Having discovered my love for storytelling last year I was ecstatic when I got the opportunity to join the OnaStories team. Over a short period of time, I was able to identify what I loved about my role as Executive Learner, (see Jack of all trades) and which parts I would shrink from. Which leads me to this question, when was the last time a conversation about Excel sheets excited you? For many people, the answer would be never, for me the answer is two weeks ago.
OnaStories was recently looking into implementing an internal accounting system to keep track of the day-to-day accounting, which lead to a meeting with a consultant. An hour later and I was excited to jump into the role of “lead inputter” of what will constitute as OnaStories accounting system. Why, you may ask, because as a serial procrastinator the idea of having a specific guideline to streamline many monotonous aspects of a job appealed to me. By streamlining I could be more to efficient and get to the parts of my work that I enjoy, the storytelling.
Many small businesses and start-ups want to delve into the enjoyable aspects of work as well but they are instead faced with a common problem: Too much to do; too little time. This stops business owners from growing their business and spending time on the things that really matter. Since the Excel meeting, OnaStories has implemented one more excel system that tracks day-to-day roles and activities. To get you all started here are steps to help you systemize:
- Identify your problem. How often does it occur? Does it demand time or block you from other duties? If yes, then that is an area to systematize.
- Design your process. A system is a repeated process. Map out the sequences that need to be in place. List down each of the steps and identify which roles to assign and which to outsource.
- Implement your plan. Planning is the easy part; implementation is the real learning curve. Execute the plan and keep in mind that this is step will evolve your initial plans and there will be room for improvement.
- Stick with the system. A system will only work if we treat it as a habit this will happen if the steps are followed rigorously. At first you may not carry out everything as it should be but eventually, the system turns into a routine, allowing you to effortlessly overcome what used to be time-consuming problems.
Creating systems is the yellow brick road to turning a business into a well-oiled machine. We all have the chance to systematize anything in our daily business dealings. Systems lead to organization and with that the possibility of reduced costs, increased profitability and the brain space for innovative work takes flight. The best part? We can systemize almost anything for our own immeasurable benefit.
Written by: Nura.A, OnaStories Executive Learner