Ever feel like you’re “drowning in work”? You aren’t alone. The modern workplace seems uniquely primed to bury us in emails, tasks, workflows, and meetings. But there’s relief on the horizon. Nick Sonnenberg, efficiency expert, CEO, and author, has a blueprint for change that promises to free up time for you and your team members.
“Time is every company’s most precious resource. Everyone’s only got 24 hours in the day.”
Nick Sonnenberg
For the better part of a decade, Nick has been focused on training and consulting on best practices for operational efficiency. Along the way, he’s learned some pretty exciting strategies and practical tips that any company can use to save time for their team. Recently, he joined me to discuss the themes in his new best-selling book, “Come Up for Air: How Teams Can Leverage Systems and Tools to Stop Drowning in Work.”
“After working with thousands of teams, we’ve determined that everyone needs these three things, regardless of size or industry. Communication, Planning, Resources. Or as we call it, CPR.”
Nick Sonnenberg
There’s so much to discuss in Nick’s book—but the CPR framework is a great place to start. These are universal to every company and provide a helpful structure for examining the ways people are spending time within your organization.
Why communication matters
Whether it’s internal, external, or interpersonal, everyone has to communicate and there are a lot of different tools for doing it. The key is ensuring that you’re using the most efficient tool for the job. As Nick explains, “There’s a time and place for different things. If we’re going back and forth 20 times on Slack, I just stop and say, ‘We need a live meeting.’ Or if there’s a live brainstorm, there’s a lot of stuff that can be achieved asynchronously, such as prep work, to make the time together more efficient.”
How planning comes into play
Everyone plans. When there are tasks and projects, there’s planning work that needs to be done. Nick explains, “You need to be able to delegate work. You need to be able to manage your own work and prioritize. In one to two clicks, you should be able to know, what do I need to do today and what’s overdue?” Without those basics quickly accessible, you and your teammates are spending valuable time digging for what needs to be done. This is where project management tools and planning best practices come in.
How resources can be streamlined
When Nick is talking about resources, he means intellectual property, processes, and knowledge. As he explains it, “This could be your vision, how you onboard a team member, how you do payroll.” All this needs to be captured in a digital Knowledge Base where it’s easy to find. Why? You remove the risk of someone leaving and taking the company knowledge with them. And you give people the means for self-service—which means less time is wasted both in tracking down answers and providing them.
Ready to free up an extra business day for every member of your team? The strategies and best practices highlighted in “Come Up for Air” can help you get there. You can learn more about Nick’s book or purchase it here. And we’d also love to hear what you think. I’m personally very excited about the prospect of a Knowledge Base for Xenium—if you try out a strategy from the book, please keep us posted in the comments.