So it's summertime, and you have 100' of forsythia hedge to prune. Being a man, you want to go about the project in the most rational and logical manner possible. And as a husband, it's important to include your First Mate ^T^M and to demonstrate the manly qualities of leadership and fortitude that will get her juice flowing. Are you with me so far?

It's a good idea to get off to an early start in the cool part of the morning, but there's no need to rise at dawn yourself; you can safely use your manly authority to delegate that task to your wife. Saunter up as she is lining out the last of extension cord and declare that she's doing it all wrong; insist that the cord needs to be plugged in at the house, at the opposite end of the property, and not the garage. When she protests that it doesn't make any difference, declare that women don't know anything about electricity, and as proof, challenge her to cite a female equivalent to Nikola Tesla. Watch as she develops the expression of bewilderment common to women, given their lesser powers of reasoning.

Now that you've got her on the back foot, offer to instruct her in the proper operation of the hedge trimmer before proceeding. When she snarls that she's been clipping these hedges for the last 10 years and damned well knows what's she's doing by now, stamp your foot and declare that if she's going to insist on having everything her way, she can do the job herself. Go in the house and fix yourself a nice cup of coffee, a hot breakfast and watch YouTube videos while your wife trims the hedges. It's optional to emerge later and compliment her on her work. If her technique is, in fact, lacking, remember to use the time-honored managerial tactic of tactfully sandwiching your criticism between two items of praise in order to avoid being beaten to death with the trimmer extension pole.

Note: the preceding is an advanced tactic that should not be attempted unless a high degree of marital harmony has already been established. Employing it in the absence of a backdrop of marital harmony may result in dismemberment or death. Even in the presence of general marital harmony, use of this tactic may cause your wife to fantasize about applying the hedge trimmer to various parts of your anatomy, including but not limited to your ears, fingers and genitals. These fantasies are normal and can be generally dismissed as harmless. Consult a physician if they last longer than four hours. Exercise caution when employing this tactic during the menstrual phase. This has been an automated message.