361 - The 4 Kinds of Work - Part 1

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I have recently been enjoying parable based books to learn new things and to gain confidence that my own analysis and plans are “right” in the world of business.Reading a fictionalized version of important information helps me to apply learning and see nuances rather than just read dry facts. Recently, I listened to The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim and learned how they describe four different kinds of work. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this podcast, I will introduce you to the first two kinds of work. I then also share my thinking about how these kinds of work are also present in our home and household lives. By thinking about these kinds of work, we can get better work patterns and be more effective in the work we do. </span></p> <p><strong>Constraints</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">- constraints are limits that are difficult or impossible to change - in this episode, I give examples of time, money, and space. When we do not have enough of these things, it can be a limit on our organization and productivity, and changing our situation can require a major effort.</span></p> <p><strong>Bottlenecks</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">- are problems that can be analyzed and solved - in this episode, I give examples of time, money, and space. I explain how we are not using what we have effectively. It is vital to discern whether you are facing a constraint or a bottleneck - many times there</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">are</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">effective changes you can make.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Work: Firefighting</strong> - reactive work that has deadlines, stress, or feels like a crisis. This work shows up unexpectedly and causes us to pivot, iterate, and adapt rapidly. In the home, the</span> <a href="http://sundaybasket.com"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Sunday Basket®</span></a> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">contains and then puts out fires. Firefighting is</span> <st