Wait…do I already have systems & processes and not know it?

Chances are very good that if you’re even a moderately successful professional, you have settled on some ways of working that help you get things done. Or, at the very least, you do what works to get to done at the end of your day.

Assuming that’s the case, then yes, you already have systems and processes that help drive your work. The next question is, are they helping you make the most of your time?

Luckily, it’s not hard to figure this out. It just takes some conscious effort. Next time you sit down to accomplish a task (or even start your work day), keep a log of what you’re doing. Write down what you’re trying to achieve and the steps you take. Don’t think too much about this at the moment. Just jot them down quickly.

Later, when you have some quiet time, look through your log. See if you can write up a simple but formal process from your steps to accomplish a goal. Think through those steps. Are they the best way you know to get that work done? Is there a place you could save time? What if you batched these efforts (do more of them less often) or combined them with steps from another task? Could you delegate this newly formalized process to someone else? Does this task even really need doing?

These are the steps to refining your operational processes. They’re not complicated but take some conscious effort. Sometimes, that’s more than we have to give once we consider all our other responsibilities. If that’s the case, give me a shout. I can help offload that thinking and get you and your team working together better and faster.