Each year I receive an annual job evaluation report where my supervisor and a few selected employees rate my job performance in different categories. The participants can rate me on a scale from 1 to 5 in each category. 5 being the best and 1 being the worst. One of those categories is how quick I respond to emails. Each employee last year rated me at a 5 in this category.
The reason I share this isn’t to gloat about how fast I respond to emails. But there is something more important under the surface. It is rare for an employee to rate another employee perfect, 5/5 in a category. It is extremely rare, for a group of employees, say 6 or so, to rate an employee perfect, 5/5 in a category.
There is something very consistent and specific that I do, that results in this happening. And it is not only responding to emails. I consistently get compliments on how quickly I turn in projects, or how fast I’m able to solve problems. So what is my process? Let’s take a look into what makes people work fast, and how you can use this to become a faster video editor
The Power Of Habit
I first started to take notes of my actions while reading this book on habits. “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg.
His book goes into the psychology behind why we do what we do in life and business. He breaks down what is called the Habit Loop, where there are three parts.
Cue – The signal that starts the habit. In example, this could be a smell if you are hungry. This makes you start the habit such as to go get food.
Routine – This is the action of the habit. So in example to go and get the food.
Reward – This is the end result and satisfaction once the habit is complete. So this would be eating the food and the good feeling that follows.
It is also important to point out that habits are not only bad ones. They can also be good such as driving a car or brushing your teeth. It is just a triggered routine that we get used to when we do it over and over. Habits can become very powerful when done consecutively.
The Assembly Line
The assembly line is a great example of how we use habits in business. Each employee is responsible for completing one task, and that is it. That is all they have to worry about. They do that one thing over and over and that is why the process is so quick.
Imagine if people on an assembly line would have to do several tasks and constantly bounce around between different projects and tasks. Kind of sounds like the corporate workplace, doesn’t it? So how do we resolve this?
My Workflow Method
I’d like to introduce my workflow method, which I call the Horizontal Workflow Method. Watch my video below to get a better understanding on how it works.
The Sum of Many Parts
I think there are a lot of other things that go into becoming a faster worker, but how the process is done is the largest chunk. Other parts include organization skills, dedication to serve, and your overall energy.
Organization goes without saying. If you have your files organized in a way where you automatically know where everything is at all times, you are going to be in good shape. You’ll automatically become quicker by having your files organized.
I think there is also the intangible skill of having a service oriented attitude towards your work. When you have a drive to serve others, you will automatically become quicker because your sense of urgency will increase. Now how to achieve this is a different story, and might be a future blog post down the road. But basically, if you are passionate about your work, then you will shine in delivering products and services efficiently.
And lastly I think your overall energy needs to be up. Make sure you get enough sleep and you go into work energized and ready to take on the day. I personally try to get at least 8 hours of sleep and I think it really helps me focus and do my best work.
Conclusion
I hope this post helped stir up some ideas for you. If you want to learn more about habits the link to the book, “The Power of Habit” is below. Feel free to reach out and leave your comments below as well.
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John Vlach 