43. COLLECT (FIRST STAGE OF MANAGING WORKFLOW FOR BUSINESS)

In order for your mind to let go of the need to hang on to everything, you must know that you have truly captured and collected all the things that might represent something you have to do. So first, just like filling a bucket, collect all the things that you consider incomplete in your life– personal or professional, big or little, urgent or insignificant. This means all the things that you want or think should be different than it currently is, and that you feel committed to changing.

Use various collection tools to do your collecting: Physical in-basket Paper-based note-taking devices Electronic note-taking devices Voice-recording devices e-mail Having these devices, however, does not ensure successful collecting. Most people do use some of these tools, but still feel out of control. To make sure your collection system works, you should do the following:

Every open loop must be in your collection system and out of your head. You must have as few collection tools or baskets as you can get by with. You must empty them regularly; this doesn’t mean you have to do everything in your in-basket; it just means you have to regularly review what you find there, and then decide what to do about it. You don’t keep it in there. Not emptying your collection baskets is like never dumping your garbage.

Your company’s total rewards strategy should also be unique to your company’s specific situation and business objectives. A company’s organizational design also affects how a total rewards strategy should work. A highly centralized company may need to provide similar types of rewards across business units and variable pay linked to overall company performance. By contrast, a virtual organization, in which there are few boundaries between the company, suppliers and customers.