Importance of Processes and Systems for a Happy Life
A few days ago I was struggling to get even the smallest things in life done. I was postponing things to tomorrow and this left me with a lot of decisions pending. It further made me lethargic because of numerous decisions that were pending.
Lessons from Corporate Life
Joining my first company taught me the significance of systems and processes. There was a portal and a workflow even for simple tasks like approving something. It facilitated seamless movement of everything. Despite some initial obstacles and resistance to the process, we eventually realized that not having it would make the system even more complicated. Without the process, individuals would have worked arbitrarily with no organization. The portal enforced a clear SLA for timely action on items, with justification required for any failure to comply.
Importance of Processes in Personal Life
We need to recognize the importance of such processes in our personal life too. When we are kids, there are so less things to do. One is either busy playing or busy studying. All these things just happen and one is engaged in it. But as we grow up, different tasks pile up. It becomes tough to keep a track of things that we have to do. There are tasks pending at the office, there are responsibilities of personal life, there are family obligations, there are aspirations, and there is a curiosity to upskill oneself. Without a framework, it becomes tough to do all the things. Something or the other is always missed out.
I came to this realization when I constantly found myself missing out on something or another. In the workplace, I was responsible and efficient, but in my personal life, something always took a backseat. After going to the gym consistently for two weeks, I had to stop abruptly due to an increased workload at the office. Once the momentum was lost, it was difficult for me to resume going to the gym. This has happened repeatedly, like having to reschedule my vacation due to a family function. With so many tasks at hand, it became overwhelming.
We often begin without a clear framework and rely solely on initial motivation. We go for a week on two sheerly on the basis of the initial thrust of motivation and after that once, the thrust reduces we barely are able to continue.
What is the solution to this issue? How can CEOs and entrepreneurs manage everything with such efficiency? Do they possess supernatural abilities?
Overcoming Perfectionism and Procrastination
Another reason apart from the lack of processes and systems is that we have a tendency for perfection. We think so highly of ourselves that we just do not do things because we feel we need to achieve perfection. We might think about that one acquaintance of ours who might read it and who thinks so highly of us. What will he think of me if he knows this? But chances are everyone is so full of themselves that even if that acquaintance finds out about the so-called imperfect tasks you have done, he will not care about it.
We think that I will only start going to the gym if I am able to wake up at 5 in the morning. But for a person who does not wake up at 5 AM, there is a chance that going to the gym will be the hardest challenge he has taken up.
Simplifying Tasks with Action-Bias
A friend of mine wanted to start a podcast. He asked for my suggestion, and the only suggestion I gave to him was to start in a manner where there is the least friction. Do not wait to do things perfectly because perfection is non-existent. Just do things because it needs to be done. If you want to write daily, just start by writing a minimum amount of words daily. Do not think of becoming the best writer from day one. The idea is to get things done. Be known as someone who gets things done rather than someone who produces great work rarely. Waiting for a perfect moment will not produce perfect output.
Having a strong action bias will certainly help in getting things done. You are so busy in the office and have no time to research for the best vacuum cleaner to buy. Don’t fret. Just buy the one with a high rating on amazon. By doing so, you can save yourself from decision fatigue caused by a backlog of postponed decisions. There is no free time. Things that need to be done should be done now.
Miracle of Checklists
Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism mentions the power of checklists. Checklists are a great way to solve seemingly impossible problems. When Buzz Aldrin was asked all about his experiences when he was on the moon, he replied that there wasn’t much he was doing. The astronauts had a long list of checklist items because they were doing something that was more complex than anything that anyone had done before. They simplified the whole process to do the next item on the list. When you have tasks listed in the form of a checklist, even the most overwhelming task gets simplified.
The power of checklists is also highlighted by Atul Gawande in his book, The Checklist Manifesto. He considered them when his team was approached by the World Health Organization for assistance with a project aimed at decreasing surgical fatalities. His team created a 19-item, two-minute, checklist for surgical teams. They implemented this checklist in eight hospitals around the world. They found that after adoption of the checklist, the complication rates fell by 35%.
Implementation in Personal Life
I have now started breaking things into chunks. Everything I now do is divided into micro-steps that I need to take to get things done. At any point in time, my focus is to do only that part rather than the complete task at once. This has made all the tasks seem a cakewalk.
I also adopted the corporate approach of having systems and processes. Anything that I have to do goes into my To-do list. I have a daily, weekly and monthly list that I go through per the schedule. I prioritise tasks as per the list and take a stock of progress, daily, weekly and monthly. This has simplified the tasks and a lot of things get done effortlessly. I am no longer relying on the whims and fancies of my mind and acting on things as per the schedule.