03.20.07

10 Best Ways to Save Time at the Lab Bench

Posted in careers, commentary at 4:33 pm by Trevor

I’ve been working in research labs for the past 3+ years now. During that time, I’ve picked up on some great ways to save time when working at the bench. Here’s my 10 best tips:

1. Don’t Make It, Steal It. If you don’t have a reagent already made for your procedure, “borrow” it from the person next to you. Either put it back afterwards or make a new label for it with your name or initials.

2. Make Your Reagents Thief Proof. So if you actually went through the trouble of making your own reagent, don’t let your lab mates take advantage of your time investment. Place ambiguous labels on bottles so others have no idea what is really in the bottle. For reagents with a distinctive color or appearance, don’t use a clear bottle. It can also help to hide the most likely stolen reagents in the back of your reagent shelf.

3. Don’t Break for the Phone. I work in a lab shared by 5-6 people, and there is one phone where calls come in. Trust me, if you sit there long enough, someone else will get the phone, even if you’re closest. Be extra mindful of this and make sure to claim a bench as far from the phone as possible. If you’re already stuck in a bad spot, come up with a clever reason to have the phone moved to another location.

4. Take Advantage of Friendly People. If you have to head to another room or even to the refrigerator to pick something up, watch for someone else heading out of the lab or in the vicinity of the refrigerator. Ask them if they will grab X for you while they’re going. This is a real time saver and your “friend” will take this as a compliment that you trust them with your reagents.

Another tactic is to use the pity approach. Say you need a couple boxes of pipette tips for your assay, but they’re all the way across the lab. You have a quarter full box of tips on your bench. Using a subtle nudge, send your tips tumbling to the floor. “Oh [expletive], I dropped all my tips! Can someone grab me a couple boxes, please!?” This one is money.

5. Protect Your Investment. You’ve invested a lot of time into a procedure, so don’t get greedy with your time and hand it off midway to an undergraduate or technician. If you want it done right, do it yourself. Even a foolproof, any-dummy-can-do-this assay can be screwed up by the most experienced of technicians.

6. Eliminate Extra Distractions. Put yourself in a position to get things done with the least amount of distraction possible. Whether this means turning off the cell phone, shutting down the e-mail program, or putting a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door, think of ways to eliminate those pesky interruptions. It can also be very helpful to work when others are not around — early mornings, late evenings, weekends, holidays.

7. Safety Is for Losers. You don’t need gloves for most things — just don’t bother. And if you have to wear them, don’t take them carefully off to save for after your lunch break. Toss them quickly and just grab new ones when you get back.

8. Make Your Things Exclusive. Are there things in your lab that are routinely shared between benches? It’s time to make them yours. Apply a brightly colored label to the item with your name and hide it in a secret drawer. This way you won’t have to go searching for it all the time when you need it. Don’t worry about others getting angry searching for it — your lab manager will eventually break down and get a new one.

9. Delegate Simple Tasks to Other People. So you weren’t lucky enough to find someone leaving the lab when you needed the reagent from across the hall. Just tell someone else to do it, particularly someone on their break or with less degrees than you. After awhile, they’ll understand that you’re busier than they are, and they should give you a hand.

10. Barter for Help. So you still can’t find free labor to help with your work? It’s time to get creative. Work out deals with your lab mates. “If you help me today, I’ll help you tomorrow.” Then make sure to reneg on the agreement.

Do you have some tips for saving time at the bench? Share yours in the comments.

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