Therbligs graphic

Today is the first in a continuing series of posts on my Squidoo Lenses. I’ve been writing lots of lenses, I’m finding them terrific fun to do. It’s also fun to read other people’s lenses — that’s where I learned about creating a “lensblography”, or a blog about your lenses.

I’m not going to start a new blog (I can barely manage one), but I’ve added a new category to this blog. As I make new lenses, I’ll post about them here.

I hope you enjoy reading my lenses!

Therbligs

 

Therbligs graphic

The 17 Therbligs, in original colors

 

What’s This Lens About?

Therbligs are a creation of the early 20th century time and motion expert Frank Gilbreth, who was most famous as the father in Cheaper by the Dozen.

Gilbreth made a study of the smallest motions a person could do in order to complete a task (similar to sounds in a word). He found that there are 17 discrete motions, and he called them therbligs. (Gilbreth spelled sideways.) Each motion has its name, a picture, and an associated color.

Therbligs have almost disappeared from modern usage, but I feel that it’s time for them to make a comeback. Besides, Frank Gilbreth was a fascinating person.

Excerpt

Heinlein Therblig QuoteThere are very few direct references to therbligs. One of the best known is from science fiction author, Robert Heinlein: Minimize your therbligs until it becomes automatic; this doubles your effective lifetime – and therby gives time to enjoy butterflies and kittens and rainbows.” This quote is actually what led me to learn about therbligs.

What I Learned Making This Lens

This was one of my first lenses. While it’s not a bad lens, I did some experimenting with lens modules. It’s been a surprisingly successful early lens.

What I Didn’t Learn Making This Lens

I paid no attention to getting lens traffic, SEO, or marketing when making this lens. I should have … even with a subject I want to write about, looking at online promotion is useful.

Lens Stats and Milestones

I’m surprised at how well this lens has done … it’s been my top lens since I wrote it a month ago. It gets a small but consistent amount of traffic, has 8 SquidLikes, and is a solid Tier 3 lens. I’m happy with it.

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