The Top 10 Things I Have Learned From Flylady #9: The Right Tool Can Make A Big Difference

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Originally published on 27 February 2007.

I love my feather duster. Before I purchased it, I would never dust. It was too much trouble! Moving everything, spraying the rag, wiping everything down, putting it all back…I would wait until you could see a thick layer of dust before attempting it.

My feather duster made the difference. This is no ordinary feather duster, but an ostrich feather duster with large plumes. Don’t tell me they don’t work. I’ve seen this thing pick up thick construction dust and not leave it on anything else. I’ve used it to clean my daughter’s chalk board and not had it flip dust on everything.

This is not the only example. For years I owned two tools: a needle-nose pliers and a screwdriver. I could do anything with these tools, including driving nails. But it was a headache to hang pictures, so I would put it off. Now that I have a very nice hammer, I don’t wait to hang pictures.

I really believe that tools that are a joy to use make doing things much better. I enjoy handwriting much more when I use my favorite pen. I drink more water from my favorite restaurant cup with a built in straw. Knitting is much easier with the super-slick Turboknitter knitting needles. In the end, it’s finding an appropriate tool that I like, and I will use it.