14: Don’t loop back in anger

In the past few emails, I’ve been fan-boying over Notion, and sharing how it not only helped me build a satnav for work - but also how it helped me see exactly what we should be doing to help improve the performance of our colleagues.

Now, unless you’re a full-time content creator, ‘making a video’ is the type of task that may happen infrequently. So, we might call this a ‘conditional’ workflow - executing the workflow is conditional on something external happening i.e., our client asking us to make a video. The trigger is dependent on an external input. 

But the beauty of using a system with calendar functionality is we can also trigger workflows based on the date.

Let me give you an example… 

As a freelancer, I have to submit a tax return at the end of each quarter. This is a fairly routine process - log in to accounting software, check some boxes, go to government website, check some more boxes, pay the bill.

Simple!

But because I only do this once a quarter, I always forget the steps.

Before I had a system, I might have figured it out from scratch each time, relied on memory, searched for instructions, interacted with a chatbot or emailed my accountant. 

But we can all see the inefficiency of these solutions - especially if I need to repeat them every three months. 

They’re the perfect example of ‘heroic effort’.

So, using the template functionality in Notion, I designed a guided workflow embedded into a recurring task. Every three months, it appears in my dashboard - links, instructions, helpful prompts - all there, right at the moment I need them.

And this is possible because Notion is underpinned by calendar functionality - the system knows what day it is, and the task is marked with today’s date.

So, because my dashboard is set up with a filter to only show tasks with today's date, it will show me the task on the day I need to do it. I don’t have to remember. I don’t need my calendar. I don’t have to snooze any emails. It’s right there. 

In fact, one might argue it’s more difficult to do the task without the workflow - which is probably the benchmark we should be striving for when it comes to effective performance support, right? The second someone has to hunt around for instructions, or the right spreadsheet, we’re adding friction. We’re reducing the likelihood of high performance.

Now, a cyclical workflow might not sound meaningfully different to the conditional workflow I explained in earlier emails. 

But this is powerful. 

It means we can create guided workflows - both for ourselves and for others - triggered by the passing of time, rather than an external trigger.

And in the next email, I’ll be sharing how this could transform employee performance within an organisation.

Yours,
- Ant