If you’re not sure, it’s probably time for a magnifying glass and a close look.
I had been using a desktop tickler file system, to give you a bite-sized example.
If you’re not familiar with the system, Dustin Wax of Lifehack sums it up beautifully in his post: Back To Basics: The Tickler File
I loved my tickler file. But despite the effort in setting it up and making it habit, I decided to let it go last week.
Each morning I was going through the motions of checking it, but lately it didn’t seem to earn its keep. When I took a minute to think about it, the reason was obvious. I was no longer filing enough into it to make daily retrieval worthwhile.
It was too much system for the task and had become an inefficient use of my time.
Don’t get me wrong, I still highly rate it – The tickler file, also known as 43 folders, is an incredibly useful, logical system that works brilliantly in the right circumstances.
What I hadn’t noticed until that day was that clearly my circumstances had changed. I now digitise most of what I would have filed. iPhone is pretty good that way.
So out it went and what a noticeable difference the elimination has made to the productive flow of my mornings.
Admittedly not the biggest operational discovery of the century, but big enough to refine the efficiency in my day, as well as highlight a few reminders:
1. Don’t feel obligated to continue doing something because you’ve invested some time and effort. We don’t always know how effective anything will be until we put it to the test. By all means give a new process or routine a chance to kick in, but when you find the yield doesn’t merit the effort, move on and try something else.
2. Don’t under-estimate the importance of regular review. Just because that tickler system worked a treat at the start, didn’t mean it was destined for all eternity. Our daily operations change and, as evidenced, sometimes become obsolete. Regular reviews keep us on the pulse of what still works, what might need tweaking, and what could be eliminated.
3. Don’t feel tied to an old routine because you’ve ‘always done it that way’. Be prepared to make changes and try something new in the spirit of adapting and improving, even if it means stepping outside your comfort zone. The more we fine tune efficiency the better we become at finding solutions in general.
In fact, this small change gave me such a burst of time and energy I’m looking at what else I can drop like a hot potato. I want to know if some other processes are running needlessly on overdrive so I can stop wasting time there, too.
I suggest you follow suit.
A few areas for close examination:
- Look for those extra layers of work that have little impact whether or not they’re performed.
- Look for overly complex systems that either don’t deliver efficiency or that aren’t reliable.
- Look for areas of duplication and simplify into a single system.
- Look for any process that involves unnecessary steps and cut them out.
Don’t let hidden inefficiencies steal valuable time from your day.
Always be on the lookout for ways to streamline your systems, routines and processes so they function like well-oiled machines.
How do you monitor your systems for efficiency? Please share in comments below!
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