Read this great piece by the good folks at the SweetProcess.com. The article talks in depth about the advantages and challenges of systematizing a business, particularly documentation, which we know can be a pain in the ass!
Pretty handy strategy for start-ups and small businesses. Do check it out!
If you like this piece and would like to read more in-depth about systems and processes (written in plain English), read THE BOOK on “working the system” by Sam Carpenter. You can download both the ebook and audiobook for free!
Some ideas from the book (I stole this from the nice guys at AsianEfficiency.com):
- Most people go through life putting out fires without seeing the cause of those fires. This is the idea of “death by a thousand papercuts”. Most people live in a reactive mode, dealing with emergencies as they arise, and never addressing the root causes of those emergencies. If we just step back and analyze a little, we can locate the cause and correct it.
- The world is 99.99% perfect already. This is the idea that the world is inherently mechanical and systematic – and will continue on with or without you. In fact, most of the “big problems” of today are human problems – even if we mess it all up, the Earth and reality will continue on without humanity.
- Most of human history has been about careful preparation with no immediate payback. This is the idea that immediate gratification is very-much a modern-day phenomenon. I don’t agree with this 100% (there are warnings against wasting time by watching quail fighting in Meditations), but the barriers to instant gratification are definitely much lower today.
- To change something in your life, change the systems and watch the effects trickle down. This is a huge mindset shift and part of the reason that I no longer set goals in the traditional sense. Instead of goals, think about what the system in each area of your life is, and work to tweak that system to have it produce a beneficial result in that area of your life. The goal isn’t to lose 10kg, it’s to build a training and nutrition system that will result in 10kg lost and keep you that way. The goal isn’t to make $100,000, it’s to develop a system that results in that income.