Train and race without socks.

Go as basic as possible.
Racebelt and helmet ready on the bike.
Running shoes and visor on the ground.


Drop it, grab it, go.
Nothing more to it

The fastest way is to to practice until the steps become second nature.

I'm not certain that it takes the pros any less time to put on their helmet vs the slow age grouper. The difference is that the pro knows automatically what the next step is so that they move efficiently from one task to the next.

The other half of it is that if you can take fewer steps, you get done quicker. In my T1 bag I have only socks, shoes, a towel and a helmet - and the puritans amongst us would say that I shouldn't need the socks.

You need even fewer things for T2: belt, shoes.

My setup, for sprints and olys:

Bike hanging from the rear of the saddle, so I can pull it straight off instead of under the rack.
Shoes already clipped in
Helmet upside down resting on my aerobars, glasses sitting inside, both oriented so that they go straight on without having to be turned around
Small towel on the ground (bright neon color so I can find it quickly, especially in T2)
Running shoes with elastic laces at the front of the towel, number belt and visor just behind.
No socks, just plenty of Body Glide inside my shoes on my usual hot spots (ball of foot, back of heel).

Aside from my wetsuit being left on the ground at T1 (with cap and goggles inside the sleeve), that's often all that I have in transition...

---

"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

Exactly like this for me for

Sprint
Olympic
Half IM

But I have my race number in my race suit up by the neck and put it on as I am running out of T2

If you're not in the top 10% of your transitions for AG, here are the biggest factors I've found as I've gone from literally bottom 10% to routinely top 10% if not higher in transitions:

1. If you're getting confused in transition, you gotta practice at home. It takes very little practice, like 2 sessions of 10-15 minutes, and this includes practicing with shoes-on-bike premounted. Get this down, and you'll def be in the upper half of transitions right away. Note also that being 'super awesome' at this doesn't save a ton of time - you can watch videos of Jan Frodeno and other top pros do HIM transitions and once they're at their spot, they're not moving any faster than an experienced AGer, no rushing, no tricks. Jan Frodeno, however, saves a ton of time compared to AGers because of #2 below:

2. The real biggest time saver for the upper half of the AG in transition time is RUNNING wherever you can legally do so in transition, which usually means running the entire swim exit to the transition zone, and then at least jogging with your bike in hand to your transition spot, if not outright running through transition fast (and safely!) if legally allowed to do so. I'm always amazed at how many people come out of the swim with me in the top 20% or higher of the AG, then start walking when there's nearly a half mile run from the swim exit to transition in some races. Yes, its hard, and you're tired, and you're unzipping your wetsuit, but if you want top transition times, and you've already got #1 more or less down, here is where it makes all the difference. In the races where I've felt so good out of the swim that I could hammer the runs to transitions, I had nearly the fastest transition times in the entire field despite having a sort of clunky #1 above.

Go minimum as possible. Less than a square foot needed for each transition. There is no mess to make because there shouldn't be enough equipment out to make a mess.

T1 is socks(if needed) in shoes with helmet on top. Literally nothing else needed. Work on your wetsuit strip and helmet application. Learn how to run and navigate holding your bike by its seat.
T2 is SPI race belt with whatever you need shoved in the pockets in a hat sitting under your shoes. Shoes on grab hat GO.

Only make it complicated if you want to waste time. Practice practice practice.

Alternative: Train without socks, race with blisters.

Agreed

I have not worn socks for biking or running for about 30 years

To practice just run with your socks in your waistband

When you start feeling a hot spot put a sock on that foot. Pretty soon you’ll be able to go no socks.

I typically raced sockless, train with socks always. I had one stretch I had 5 races in 8 weeks, got blisters on that first race fro some strange reason (never got blisters before). anyway, by the last race I said screw it, I'm putting on socks in T2. with the socks per-strecthed and set up right, i just ploped my ass on the ground, put on my socks and shoes in under 10 seconds. was one of the best damn runs ever. EVER!