The GCW Tour, Vietnam: Vietnamese Efficiency

Much of my job is about finding efficiencies, but I think I've found the ultimate efficiency in Vietnam. 

I can't say I've ever thought about this, but getting ready in the morning is actually quite wasteful. First you have to do your business, then you have to brush your teeth, and then you have to take a shower -- all using different fixtures in different locations in the bathroom. The Vietnamese, however, have eliminated this wasteful motion by covering every surface in the bathroom with tile, sticking a drain in the floor, a shower wand in the wall, and putting the toilet paper under a little roof. 

I haven't tried it yet, but conceivably you could do your business, brush your teeth and take a shower using the appropriate fixtures but all at the same time.

The only downside to this approach is that pretty much everything in the bathroom winds up wet, especially the floor. So, it really works best when you're either alone or with someone who won't mind you coming out of the bathroom naked to get dressed where it's dry. And actually, you need to be with someone who not only doesn't mind the possibility of seeing you naked, they also have to not mind using a soaking wet bathroom as it takes a long time for everything to dry out.

As I think about it, perhaps it is possible to be too efficient. Given the choice, I think I prefer a shower separate from the rest of the bath.