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When You Must Slow Down, You Can’t Afford to Stall

When You Must Slow Down, You Can’t Afford to Stall

I’m typing at 20 words per minute (at best) hence the reason why my email replies tend to be short, sweet, and occasionally delayed. My apologies.

Being responsible for the well-being of our clients and team means I’m well prepared for the unexpected—but to me, preparation was always about the big events. Slowing down significantly, but thankfully not being entirely taken out, wasn’t something I had planned for very well.

Chances are—and hopefully so—most of us are prepared for the big problems.

We’ve got disability insurance, savings for emergencies, and business continuity plans in place for critical tasks.

But what about the situations that fall somewhere between normalcy and catastrophe?

These are the ones that sneak up on us, not because of their size, but because of their timing.

As I wandered through Costco the other day, I stumbled across this strange bucket (and no, I definitely didn’t buy it). But it made me pause and ask myself:

‘Are there steps I can take to improve our systems so I can sleep better at night—not just by being prepared for specific situations, but even for the ones I can’t imagine today?’

My Solution: Creating Departments

We already use a team-wide task and project manager to assign everything—from client requests to internal tasks and ongoing projects. It’s a great system, but I realized it could be even better at handling the unexpected.

The solution? Adding a department to each entry.

I created a new dropdown for each task labeled ‘Department’ and assigned every task—big or small—to a specific department, such as Marketing, IT Support, HR, and others.

This small change gave us greater visibility into the different parts of the business that work together to ensure all is running smoothly.

Here’s the real magic: this visibility helps us ensure each department has at least two trained individuals who can cover for each other when needed. And as we grow and hire for specific roles, it will be easier for new team members to quickly access tasks relevant to their positions.

Why Systems Matter

While it’s people who run your business, life’s uncertainty makes it essential to rely on well-designed systems—not just people.

A well-crafted system ensures that whether it’s a major catastrophe or a minor bump in the road, everything can continue to run smoothly. This, in turn, eliminates unnecessary stressors, which can otherwise lead to poor outcomes—or even burnout.

If you don’t already have one, start by creating an organizational chart and linking it to your team members. Make sure your systems align with it.

Begin with time-sensitive, recurring tasks like running payroll and high-priority projects like a major client initiative with a tight deadline.

A Worthwhile Investment

For those of you thinking, “A company-wide task and project manager? That sounds like a pretty good idea!” let me tell you—if implemented well, it can be one of the best investments you make to transform your business.

Oh, and one more thing: if you want to keep typing fast, take good care of your fingers!

Best,

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