The last few weeks, process and systems have been on my mind.
At work, departments often have processes so that the approach to the work is consistent. These processes should also make the work quicker over time because the process to do the task becomes familiar.
We tend to think less about the infrastructure of the independent work we do.
Here are just a few ideas to consider spending some time on now to save time in the future:
Know Our Tools – Sometimes we don’t understand all the capabilities of the applications we use most often. Taking a few classes on Microsoft, Adobe, or other programs we use regularly might provide insight on efficiency capabilities we didn’t know were available.
Build Systems – Spending time creating a structure or framework for reoccurring work might take some time to set up but can save us time in the future. Examples might include building an excel document for tracking (financials, performance metrics, etc.) or creating a folder structure to better process email.
Gift Our Future Self – This technique involves doing tasks today that our tomorrow self would appreciate. We could create a succinct to-do list for our first hour of work, prepare the coffee pot so that all we need to do is hit “brew” in the morning, or pack kids bags and lunches for school at night.
My Story
Lately, my focus on infrastructure has been around these daily posts.
Know Our Tools: I have started to learn more about the programs I use to create the content. Specifically, the focus has been on scheduling when the post comes out and automating email delivery.
Build Systems: Two key systems have been developed. the first is a spreadsheet to track content. The file logs topics that have been covered and other details of each post that can easily be sorted. A second process centers around the post photographs – taking, editing, and uploading.
Gift to Future Self: The gift to my future self is to spend focused time on the posts for the week ahead. One concentrated session editing and uploading all the posts for the week ahead allows peace of mind each morning as I’m not worried about getting the content into the systems for that day.
At times, I’ve been frustrated by how long it can take to get one of these infrastructure elements up and running.
The reward that makes it all worthwhile is the moment when you realize how much easier it makes things for “future you”.
Your Turn
Are there elements of your independent work that take large amounts of time?
Could you benefit from learning more about your tools or designing a process?
Do you have examples of things you do regularly for your “future self”?