It always amazes me when I get ideas for how to do something better, especially when it’s something that I previously thought couldn’t be improved. I get better at seeing possibilities for improvement once I’ve been doing a particular task for a good while. When I first start something new, I have no idea how to do it, so I initially just stick with whatever method I’m taught or figure out for myself. Gradually, I begin to think of other ways that might work better and, with enough experimentation, that’s exactly what I find.
As much as I benefit from reading about different strategies for a variety of tasks, I still find a lot of value in using trial and error to develop solid plans. When I’m faced with a problem, I open my mind to all possible solutions, try different ideas as they come to me, ditch what doesn’t work, and refine what works well. My goal is to develop routines and systems that allow me to do things efficiently and effectively; this has gotten much easier as my time management skills have improved. The more I can make completing my work habitual and automatic, the less I have to think about it and the faster I can finish it and move on to other things.
I often get ideas for working more efficiently without much conscious effort on my part. My subconscious is always working to solve problems and, occasionally, it’ll send me a good idea seemingly out of nowhere. This happened last night at work. I don’t close very often, so I haven’t gotten a good feel for how to get everything done in a timely manner. However, I’ve closed enough lately that I’ve slowly been getting more systematic in my approach. Last night’s close was probably the smoothest I’ve ever done and, with practice, I think I can get everything done even faster without sacrificing quality. I was excited to have this breakthrough last night, partly because of how it made my work easier and also for how it acted as a reminder that I can find solutions for any problem in life as long as I’m paying attention.