ago. As he phrased it “anybody can do any amount of work, provided it is not the work they are supposed to be doing at that moment.”
Dave Nelson
Hmmmmm, the old twenty minute rule trick, I believe that Shakespeare put it very appropriately. “As the Queen herself once said, anything worth doing in twenty minutes, can always be drug out for at least 2-3 hours, pass me another beer and my lufa”.[:D][:D][:D]
Well,I don’t have that problem.You see once I get strated on a project I stay with it till its finish…The best way to save time and finish a project is not to make mistakes…Plan your work and work your plan…You see by doing that you will make no mistakes and get things done…
I’m surprised there were so many responses before someone responded with the real reason. Fast Clock. It hit me right away. It is not just for operating sessions any more. I like your idea of starting on Friday & working right thru to Tuesday. Monday is a yucky day in the real world anyhow. I’m fortunate that all my days are weekends now that I’m retired. Eat your heart out! The fast clock still runs not only when working on a layout but doing the RR thing on the web.
To me what works is little sleep!! I work fourty plus hours a week like so many of you…run some auctions on the bay…practice the drums…in an apartment no less !!! and still find at least 30 minutes a day or so to work on my layout…Oh and I forgot to mention my gilrfriend…she takes up a lot of my time too. I figured that it just boils down to good time management. But who realy sticks to it!!!
Jose,
Orlando,FL
Have you guys noticed the 20 minute rule. This rule is easy to state: no matter how long and how hard you worked on the layout today, it looks like you did about 20 minutes of work.
I’m glad I don’t have a boss over me while building my layout as it seems to absorb a lot of labour, with little apparent return. I was talking to a friend of mine about this rule, and he wished I could talk to his boss and explain it.
I put about 3 to 4 hours of work today into track work, adding some rail, adding feeders, checking the rolling integrity of the track, cleaning up, fixing old mistakes, making new mistakes, and generally trying to advance the track work. When I was done and I looked at it, I swear it looked like I put in about 20 minutes of work.
I’ve seen this before, with my benchwork it was the same, especially putting up the hard board to take my commercial backdrop. Then when the backdrop went in, I had a buddy come over and we’d go at it pretty hard for a couple of hours. And when he left, the backdrop looked like we spent about 20 minutes putting it up.
I was thinking, maybe if I only put 20 minutes in; the layout will look just as good.
A good and useful rule except that if three hours work work looks like 20 minutes, 20 minutes of work will look like maybe 2 minutes.
One of the smartest things I ever did was remove most of my best railroad books from the layout area. It was always so much easier to pick out a book sit down and before you know it … bedtime!
Dave Nelson
