I know people in the days of downtube shifters that had a shifting pattern taped to their stem since it was difficult to shift both the front and rear quickly and efficiently. I come close to running out of gears before I run out of hill as well, but knowing the best point to shift between rings makes it a little easier and often that translates to a little more enjoyment. You don't have to be a racer, but just someone that sort of keeps this info in the back of his mind to make even the hardest hills a little friendlier.