The morning test

Does your day start with an inbox that reads like a to-do list someone else wrote?

Pick the answer that is closer to true, even if neither is perfect.

Yes, most morningsIt sets the day for me✓ NoI choose what I work on first✓

The checking loop

Is your team double-checking each other's work and still finding mistakes?

The double-check that nobody wrote down but everybody does.

YesTwice-checked and still wrong sometimes✓ NoIt is checked once, properly✓

The talent question

Is your best talent stuck on repetitive work someone should not be doing by hand?

The person you would hate to lose, spending hours on work that costs less than their time.

YesToo often✓ NoTheir days are mostly their real work✓

The dropped ball

Have you lost a customer or an opportunity because a follow-up simply fell through?

Most owners can name the one that got away. Some can name three.

YesMore than once✓ NoNothing slips✓

The one thing

If you could fix one thing in your business tomorrow, what would it be?

In your own words. This sentence is quoted back at the top of your report — so write it the way you would say it out loud.

A sentence or two is plenty.

Count what you already know

How often does each of these happen, and how long does one take?

Estimates are fine — you know your own week better than anyone. The figure below moves as you set them, and it is the same figure that goes on your report.

Invoices or orders keyed in by hand numbers typed off paper, a figure not carried over

times a week

min each

Rework after an error the same job done twice, the correction, the credit note

times a week

min each

Looking things up to approve a job the spec, the ticket, the sign-off, the go/no-go

times a week

min each

Chasing a status or a follow-up phoning or emailing to find out where something got to

times a week

min each

What an hour of their time costs (loaded — wage plus tax and benefits)

Leave it at $30 if you are not sure. It only prices the hours — it does not change them.

That is9 hours a week 452 hours a year — about 151 of them recoverable, at $30 an hour 25 × 6 min + 10 × 20 min + 8 × 12 min + 12 × 8 min = 542 minutes a week

Almost done

Your report is ready to build. Where should it go?

Two pages, your numbers, the working shown on the page. No call required and no sales sequence.

Work email

First name

Company

Used to calculate and send your report, and for nothing else. No list, no reselling, no follow-up sequence. If you never reply, that is the end of it.