Eliminate to optimize
So much of data management is habit (both good and bad) which is why I love James Clear's Atomic Habits. Implementing better data management habits can help you improve the quality of your data.
Here's another quote from Clear that applies to data management:
"More effort is wasted doing things that don’t matter than is wasted doing things inefficiently. Elimination is the highest form of optimization." - James Clear
Where does this apply? Here are just a few examples:
- Do you actually use all the demographic data you collect during the join process?
- Do you produce a printed directory that no one uses?
- Do you mail printed membership cards or attendance certificates that no one uses?
- Do you produce periodic reports or memos that no one actually reads?
My experience with clients is that most organizations have one or more processes in place that simply aren't needed anymore. They can be eliminated. And as Clear states, elimination is the highest form of optimization.
![]()
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
Documentation is insurance
Documentation is insurance In a conversation with a client about their data management needs, the client […]
It all comes down to fundamentals
It all comes down to fundamentals I’m preparing for a webinar that I’m presenting in […]
Blog post themes over 20 years…
Blog post themes over 20 years… I’ve been writing blog posts for nearly 20 years […]
Lots of feedback is a GOOD thing!
Lots of feedback is a GOOD thing! A client in the middle of their AMS […]
Doing the reps…
Doing the reps… I’m helping a client with the implementation of a new AMS. During […]
Add one, remove one
Add one, remove one In the world of home-organizing, there’s the “one in, one out” […]
Spring cleaning, all year long
Spring cleaning, all year long I talk frequently about “weeding the garden,” the idea that proactively […]
Don’t fall into the arrival fallacy trap
Don’t fall into the arrival fallacy trap The arrival fallacy is the false belief that […]
“The first time it lies to me is the last time I’ll use it.”
“The first time it lies to me is the last time I’ll use it.” Over […]
Improvement is never linear
Improvement is never linear One of the many lessons one learns over a lifetime is […]
