Sometimes you want to do a lot of things at the same time. Time indeed run faster when you are busy. But, are you being effective with your time and how you are managing it?
More things come your way. You are multitasking like a master in the subject. You are happy with all the things on your plate, almost ready to receive a Grammy nomination for multi-tasker-of-the-year.
Then, you find yourself in the middle of the night asking your pillow for ideas in time management and calculating how to add 2 more hours to the day.
To be honest, I've been there.
Then, #Logistics and I met; I have loved every one of the lessons learned.
I've learned, over the years, that quality goes over quantity. All the time. Remember the famous line "less-is-more"? It could be useful, but professionally, it is not smart enough to push the envelope. I've shifted my thoughts and transformed it to "do-more-with-less".
Today, talking about business, there is nothing more true than that! Less working space but higher expectations, less inventory but more sales, less equipment but more services, and so on, all are adjusting to less quantity and re-focusing on greater quality, innovative options, and improvements for smart operations.
Since I strongly believe #LogisticsAreEverywhere, I want to share with you how logistics helped me re-focus my mindset to quality over quantity and find a better way to "do-more-with-less" in my professional life:
1. Assign priorities
Priorities provide you with a guideline of importance and help you get all tasks done in less time. Why? Because you are not stressing over a lot of things at the same time. Instead, all your energy goes straight to that most-important-task, and then, to the next-important-task. Even when you are multi-tasking, assigning priorities will add a sense of structure and will keep you on track and most importantly, on top of what is meaningful. Priorities are an influential piece when making decisions; as a logistics manager, you are making decisions all the time, non-stop! In your professional role, you are also making decisions daily, and having priorities is a must. This approach clears the view ahead of your busy day at work and you can maximize your time having a better idea of what your pending tasks are.
2. Focus on your Customer
What is your customer's reality? What is he/she needing now? When a manager starts looking at the needs of their customers, and how -he or she as a manager- can address those needs to generate profit, the manager's response is direct and precise. Now, consider the same scenario in a bigger picture. The top of an organization analyzing its customers and their needs. Focusing on the customer and responding is smarter and requires fewer elements because the effort is targeted. In my opinion, its easier to fulfill an existing need than to create the need to fulfill it with an existing product. Managing all kinds of commodities enlarges my scope; all commodities are different, same as customers. I recommend finding what is "the thing" that the customer is needing. Is it a better price? Or maybe a faster arrival date? After discovering "the thing", you will be able to adjust your action plan accordingly.
3. Integration
Organizing and synchronizing working platforms creates flow in one direction, allowing access to all information without jumping between screens or devices. In logistics, keeping a real and achievable timeline is critical in all stages of the process. Having an integrated system helps significantly to accomplish goals on time. A tool that professionals in all areas use that provides integration is a calendar application. If you run your day with more than 1 email, (I have a few accounts: family email, work email, personal email) you can synchronize your emails and your calendars so events are all in one place. Your appointments will be saved under individual accounts, but when new events are being booked, you will be aware of previous happenings. This helps to avoid scheduling 2 events at the same time, to keep appointments under a real timeline, and to keep your agenda healthy and achievable.
4. Avoid Complexity
The market is already complex by itself, if you make it more complicated, it will require more of your energy to be in it and to maintain your position in it. Simplicity allows you to complete your responsibilities faster opening doors to endless possibilities, like being able to add that human touch to your relationship with your customers. Simplicity will provide you with the opportunity to have more time available to arrange new efforts, meet with your customers, think of a new product or service, or maybe start a new project.
5. Take a moment
Look away for 2 minutes. Do 10 squads. Step out. Drink water. Breathe. Relax. Clear your mind. When you are so immersed, you might be missing something. Avoid burnout! Believe me, you need to refresh your thoughts and come back with a power-boost! I am convinced that new energies can bring the golden component needed to make it work; think out of the box! Those 2 minutes may bring a new idea, a different approach, a better way to solve a difficult situation. And for only 2 minutes, logistically speaking: that is a deal!
About the Author: My name is Gloria Isamar Rivera. I have more than 17 years of combined experience in business administration, marketing, customer service, supply chain, logistics, and 3PLs. I consider myself a young professional, a supply chain leader, and an out-of-the-box strategist. I enjoy the simple things in life and value every process as a learning experience. Looking forward to sharing something interesting for you very soon! Thank you for reading! ;-)
ComentƔrios