Was reading a nice chewy thread in the permies.com forum. Lots of great tips about household time-saving hacks, and energy-saving hacks (our own human energy, as much as fossil fuels or any other resource).
Lots of good tips.
Most of them boil down to what I would consider ergonomics. I used to think ergonomics was just is this chair optimized for being able to sit and work for a long time; is this desk height conducive to spinal health; etc.
But it’s really a much broader thing and to me encompasses logistical pathways in the house and yard and community, and how stuff is positioned etc. In Permaculture design, one of the cardinal principles is location. Relative location: placing things close and an optimal relationship to one another.
In our mechanized world with access to cheap fuel and electricity and running water, we sometimes forget that this is still an important principle.
Here’s a nice article I found from Light Guide, “What Is Ergonomics?” Very helpful overview of ergonomics and what it encompasses. I like how they mention cognitive and organizational ergonomics as well as the physical. The emphasis is on the industrial setting but it’s still an extremely helpful article for considering the arrangement of pathways and flows in your household and yard. And community.
In the thread, someone posted a chart of age-appropriate tasks for young people. That’s definitely one good way to save energy, is to have all household members participating according to their abilities. You can take a look at the chart here on my Facebook.
We often underestimate the ability of kids, even little kids to help, and often forget that they actually want to help especially if they get started at a young age. I wrote a post on here a while back, and shared some articles about how kids in indigenous/traditional cultures help with a lot of tasks that we would think would be too advanced, too much responsibility.
Anything you would add to this chart, or change regarding the suggested ages?
BTW terminology note: I personally avoid using the word “homestead” (aptly described by EcoPunks as “an inherently racist concept rooted in colonial violence”); I say smallholding or household.
(Why not to use the word “homesteading,” post by Eco Punks https://read.ecopunks.live/homesteading-an-inherently-racist-concept-d169adc03574 )
The Permies forums (founded by Paul Wheaton) are a vast resource. And relatively low-bandwidth since it’s mostly text and some photos. Also have found the site pretty straightforward as far as user-friendliness. I’m not the most tech-savvy person in the world.