Why 60% of Business Activity is Waste: Two Types of Work

More than 60% of all business activity is waste!

In some organizations it’s more. Occasionally, it’s less.

If everyone is “working” but 60% is waste, not all work is the same. It’s true, some work is valuable, a lot of “work” is useless.

Busy does not equal productive.

There are two types of work:

1. Xwork

2. Vwork

One makes you feel good, the other wastes your life (and your profits).

Let’s define each:

Xwork: e Xtra and useless work.

Xwork is any time-wasting activity that produces no result & adds no value to your organization (or life).

These are tasks or activities that keep people busy but don’t create value for your fellow staff, the organization and ultimately the end users — your customers and clients.

Vwork: Valuable work.

Vwork is finished pieces of work which have a value to the internal staff, the organization and most importantly — value to the end user of your product or service.

The staff of any business pass Vwork to each other which ultimately is delivered to the end user. Every single role in a business or organization should add value to the end user. This can be directly or “behind the scenes”. If a role doesn’t add value, get rid of it.

More on Xwork

Xwork takes many forms and has many sources, here are a few:

1. Unproductive meetings.
2. Emails — such as Cc’ing everyone in the office.
3. Not finishing tasks and projects but going onto something else…
4. Digital distractions from social media.
5. Interruptions from other staff and people who don’t know how to do their job.
6. A management that has no clear written plan
7. The list goes on…

Governments are particularly full of it, that’s why they waste so much time and money! But, so are small, medium & large businesses.

Xwork is why you can spend some weeks running around madly, stressed and very busy but by the end, you wonder “What did I actually achieve?

Other weeks you can be relatively calm, finish the week with a lot done, feel great and have an excellent weekend. The difference? More Vwork — less Xwork.

Xwork explains why profit drops as companies grow. A successful small business has a lesser percentage of Xwork, thus it adds more value to its customers, so it grows and is profitable.

As it grows, the Xwork overtakes Vwork, the inefficiencies and confusions add up and eventually the business provides less value, profits drop, staff aren’t as happy and neither are the customers!

The Solution

They key is to eliminate Xwork and increase the ratio of Vwork.

Shifting the ratio to 60% Vwork and 40% Xwork will produce a fast growing company with happy staff and customers. (and owners). It will look very efficient by anyone’s standards!

It’s not as hard as it sounds. It does take work and you have to know how to convert Xwork to Vwork.

One of the key ways I do this is the Organize for Freedom Program. Hiring also determines what Xwork & Vwork you let into your organisation.

You can learn how to hire Vwork people using the Vwork Hiring System.

Using these principles I’ve achieved results like these …

 

“Yeah, we have more of our lifestyle back … time wise, we have probably reduced it by 50% in terms of our input and in terms of income probably increased 500% from what we were doing, with less effort.”

- Garry & Michael Pesochinsky, Directors

Increase Vwork

If are a business owner who wants a business that produces more with less effort — get everyone in your business using the flowchart above (including you!).

If you know a business owner who works too hard with not enough reward, share this with them. They’ll love you for it!

Until next time, may your day be filled with nothing but Vwork!