16: Futureproof
In the last email (subject: Grease is the word), I shared how valuable cyclical workflows can be when it comes to avoiding degradation. We can group together tasks by cadence, and ensure nothing slips through the cracks, thus reducing reactive busywork and improving performance.
And whilst those were largely ‘housekeeping’ examples, the benefits of cyclical workflows are far greater than remembering to send your tax return or update an email list.
For example, let’s think about the implications of what this functionality means from a strategic perspective. Which conversations should we be having - either individually, or with our team - on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis?
How about things like:
“Am I on course to achieving my goals?”
“What important tasks am I putting off because they’re not urgent?
“Am I fulfilling the expectations of my manager?”
“What would fall apart if I left the company tomorrow?”
These are not conversations we should be having weekly. But they’re probably things we should be thinking about once a quarter.
And so, we can combine these cyclical workflows with scheduled time for reflection - just like in Getting Things Done (the productivity book I mentioned in an earlier email). Another of the recommended techniques is the Weekly Review - I’ve been doing this for the past six years and it’s been so helpful.
But this isn’t just helpful for longer cadences. What about if we consider the things we should be doing daily? What reminders would be helpful before and after work?
Here are a few items from my daily startup workflow (the first thing I do before I start work - ten minutes effort):
Move/cancel any non-essential meetings
Process email inbox
Check calendar for today’s meetings
Drink glass of water
And here are some from my daily shut down workflow (five minutes effort before I log off):
Review today’s biggest challenge and reflect on response
Organise tomorrow's task list
Schedule time tomorrow for focus work
Add phone alerts for important events
Now extrapolate that thinking out across the business. Consider how much of an impact we could have on performance if everyone in the business was proactively prompted to make the space to be proactive?
The difference between a reactive organisation and a proactive one isn’t how hard its people work - it’s whether the system repeatedly creates space for the right conversations.
More soon,
- Ant
