We all need a certain amount of routine in our lives. It provides us with comfort and familiarity from which we can do our job. But when our routine becomes mundane and monotonous, it’s hard to be creative and do our best.
I’m hardly ever bored — too many interesting and challenging things to do, I guess. But I do sometimes find myself doing repetitive work that I don’t like.
When I’m doing anything that feels tedious, I lose interest quickly. I feel like a machine, and my creativity suffers. I’m willing to do what’s necessary to get the job done, but I always want to find a better, faster, easier or more productive way to accomplish things.
The challenge is to be efficient and effective. We want to do things with efficiency and expediency, but we also need to be doing the things that matter most — to be effective.
There are all kinds of techniques to help us manage our tasks and the events in our lives. I have a little acrostic that’s worked really well for me.
I call it SODA. It stands for Simplify, Organize, Delegate or Automate. I try to do something in at least one of these areas each day. It keeps me focused on ways to make my work, my business and my household work better.
Simplify
Organize
Delegate
Automate
At the beginning of each day, I strive to simplify something, organize something, delegate (outsource) or automate or systemize something I’m doing.
At the end of the day, I review what I’ve done, how I did it and look for ways to make my tasks less tedious. In doing so, I’m constantly making improvements and having more fun in the process. It keeps me energized and motivated. It helps me to be more creative and innovative. It’s also profitable.
Give it a try. Post the SODA acrostic over your desk and apply it for 30 days. I’m sure you’ll see a difference.