Quick tips

• Safety first. If a job involves heat, power or traffic, the first step usually makes it safe.
• Prepare before you act. Measuring, sorting and checking labels come before the real work.
• Ask what everything waits for. Tea waits for hot water; pancakes wait for batter.
• Spot the mistake. Thawing meat on the counter or rubbing a stain are traps, not steps.
• Read all four. The first option you see is often a later step.