Recently I was considering how taking two weeks off from work was going to effect my co-workers. I decided to type up a numbered list describing a few of my procedures for different newsletters. To my surprise, as I was typing I came to a couple of vague areas in my process that needed to be honed in. I realized having a specific protocol can reduce problems and errors on my part, in addition to aiding the people who will be filling in for me while I am away. By writing down simple rules that I normally follow but occasionally skip when I am in rush, for instance, “All text should have a style attached to it”, I am more likely to follow my own rules, especially on those days when everything is in a rush.
Yes, it is a bit time consuming to type up these procedures with enough detail for them to be truly useful, but in the long run you will be glad you took the time. Not only will your company benefit from this resource but your own work will be done with a greater efficiency.
