Consider quitting
Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this."
Doctor: "Then stop doing that."
Sometimes it's just best to stop what you've been doing because doing what you're doing isn't helpful anymore.
For example, I had clients who were still collecting fax numbers within the past couple of years, even though the broad use of faxes has been gone for many years. "Fax" was a field on the form, so why bother changing it?
And it might not just be data points that you should stop collecting. Maybe it's stopping certain processes (e.g., collecting demographic data during event registration that never gets used) or even completely stopping programs that are no longer relevant or successful.
The key to quitting is to always be looking for things to stop doing. Every time you execute a process, or collect an additional piece of data, or start planning the program again this year, stop and ask yourself: "Should we still be doing this?" Maybe the answer will be "no" and you can move on to something of higher value!
Consider quitting! You'll thank me!
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
Data is for action
Data is for action When deciding whether or not to collect a piece of data, …
Have you shopped yourself?
Have you shopped yourself? I’ve always been fascinated by the “secret shopper” concept. (Maybe it’s …
To improve adoption, decrease the friction
To improve adoption, decrease the friction “Before you try to increase your willpower, try to …
“Is this normal?”
“Is this normal?” ne of the greatest parts about my job is that I get …
Give your staff more freedom, not less
Give your staff more freedom, not less I often tell my clients, when it comes …
My advice? Stop doing that
My advice? Stop doing that! There is a classic TV sketch featuring Bob Newhart as …
Is a college degree really required?
Is a college degree really required? I saw a job listing last week for an …
Small actions become big wins
Small actions become big wins I’ve written before about how data accretes, the idea that …
Try not to OFFEND your members…
Try not to OFFEND your members… I recently received an email from an association where I’ve …
How will you use that data?
How will you use that data? One of the beauties of technology today is how easy …