Consider quitting

Consider quitting

Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I do this."
Doctor: "Then stop doing that."

Sometimes it's just best to stop what you've been doing because doing what you're doing isn't helpful anymore.

For example, I had clients who were still collecting fax numbers within the past couple of years, even though the broad use of faxes has been gone for many years. "Fax" was a field on the form, so why bother changing it?

And it might not just be data points that you should stop collecting. Maybe it's stopping certain processes (e.g., collecting demographic data during event registration that never gets used) or even completely stopping programs that are no longer relevant or successful.

The key to quitting is to always be looking for things to stop doing. Every time you execute a process, or collect an additional piece of data, or start planning the program again this year, stop and ask yourself: "Should we still be doing this?" Maybe the answer will be "no" and you can move on to something of higher value!

Consider quitting! You'll thank me!

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Once you know, what will you do?

November 13, 2024

Once you know, what will you do? I’ve yet to meet a client who didn’t […]

If it’s not in your AMS, why not?

November 6, 2024

If it’s not in your AMS, why not? I like to tell my clients they’ll […]

Why checkboxes and tags are awesome and dangerous

October 30, 2024

Why checkboxes and tags are awesome and dangerous One of the most common functions in […]

Don’t miss obvious engagement data

October 23, 2024

Don’t miss obvious engagement data What I’ve experienced with my clients over the years is […]

All data requires active management

October 16, 2024

All data requires active management It’s a simple fact of data management that is often […]

Documentation is critical for consistency

October 9, 2024

Documentation is critical for consistency There are so many reasons why documenting your data management […]

Consumer demands change and technology changes

October 2, 2024

Consumer demands change and technology changes When I work with clients on the selection of […]

Why I write

September 25, 2024

Why I write Thirty years ago, I started a new job as director of membership […]

DAN – The Data Analytics Network

September 18, 2024

DAN – The Data Analytics Network I’m a huge fan of users groups (both internal […]

Process before technology

September 11, 2024

Process before technology In a conversation with a client recently, I was reminded (yet again) […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top