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Just the thought of commuting to and from work makes some people flinch. This is because of the human resource hours wasted in traffic jams, the fuel spent on transit and the amount of pollution that comes with it. Those who work from home are amazed at how much time they have to themselves since they do not have to commute to and from the office on a daily basis. The freedom of homeworking manifests itself in saving time, money and energy. Homeworkers are more relaxed and as a result, they are more rested settled and therefore more productive.
Today, people have too many responsibilities, which include working, taking care of young ones and in some cases taking care of ill or elderly parents and relatives. Unfortunately, many people hardly have the time to do any of this perfectly and most lead unbalanced lives. With any luck, most will realize that the solution lies in homeworking. Homeworking parents are able to work flexible hours and adapt their working schedules to suit their lifestyles. They can choose to work full or part time depending on the number of days and time with which they are comfortable. Those who are already working from home continue to realize they have more time and energy to spend with their loved ones and are still able to give enough time to their work schedules and meet deadlines. The freedom of homeworking is that one does not have to worry about alarms clocks, how to beat traffic or worry about packing lunch. The money that would have been spent on stylish and expensive clothes that have to adhere to dress code regulations at central places of work can be used for something more useful or go into savings.
Managers and business owners are also reaping great rewards as a result of working with people who are based in their homes. Most investors have continued to cut down on their overheads since they do not have to pay rent for big offices. They can therefore afford to pay their employees more. The profits have also increased since the employees whose lives are more balanced are more productive. As computers continue to be smaller and faster, homeworking ideas continue to increase. Computers are more multi-functional and business people are able to carry out video-conferencing with their employees or clients. Technology and creativity is turning the world into a flat place where people who are miles apart can work together and relate as though in the same office. Homeworking has given people the ability to overcome geographical boundaries and challenges. As a result a person based in Canada can hire people from the USA or UK and other parts of the world as long as they are qualified and competent.
Homeworking parents enjoy being their own boss and work at their own time and pace. They do not have to look over their shoulders or worry about micro managing and in return, they feel responsible for the product of what they do. Most homeworkers are happy at the endless opportunities of doing what they are talented in, comfortable with or enjoy. There is no better arrangement than that of doing what one loves at their convenient location and getting paid for it.
Habit is the flywheel of society, its most precious conserving agent. The great thing, then, is to make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy. We must make automatic and habitual, as early as possible, as many useful actions as we can.. .. The more of the details of our daily life we can hand over to the effortless custody of automation, the more our higher powers of mind will be set free for their proper work. There is no more miserable person than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision, and for whom the lighting of every cigar, the drinking of every cup, the time of rising and going to bed every day, and the beginning of every bit of work, are subjects of deliberation. Half the time of such a man goes to deciding or regretting matters which ought to be so ingrained in him as practically not to exist for his consciousness at all.
So what does this have to do with John Wooden, the Army, hospitals, Toyota – and you?
For those who don't know, John Wooden was the most successful college basketball coach in history. His teams won 10 NCAA titles in 12 years, including 7 in a row. (A little perspective: no other coach has won more than three titles.)
Wooden is famous for teaching his players on the first day of practice.. . how to put on their socks and shoes. He didn't want his athletes to get blisters because they put on their socks wrong, and he didn't want their laces to come untied in the middle of a game. And the best way to ensure that their socks and shoes were put on right was to make a system, and then drill it into the kids until it was a habit.
The Army does the same thing in basic training. Soldiers are trained to store, maintain, and strap on their gear in exactly the same way every time. The Army doesn't want soldiers in combat to have to think about where their gear is or whether or not they've maintained it properly.
Similarly, doctors are trained to have a system for everything: from how to conduct a physical exam, to the order in which to lay out their instruments. They even have a system for washing their hands. The sequence for any of these tasks is in and of itself irrelevant. The important point is simply to have a system so that the action becomes automatic and is done the same way every time.
Toyota is famous for defining "standard work" for all its processes. The company has a well-tested, thoroughly documented technique for completing each job, from tightening a bolt to installing an engine to performing a 5S cleanup. Like Wooden, the Army, and hospitals, Toyota wants to ensure that each job is done the same way every time. This reduces variation in the process, and results in better quality products.
But as William James pointed out, there's an additional benefit: making tasks routine frees up the individual to think and to be creative. Wooden's basketball players were better able to improvise during games because they didn't have to worry about their shoelaces coming untied. Soldiers are better able to deal with the chaotic mess of actual battle because they don't have to think about where their ammunition is. Doctors can respond to emergencies faster because they don't have to fumble to find their instruments. Toyota's workers have more intellectual room to solve problems that crop up on the assembly line because they don't have to decide how to do each step.
And what about you? How do you handle the tasks that should be routine for you? Do you have standard work processes for dealing with email? Phone calls? Filing? Project management? Have you made these tasks routine, automatic, habitual? Or do you deliberate every minor activity?
If you haven't relegated these tasks to habit, you're less efficient and productive than you could be. You're not adding all the value you can to your organization. And that's not fair – to the organization or to you.
Give yourself the mental space to think, create, and innovate. Give yourself the freedom of discipline.