Picture this: You are helping a friend and they ask you to grab something from their storage room, it’s in the green box in the third section. You walk into the store and you see a 100 different boxes of all sizes but you have no see no green box in the third section. You are a little unsure about the third section in the first place. You look into a few different boxes based on your own judgment but you can’t seem to find what you were looking for. Suddenly your friend walks in, and they go right to that box. Hint: It wasn’t in the third section but it was green and they knew exactly where it was and they found what they wanted and you got the side eye.

Moral of the story: We are not helping this friend again!

Alternative moral of the story: What was intuitive to your friend, wasn’t intuitive to you, nor could you figure it out on your own because this store had no clear structure.

But picture this now, what if the store room was organized and labeled. The labeled containers could have guided you. You would have known which section has the hardware, the memories, the children’s items, everything. Would it have been easier? We know the answer.

This happens in businesses all the time. What comes very intuitively to you will not come the same way to others.

And while sometimes sticking to the structure seems like an extra effort because who else is going to come and do what we are doing, right? Is it true though?

Having a clear structure:

• Can keep things simple & accessible
• Helps in effective communication and organization
• Gives everyone speed & the peace of mind
• Prevents confusion and saves time.

Defining structure could be as simple as:

• What conversations happen on Slack
• How many folders are created in each client’s folder
• Which tasks live in which list

And you think you don’t need the structure because you are a small team?

Take it from me, you need it the most.

Remember, a little effort now can save a lot of trouble later.

Lean, a project management methodology, also talks about it. The 5S pillars of Lean provide a methodology for organizing, cleaning, developing, and sustaining a productive work environment. Their second S stands for Set in Order (Seiton) which highlights the importance of having everything neatly arranged.

Here’s a 1-min video I love about Setting Things in Order: Link to the video

I hope you enjoy it too.