“Don’t mistake movement for achievement”, Jim Rohn
A helpdesk person spent a very busy day answering people’s concerns by email, chat, and telephone. There is a lot of movement but very little achievement. She helped many people but many more were left waiting in the queue and eventually dropped off. Is this the optimal way to do her work. In her place, I would have posted a a good information source online and simply pointed people to it, reducing the call time.
A salesperson picks up a phone book and starts cold calling everyone to sell furniture. Another salesperson took his time to collect phone numbers of people moving into a newly built neighborhood. Then he called them. A person who moved to a new home would need new furniture. So his odds of success are many times higher than the first salesperson. There is less movement and more achievement.
A salesman greeted customers at the entrance of an electronics store. Then he asked them if they would be interested in a “brand new a thousand dollar big screen TV if they can get it for 599”. He repeated this all day and made many sales. While other salespersons where fiddling their thumbs waiting for customers or trying to sell things people weren’t interested in, he focused on a product that was an exceptional deal and captured every potential customer for it.
More work does not equal more achievement. Smarter work leads to more achievement. Targeted work leads to more achievement. How can you get more done with less movement at work? What changes can you make to your way of doing work to achieve more with less work?