Guest post by Shawn Thomas
Imagine a lake filled with water so clear you can see the bottom, even at a depth of a hundred feet.
Once you’ve taken moment to imagine that incredible scene, consider another, slightly different scene. This time, instead of crystal clear water, imagine a lake so murky that you can’t see anything below the surface.
In which of those two bodies of water would you prefer to swim? Where would you feel safer and more comfortable? Unless the clear lake is visibly filled with giant creatures that have hundreds of sharp teeth, I’m guessing you will choose it over the murky lake. A lake which might contain who knows what kinds of toe-eating monsters.
Now take a moment to think about your typical day at work. Consider that it can be like the clear lake, like the murky lake, or it can fall somewhere in between. Either you and your coworkers always know exactly what needs to be done and when, or the work is not always clear. And as a result, productivity is lower than you’d like, and unpredicted, costly problems frequently arise.
In which of those two environments could you feel more effective and more comfortable about your work?
And more importantly, if you prefer clarity, what do you do to ensure that your work is crystal clear for everyone involved?
Making sure that things are clear for everyone is the job of a well-designed, and practiced, workflow management system. Workflow management systems help organizations succeed by ensuring their teams stay on top of the myriad details involved in work routines and projects. They help organizations succeed by facilitating effective communication and increasing the visibility of how things are working. And, they make it easier to solve problems as they arise by making the information needed to solve them more readily available.
A workflow management system, like the Empowered Productivity™ System, involves documenting and organizing tasks and timelines in a way that both simplifies and strengthens the work that is done to complete projects and achieve goals. Because workflow management systems increase clarity for all who are involved in a given project or within a given organization, they merit the time and effort required to learn about them, set them up, and develop the habits needed to maintain them. They make work more manageable and people and organizations more successful. They make everything clear and keep people from inadvertently losing toes. Or clients.
Learn more about the Empowered Productivity workflow management system in the links below, or check out Personal Productivity Secrets, the definitive guide to the Empowered Productivity System..
Shawn Thomas is a speaker, social science researcher and data analyst, and a fine art photographer who uses photography as an external representation of self-reflection and personal growth, and as a tool to help others discover their own path to self-mastery.
