If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you will see my decorating style from time to time. One of my hobbies is decorating and I enjoy layering textures and combining styles, like traditional classic with contemporary looks.
This season, however, I’m craving a simpler look, so I am limiting the amount of layering and the color palette to simple neutrals. This simple décor quiets the noise that too much color and design can bring to a room. I’m going from room to room and decluttering every surface. Clean lines and space is what I need right now.
Not only am I doing this in my home, but I’m simplifying my space at work too. This means clearing my desk at the end of the day. I’ve moved files from the stacking shelves on top of my desk to drawers out of view or throwing them in the trash, if they’re no longer needed.
At the same time, I’m closing out projects and delegating work tasks to others. This gives me more time to think and plan out the remainder of the year, as well as build upon innovative ideas for next year’s projects. Leaders need time to think. I spend a lot of time reviewing data, analyzing that data, and making projections, based on the trends from previous months.
Sometimes, business leaders are so busy trying to control the bottom line, that they don’t take enough time to look back and compare data from 1-3-5 and 10 years prior. These data sets not only a look at past performance; they point to what you can expect in the future.
Now, having said that, the issues brought on by the pandemic have thrown quite a wrench in business plans. It’s more difficult to predict with much accuracy, what the future holds in some areas.
For example, supply chain and logistic issues continue to be a problem. I certainly didn’t think we would still be dealing with shortages in supplies and food items, at this stage of the pandemic. Staffing shortages continue to be of concern as well, and this is one thing that I think will continue to be an issue, if you look at how the world of work has changed.
Workers are looking for simplicity too. This kind of simplicity, might be a remote or hybrid position. It might be one in which the worker has flexible hours. It may be multiple, but simple gig jobs, that allow them to focus on one thing at a time, as opposed to being responsible for all aspects of a project.
Simplicity is appealing, but it can also be a bit unnerving for those of us who are used to juggling competing responsibilities. It can feel “slow” or “non-productive.” But, I urge you to press on and force your mind and body to relax a little. This slower, but thoughtful pace will serve you and your organization well in the long run, as simplicity paves a way to innovation.
