Category: Process Improvement

Are You Right

Everybody Seems to look for demanding answers to questions.  Yet, in the majority of cases, there are none.

We could tell people what they want to hear. Yet, the answers are probably not correct.

We could tell people what we think, and unfortunately, because we don’t know every detail, we would probably miss the mark.

Until everything about the item in question is known and studied, accurate answers will be hard to come by.

Even a debate without sufficient data will prove useless.  A debate on a topic without correct data is no more than an emotional tug-of-war.

You have two choices. Stick to one topic you know everything about; or, spend your life trying to memorize everything. 

My answer normally is: It depends.

How will you manage your quest for data?

The Choices We Make Are Ours

 We decide what we do when we do it and why we do it. Others may ask, some may pressure, yet we decide.

What have you decided to do lately? Did you get it done, or did something stand in the way? If you did it, why? If you did not do it, why?  

Outside pressures and lack of time are things we can control. We need to plan and schedule accordingly. I also believe in having a Plan B, C, and D if necessary.

So I have to ask myself, why I am always behind on what I want to do?

If you find yourself like me, please ask yourself the question mentioned above.

Organizing

Organizing is great. Unfortunately, most of us only think about it when we’re in the middle of trying to find something we lost.

If we could adjust the timetable and think about it earlier, we would be way ahead. Imagine all the frustration, anxiety, and lost time we could save.

An hour to organize and maybe 15 minutes a day to keep things that way seems a small price to pay. I’ve just spent two hours looking for one picture and still haven’t found it.

If I could go back and save all the time I have wasted on being unorganized, I could have a great and very long vacation.

What would you do with all the time you could save by being organized?

Be Real

It is crucial to plan and work to keep things realistic. You may decide that you would like to get your next book started and done in the next three days while also building your course, which will accompany the text. During that time, you also have two coaching sessions, three workshops, and a household to clean and run. Precisely what do you think your chances of doing it all are?

I’m not saying you shouldn’t plan.  I am saying set reasonable goals. If your goals are reasonable, you stand a much better chance of getting what you want completed done. And in doing so, you may even come out a little bit ahead. Isn’t that better than looking at a bunch of half-done work three days from now and wondering what the heck happened?

If you cannot manage good time management, should you work on mind management first?

Perseverance

When you have researched the studies, studied the data, and understand the conclusions.  Map your plan.

When you have your plan, chosen your team, and confirmed you are correct. Walk your path.

When you walk your path, knowing you are right, keeping your mind open and your wits sharp, don’t stop. 

How many great ideas are lost when innovators fall under public pressure?

What will you do to ensure your work survives?

Hidden factories

In your life, you make things, do things, or maybe design things. When you do a good job, your work counts for something. When your efforts have errors or problems, you have just developed a hidden factory.

When you have worked on something that now has an error within it, you must fix the problem. Repairing any item costs time, parts, money, and people. It is a hidden factory because it does not show up in the books.

It is often too costly to take something with an error in it and throw it away. You need to fix whatever is wrong.  Included in the repair should be a new process step to remove the possible duplication of that error. If you do not remove the possibility for that error, it will repeat.

What hidden factories do you have within your life and work?

What will you do to remove them?

Getting It Done

To get anything done, you need to hone two qualities, Grit and Focus.

Focus on what your task is. Do everything that is required to complete that task. Ignore anything not significantly improving or not needed for that task.

Knowing that your task is correct, just like the song says, “Don’t give up and don’t give in.”

You need to hang in there and ensure the job gets done right.

Spring Cleaning

It’s hard for me to understand why spring cleaning always comes in the spring. If we keep everything tidy all year long, I would think that that would be enough. However, don’t look for me to be the example. Right now, I am catching up on my spring cleaning from 2000. I feel good that I’m only 21 years behind on this. It means I’ve been able to live somewhere for two decades without moving.

As I do this spring cleaning, I keep on finding things that would be great to do and wonderful to play with. And it makes me sad that I’ve gone 20 years without these treasured items. Maybe, I should not hold spring as the only season to tidy things up. Maybe, I should do a deep clean with each season.

With each season, I could clean and dust the house, vacuum the floors, wash the windows, and put out the decorations for that season. It almost sounds as though there might be a method to this madness. I think I’ll try it.

How do you do your deep spring cleaning, and does it ever get lost in the day-to-day turmoil of modern life?

Innovations

We find ourselves in a place where technology changes fast. If we’re smart, we change also. Intelligent people make wise changes because they lead us from a world of ‘cannot do’ to a more accomplished world in less time. And if we don’t take advantage of these time savers, we often find ourselves behind everyone else who does.

Doing this does not mean jumping on the bandwagon of every harebrained scheme that comes along. I am saying here to check out what benefits a new technology offers, understand how these benefits can enhance our lives, and adopt those that work best for us. We are only as vital and substantive as the technologies we utilized.

I have seen people who have faltered and fallen by the wayside because they could not understand why a new technology would make their life better. They’ve believed that because if they never used it before, they do not need it now. I highly encourage everyone to consider innovations as they do quality of life.

Have you ever ignored an innovation? One which might help the environment, save you time, or give you a better quality of life? Did you later wish you had used it sooner?  

Win

The essential thing in doing something is to get out and do it. You take the time to figure out if it’s economically possible, learn all the ins and outs of the subject, and talk to everyone involved or not. By the time you finish doing everything and ready, the opportunity has passed.

I’m not saying skip the study; learning is smart. And when you see a good opportunity, it should be something you know a bit. I am saying that don’t spend so much time getting ready and planning that you never get to do what would have brought you the goals and goods you were seeking.   

To make positive things happen, you have to learn and apply that knowledge to an active campaign as you move forward. If you fail to do so, you will find yourself walking in circles and going nowhere. When you learn, seek out the professionals in the field you need knowledge on and use the knowledge and the talents they can share with you.

Above all, remember that your work is work, whether digging a new garden or writing a book. And to gain the fruits of your labor, put that labor to good use. Those who do, win

What new labor can you produce that will get you to where you want to go?

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