Browsing Tag

work the system

14 posts
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Learning How to Sleep

For any recurring problem, there is a path to sorting things out: Take the inefficient system apart and fix the pieces one by one. Sleep intertwines with numerous other biological, social, and relationship processes, but...
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The Toilet Paper Illustration

As an example of systems-thinking, and at the risk of an awful pun, reaching for a piece of toilet paper is the bottom line.   Toilet paper is a mandatory accessory. It may be the one...
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It’s Just the Way We Do Things Around Here

When the “Shall I do it now or later?” question comes up for a new Centratel staff member, their not-yet-disciplined internal dialogue goes something like this: “What’s the difference if I do this task now...
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Measuring the Body

Here’s an excerpt from Sam Carpenter’s book Work The System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less...        Eight years ago, in the depths of my workplace chaos, I was also dealing with a...
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Gone Missing

Several years ago we had our house remodeled. Immediately after, we “flipped” another house. In both cases, numerous subcontractors, both experienced and inexperienced, did the work.  Linda was the interior designer. I was the general...
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The Cardiovascular Equipment Sign-Up System

Here’s a remove-the-system-altogether scenario. It’s the ultimate in simplifying things. My staff and I take delight in chucking unnecessary Centratel protocols. System-elimination is great to see in personal life, too.  The cardio room at the...
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Losing Key Employees

In my small business, Centratel, each of our half-dozen key management people has had several years of on-the-job experience. Training managers to operate a telephone answering service is a long, drawn-out affair because it is necessary...
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Installing a Preventative System

Sometimes we install a system and it doesn’t do much. We achieve the desired effect by the mere existence of it. At Centratel, we knew a few of our employees spent time “cruising the net”...
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Focus on the System, Not the Product

It seems logical the manager’s total efforts should be focused on the product or service itself; that all energy be directed to the work that must be done, the customers who must be found, and...
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Point-Of-Sale: The “Do It Now” Theory

"Why? Because I’m the mommy and I said so." - Anonymous mommy Do it now and let’s get on with whatever is next!  Point-of-sale is a phrase taken from the cash register industry. It describes action...