The Seven Rs of Simplification
Use one or more of these steps to simplify and streamline every area of your
personal and work life.
· The first R is
rethinking. Whenever you find yourself overwhelmed with too much to do
and too little time, stop and think about your work. Stand back and ask
yourself, "Could there be a better way?"
Especially when you face resistance, stress, or difficulties of any kind,
stop pushing and driving. Instead, put yourself in the position of an outside
consultant. Imagine that you have been brought in to evaluate your own situation
and give yourself objective advice on how to handle it. Remain open and
receptive. Be willing to consider the possibility that your current approach is
wrong.
· The second R is reevaluating.
When you get new information, stop the clock, like calling a time out in
a football game, and reevaluate your situation based on the way it is today Jack
Welch, president of General Electric, calls this the "reality principle."
The reality principle requires that you be absolutely honest with yourself
and deal with the situation based on the way it really is today right now, not
the way you wish it were or the way it might have been in the past. Jack Welch
of GE began every discussion or evaluation of a problem with the question,
"What’s the reality?" You should do this as well. In The Devil’s Dictionary,
Ambrose Bierce wrote, "Fanaticism is redoubling your efforts after your aim
has been forgotten." Don’t let this happen to you.
· The third R is reorganizing.
The purpose of reorganizing your life or work is to ensure a greater
level of outputs from the same quantity and quality of inputs. In times of rapid
change and turbulence, you must reorganize continually. As one high-tech
executive said recently, "In this business, you have to throw out all your
assumptions every three weeks."
Be prepared to reorganize your workspace. Be prepared to reorganize your
schedule throughout the day Be prepared to reorganize your order and priority of
activities. Be open to the possibility that there is always a better way to do
the job than the way you are currently working. Keep searching for that better
way
· The fourth R is restructuring.
In restructuring you channel more of your time, energy money and
resources into the top 20 percent of activities that generate the most revenues
and the greatest profits. Companies restructure by focusing more of their
resources on the products, services, and activities that customers value the
most highly Simultaneously, they delegate, outsource, and eliminate
non—revenue-generating activities that customers don’t care about.
When you restructure your own activities, you continually focus and refocus
your time and energy on the few things you do that account for most of your
results. You concentrate single-mindedly on your most valuable tasks.
· Reengineering is the fifth key to
simplification. This is one of the most powerful practices for simplifying
your work and your personal life. In reengineering, your entire focus is on
process improvement. You constantly look for newer, better, faster, cheaper, and
easier ways to accomplish the task and achieve the desired result.
You begin reengineering your work by making a list of all the steps in a
particular work process, from start to finish. You then set a goal to reduce the
number of steps on the list by 30 percent the first time through. You will be
amazed at how easy it is to accomplish this task the first time you do it.
Six Ways to Reengineer Your Life and Work
- Consolidate several tasks into one single task.
- Assign several tasks to a single person rather than having them spread out
among several people. This is called job compression by responsibility
expansion.
- Outsource particular tasks and have them done by other companies or
individuals who specialize in that area.
- Delegate tasks to other people or other departments.
- Eliminate certain tasks altogether by determining that they are no longer
necessary or essential to the product or service
- Change the order in which tasks are done to reduce bottlenecks and
increase efficiency.
Continually review any complex task consisting of several steps and look for
ways to reengineer it, simplifying it so that you can get it done faster and
more efficiently than before.
· The sixth R in simplification is
reinventing. Here, you re-create yourself completely. In times of rapid
change, you should be reinventing yourself and your job every six to twelve
months. Practice zero-based thinking continually Keep asking yourself, "If I
were not doing it this way, knowing what I now know, would I start it up again
this way?"
Imagine that you are starting your job or your career over again. Is there
anything you would do more of. Is there anything you would do less of. Is there
anything you would start doing that you are not doing today? Is there anything
you would stop doing altogether?
You are going to have a variety of different jobs and positions throughout
your life. Keep looking ahead and thinking about what you might like to do. Ask
yourself, "What is my next job going to be?" What would you like it to be?
Then ask yourself "What is my next career going to be?" What would you like
it to be? If you do not ask and answer these questions for yourself, someone
else may come along and answer them for you.
· The seventh R in simplification
is regaining control.
In this step, you set new goals and create new plans. You make new decisions
and commit yourself to new actions. You accept complete responsibility and take
charge of your life. You don’t wait for good things to happen to you. You go out
and make them happen. You take charge of your time and your life.
