The value of systems...

Today I went to the Eileen Fisher (EF) Company store with my mom and dear friend, Ellen. It was sale time and time for a ladies shopping day and lunch. Yes, I did buy some nice clothes. In the store, I noticed that EF has a 8 piece basics system to help a women put outfits together and create outfits under some of their more ornate sweaters, jackets and blazers. This got me thinking about systems. Systems are important because they help us keep track of things and know where we stand. However, a system is only good if you use it. I am guilty of this, since there is a reusable shopping bag of papers to file in my bedroom. The simple answer is time—I just have more important tasks to do then file papers. So, is the answer is to schedule time each week for the mundane? How about Sunday evenings? How about paying my daughter to do it? How about getting my dog to chew the papers? I vote for the first—Sunday evening. Even though, today is Monday, it is holiday, so I wills start today. Wish me luck!

(P.S. The easiest way to create a system is to outline it and make sure you can easily see it. A friend uses a KanBan system to organize his projects on a board over his desk. )