Two Questions That Demonstrate if an Experimental Process Should Remain

Oct 8, 2018 business management

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I experiment a lot with thoughts and process. I used to be scared of implementing something new because I felt like I was now married to that. Or, if it becomes habit, maybe I won’t want to stop it, even if it’s annoying (how irrational does that sound? But if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll see that happen a lot. If you ever hear “that’s just how we do it” then you’re experiencing it.)

The Questions

I was looking for a tip, a tool, a blueprint to determine if an experimental process should remain in my toolbox. I wanted a process to figure out if I should continue to do this or if it was a waste of time. That’s when I thought of the two questions you need to ask yourself.

Is It Actually Useful?

Sounds like a silly question to ask yourself. But maybe it could be rephrased to some extent: “How useful is it?” Is it solving a problem or does it seem like legacy from something else.

Could You Live Without It?

Now that you’ve experienced this new process, could you live without it? For example, let’s say you introduce a new set of meetings to keep up to speed on a certain project. After a while, you ask could you live without it? Maybe you aren’t any closer to the project than you were before - or maybe it’s just too much information. That’s a yes, you could live without it.

Yes and No

Yes, it’s useful and provides value. No, I couldn’t live without it. I’d be in a worse place. Now you know if your new process should continue.

Putting It Into Practice

Now, you have a blueprint and permission to experiment with process. Develop a new process, set a goal, and then put a reminder to ask yourself this question after say… 6 weeks. Was this new process useful? Can everyone live without it? If it’s anything but a Yes, No - then it’s time to rethink, refine or destroy that process.