Hi there Fans of Plans! This fortnight I thought I’d focus my blog on ‘routine’. I’m sure many of you will have spent the summer out of your normal routines, be that because school is out or because you’ve had an opportunity get away and recharge your batteries.

Coming back into a routine can give off a couple of different feelings:

1. A reassuring comfort back to the familiar
2. A sense of dread at the return to mundanity
3. Feelings of rallying as you get your team (family and colleagues) back in the flow!

Whichever of the three you are, let’s take a look at how we can benefit from the re-set of a routine.

There are some things that happen all year round that we know need to be done, they have their cycles and we gear ourselves up for them. For example, if you are part of the accounts team, then ‘month end’ is your routine call to action (I won’t event mention year end as I know it will send any accounts people reading this out in hives!). Whereas if you work in retail – your stock-take is that big routine that must be done.

After a period of time off, it is a great way to take a step back and to see if there is anything that can be done to these routine activities that might make them easier for all involved, or indeed more fun. Believe it or not, there is fun to be had in the workplace!

It’s good to sit down with your team every so often and review what is routine for your area, especially if it is something you have been doing for a while. Just because you have always done something a certain way doesn’t mean to say it has to carry on like that. There are always efficiencies that can be searched out and newer members of the team may have valuable insights into how their previous experience might be able to help shape changes.

This team collaboration is also great to help your team members feel valued. Everyone’s idea is valid and talking through them together will ensure you look at all angles of a process. What might work in one area, could add a workload to another, so it’s important to consider everyone’s part in it. This way you’ll also build up a more resilient team as they understand each other’s roles and the parts you all play in the process.