BenchFly's Sean Seaver offers easy-to-implement tips to help increase lab productivity. Science is all about teamwork, so Seaver says delegation is key. "To ensure a smooth transition when delegating, write out protocols with the most junior member of the lab in mind," he says. Though composing detailed protocols may at first seem a time-sink, it can spare precious lab time in the end. "For example, consider a common daily task such as putting away clean dishes," Seaver says. "It may seem like it only takes a few minutes per day, but when optimizing for efficiency every minute counts."
He adds that "standardized documentation not only increases quality and consistency," which in turn increases efficiency as certain lab tasks become no more than routine.