One of the hallmarks of an elite knowledge worker is that they are able to keep clean edges around their work.  This means that as they shift from one project or task to another, clear markers are left behind so that the work can be resumed quickly at the next opportunity.  Below is a small excerpt from my recent article in Public Libraries magazine  where I discuss this topic:

“An Efficient Librarian creates clean edges to her work. It all starts with an organized desk and a clearly defined physical inbox to identify new input. One habit-changing practice is to empty the inbox regularly and use it only to place new items that have yet to be processed. An Efficient Librarian pays attention to how time is spent and looks for ways to declutter surroundings and simplify systems. For me, mastering workflow and creating systems that were tight, clean, and quick was a key to my transition. I believe that the application of these principles saves me weeks of time every year to focus on creative and exciting work that takes me along new innovative paths. This unleashing of energy is needed to revitalize our profession in the face of changing times.

“For example, a small change that made a huge difference for me was turning off new email alerts, such as notification vibrations, pop-up windows, and sounds. According to a study by behavioral economist Dan Ariely, only eleven percent of email requires immediate attention.⁶ New message notification alerts mostly serve to distract people from their primary task just to chase down content that is most likely destined for the trash. I turned off all my new message alerts a few years ago and instantly noticed a change in my depth and length of focus.”

Read the complete article at Public Libraries magazine online.

This year, the Palm Beach County Library System worked with a consultant, John Huber, to understand and deploy the Lean Library Management Methodology to our publicity flow chain.  During his time with us, one concept that John reiterated time and time again was, “If you don’t measure it, it must not be important.”  What does this mean?

In order to make meaningful progress in any endeavor there must be a way to track success.  This is easy to understand for Olympic athletes, who measure themselves against the clock, or distance traveled, or their ranking against other competitors.  If want to loss weight, calorie counting and minutes of exercise per day are great items to track.  So if you want to improve your personal productivity, it is important to identify measurable quantities that can be tracked over time.

For example, if inbox zero is your goal then keep track of the number of messages in your inbox at the end of the day when you leave work.  If you want to be faster at the computer, track and record the number of words you can type per minute.  To keep your commitments under control, maintain an accurate project list, count the projects on it, and discover the maximum number of projects that your stress management can handle at one time.  In short, if you have meaningful productivity goals ask yourself how to measure progress because, “If you don’t measure it, it must not be important.”

To learn more about John Huber’s work visit his web site, look at his book, Lean Library Management, or visit Lean.org.