Take Inventory of What You Have – Friday Distraction
I’m not really into collecting stuff but I still find there are times when I look around the house and see clutter. So I picked up a copy of Marie Kondo’s best-selling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.” Can’t wait to start reading it.
One of the reasons I get frustrated with clutter is because I find that, when I have clutter, I make bad purchasing decisions. I buy things I don’t need because I didn’t realize I already had something similar. And not just when it comes to how many pairs of black pants I own. It also applies to business. Today’s Time Well Spent cartoon from our friends at Kronos is a perfect example.
How many times have we asked for a report when we already have the data in front of us? Or we ask for too much data because we don’t know what decisions we can make with the data we have? I’ve even seen companies buy software they didn’t need because they didn’t realize their existing technology already did it.
Data and technology are important. But more data and technology isn’t always better.
If we regularly request data from others, we need to be clear in the information we want and what we want to do with it. Not simply request data because we can. If we provide data to others, we need to understand how the data will be used. Ask people how they plan to use the information. It’s possible there’s a better way. Only open communication will help us know for sure.
Sometimes we have exactly what we need in inventory and don’t need to collect additional stuff. It’s possible that all we need to do is organize and declutter our business data.
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