“My biggest problem is what to do about all the things I can’t do anything about”
~Ashleigh Brilliant
Now that you’ve managed to streamline the processes pertaining to your work, you now need to create plans for persistent interruptions and problems.
If after your streamlining and process refining, you are still plagued by problems and distractions that insist on popping up, you need to come up with a system of dealing with the problem as quickly as possible.
For instance in the case of John, he would always have problems with proof readers who do not respond to emails or who do not return quickly with feedback. He realized that the reason for this was due to his position and that nobody considered him important enough to get back to quickly. To deal with this, he came up with the following solution:
- He would send an email to a superior requesting recommendations for proof readers
- Upon getting recommendations, he would then email the proof reader requesting help with the document. The superiors name will be mentioned and they would also be CC’d on the request.
By asking a superior, John saved time looking for potential proof readers and was pointed directly to people who were familiar with the subject matter. Also, by approaching them based on a recommendation from a superior in the company, the proof reader would feel more compelled to respond more quickly to avoid looking bad.
While this didn’t always ensure a speedy response from all proof readers, it did create a higher response rate as opposed to if he had approached them alone. Also, the quality of the feedback was better since he was now being directed to people who were most familiar with the subject matter.
It is always possible to minimize the negative impact of problems that insist on reoccurring despite your best efforts to streamline your work process. The key is to be ready for them when they happen so you can get past them quickly and stay focused on your main work tasks.
Important Points
- Create procedures to deal with problems that persist
- The procedures must be simple and can be executed quickly
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