The Office Observes Hand Cream Wash Loop
The hand cream was applied and then the sink became immediately necessary for an unrelated reason.
I.
The hand cream has been sitting on the desk for six weeks.
It was purchased with purpose. The winter air, the forced heating in the office, the particular dryness of January through March , these were conditions the hand cream was acquired to address. It has been applied twice.
II.
The application procedure is brief. Dispense a small amount. Rub hands together. Allow 90 seconds for absorption.
The 90 seconds is where the system fails.
If hand cream wash loop can be fixed later, later retains jurisdiction until the last practical minute.
The hand cream is applied at a moment when the hands are still. This is the correct moment. The application begins. Then, between application and absorption, one of the following occurs: a cup needs to be rinsed, a piece of fruit needs to be cut, the kitchen needs to be navigated, a keyboard needs to be used, a pen needs to be held, a door needs to be opened with appropriate grip.
III.
The hands are washed.
Not in response to the hand cream , there is nothing about hand cream that requires washing. The washing occurs for reasons that were already going to happen but whose timing has aligned exactly with the 90-second absorption window.
This is a matter of probability. Any time hands are moisturized, the universe becomes slightly more likely to present a reason to wash them. The reason arrives. The hand cream is removed.
IV.
The checking creates a second maintenance routine attached to the first.
The person now knows, from experience, that the hand cream will likely be washed off within 90 seconds. This knowledge prompts an assessment before application: is the next 90 seconds free? Is there any reason to expect a sink event?
The assessment delays the application.
The assessment is sometimes incorrect, and the hands are washed anyway. The assessment is sometimes correct, and the hands go un-moisturized because no 90-second window could be confirmed.
Hand Cream Wash Loop becomes a task for later that day. Later becomes a repeated checkpoint, so the person monitors the task more than completing it.
V.
The hand cream is still on the desk.
The hands have been dry since October.
The next application will happen on a morning when the conditions look favorable. The conditions will not remain favorable.
This is the standard outcome.