Your Employees Are Playing Hooky

Each week, we dive into strategies to help you and your team cut through the chaos, focus on what truly matters, and lead with clarity and confidence.

Today, we're tackling…

The Silent Productivity Killer: Scattered Files.

Imagine having an extra full-time employee, at no extra cost.

What if I told you that you already do?

This employee is currently lost, wandering the vast expanse of your digital mess, searching their way through Dropbox and Google Drive, looking for files instead of contributing to your business's growth. It’s like they’re playing a productive version of hooky.

Here’s what I mean…

According to a McKinsey report, employees spend 1.8 hours every day searching for information. That’s 20% of the work day.

Said differently, “Businesses hire 5 employees, but only 4 show up to work. The fifth one is off searching for answers, but not contributing any value.” - McKinsey

You can’t afford this type of inefficiency. Your commitment to your business is evident in every plan you make, every goal you set, and every employee you hire. But does your approach to file organization tell the same story?

I’m guessing the answer is no.

It's time for a change.

It's time to bring your “5th employee” back into the fold by centralizing your files. Yes, all of them. It's the first step toward untangling the digital mess that's holding you back.

Here’s the biggest mistake people make when trying to organize files.

They try to tackle “one room” at a time.

Most businesses have files in multiple places.

They have some in Google Drive, some in Dropbox, some spread across local hard drives, and so on. Not only that, but they have similar types of files (or even duplicates) saved in different places. Organizing one room doesn’t solve the larger problem.

Instead, you need to consolidate all of the files into one, central space.

This sounds like more work up front, but it will save you and your employees from spending hours digging through files in the future.

Here's your action step for today:

Dedicate 10 minutes to list all the places where your files currently reside. Understand the scope of your digital landscape and decide on a single destination for consolidation. I'm partial to Google Drive for its flexibility and accessibility, but the choice is yours.

Remember, the goal is not just to move data but to transform how your team interacts with information. It's about making every document, every file, and every piece of data work for you, not against you.

Let's make today the day you start to unravel the digital knot.

By centralizing your files, you're not just tidying up; you're reclaiming time, focus, and, most importantly, your 5th employee.

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