Cyclopedia Topic: 

Ideas

Cyclopedia Title: 

Alexei Gastev. On how to work.

Cyclopedia Subtitle: 

One of the earliest attempts to formulate the rules
on how to work with your hands efficiently.

Cyclopedia Main Image: 
Alexei Gastev. On how to work.
Cyclopedia Introduction: 

There are few attempts to rationalize the manual work; and successful attempts are almost non-existent. The immediate reason is that those who are good with their hands don’t feel like writing or reading about it.
More importantly, though, is that craftsmanship is not transferred by verbal communication. Rather, it is the process of imitation, a man to man succession of skill - the great mystery known as apprenticeship.

Alexei Gastev was a professional revolutionary who, to support himself, worked as a metal worker in the leading companies throughout Europe. Unlike his contemporaries, Frederick Taylor and Henry Ford, he looked at the manual labour through the eyes of the worker. The following is an extract from his book “How to work”, published in Soviet Union in 1921.

Cyclopedia Main Text: 

ON HOW TO WORK.

Whether you are at the office desk, filing a metal in a locksmith's shop or ploughing the land - you must develop the right work attitude and gradually make it a habit.

Here are the basic rules for any work:

 

Rule #1
Prior to undertaking work, you should think it through so that the finished product and the order of work procedures is formed in your mind. Where this is not possible, you should consider the main milestones and think through the initial stages in detail.
Rule #2
You should not start work until all the tools and all the devices are ready.
Rule #3
At the workplace (machinery, workbench, table, floor, ground) there should be nothing that is not needed, so that you do not flounder around, fuss or search for the necessary among the unnecessary.
Rule #4
All tools and devices should be laid out in a specific order – preferably, established once and for all – so that you can find all you need without thinking.
Rule #5
You should never begin a task hastily or rush to start working. Rather, you should start slowly. In a while the mind and body will warm up and adjust to the task; but if you rush, you will wear yourself out, so to speak, and ruin the work. After a steep initial impulse, the worker soon weakens; he then will feel fatigue and spoil the work.
Rule #6
In the course of work, it is sometimes necessary to push harder: either to do something out of the ordinary or do something together, collectively. In such cases you should not rush, but first adjust, tune the body and mind and, as it were, charge yourself. Then you must try a little, feel the required strength and only then push.
Rule #7
You should work as steadily as possible so that there are no peaks or troughs. Agitated work spoils both the man and the work.
Rule #8
Your posture should be comfortable and steady, so you don’t waste energy just trying to hold yourself upright. Whenever possible, work while seated. If sitting isn’t an option, keep your feet set apart for balance. And if one leg is positioned forward or to the side, make sure it’s braced so it doesn’t slip out of place.
Rule #9
You must take breaks. Hard work requires frequent breaks, if possible, sitting down. For lighter tasks, breaks should be rare but regular.
Rule #10
Food or tea should not be consumed while working. You should only drink to quench thirst. You should not smoke either, except during breaks.
Rule #11
If the task is not going to plan, you should not become stressed. It is better to take a break, collect your thoughts and begin again calmly, deliberately taking things slowly to control yourself.
Rule #12
During work—especially when things aren’t going well—it’s best to pause for a moment. Put your workspace in order: carefully arrange your tools and materials, sweep away the debris, and then return to the task. Start again calmly and steadily, without rushing.
Rule #13
While working, you should not get distracted by other matters, except for those pertaining to the task itself.
Rule #14
There exists a very bad habit – to show off successful work immediately upon completion. It is important to “hold it”, so to speak, and get used to success. You should constrain your delight, internalize it. Otherwise, in the event of failure, your will can get “poisoned” and the work will become emotionally unbearable.
Rule #15
In the case of complete failure, take it lightly—don’t get upset. Simply start the work again as if for the first time, and conduct yourself as described in Rule I.
Rule #16
At the end of the task, everything must be tidied up: the work and the tools and the workplace. Everything should be put in its place, so that when you start again you can easily find everything and so that the work itself is not off-putting.