Unnecessarily redundant tasks are like weeds in a garden, and eliminating them can help you become far more efficient. Here are a few tips to help you turn your staff into a “mean, lean, operating machine”!

1. Give each member of your staff a stack of index cards. Ask them to consider all the tasks that they perform regularly outside of their basic responsibilities, and other special projects that they’re involved in. Have them write each task on a card, with a brief description, and sign their name.

2. Arrange all the cards so that similar or redundant tasks are next to one another (You’ll need a large conference table or bulletin board for this review).

3. As you categorize the tasks and descriptions, you’ll notice that a number of them connect, duplicate, or overlap each other. Kill the redundancies, consolidate them, or reassign them as necessary or appropriate.

This simple approach can yield tremendous results. Try it, and let us know how well this approach works for you!