In a nutshell, Lean can be defined as the process of eliminating activities that consume resources, but don't add value. Much has been written about the virtues and value of applying lean principles to manufacturing operations, in fact entire shelves of books are devoted to the vaunted Toyota Production System alone. However, very little has been shared regarding the application of lean to knowledge work. That's primarily because many people feel knowledge work, with its frequently ambiguous challenges and non-routine tasks, doesn't lend itself to the discipline of lean. Fortunately for all of us who toil in offices and cubicles, however, that view is changing. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, authors Staats and Upton offer six principles for applying lean to the world of knowledge work. The first practice the authors share, and the one I'd like to focus on here, is eliminating waste.

When people conjure up images of waste in the workplace they usually think of big-ticket items like energy costs, transportation, and inventory management, but at the individual knowledge worker level I'd suggest we start by rooting out small forms of waste. Here are two potential sources of waste I'd challenge you to examine in your own work life.

Making Your Workspace Work: Very simply, do you have ready access to the tools of your knowledge work trade? For years, I didn't. When I moved into my current office I absentmindedly tossed my stapler in a bottom drawer, already stuffed with several cables and other assorted tools. This arrangement made it difficult to easily grab the stapler when I needed it. Sounds small, but that's where waste resides - in the small stuff. Multiply the extra few seconds to find and return my stapler by hundreds or thousands of uses a year and it becomes significant in a hurry. I finally moved my stapler to an uncluttered drawer within easy reach and I smile every time I pick it up. What about you? Is your workplace optimally designed to minimize waste?

Engaging in Some Quality Quiet Time: The latest evidence on multi-tasking all points to the same conclusion: our brains simply can't do it effectively. Therefore, why not embrace and maximize good old-fashioned mono-tasking? Try designating a period each day during which you'll remain committed to one critical project, focusing all of your cognitive and creative energies, and shutting out anything that has the power to cause your attention to drift. Cases in point for attention-robbing tools would be e-mail and the telephone. As difficult as it is, and sometimes it seems like depriving myself of oxygen, when I'm working on an important project I close my e-mail program for at least three straight hours. Likewise with the telephone. I physically move it out of sight and turn off the ringer so that I can't see the tempting and often irresistible blinking of a waiting message.

You don't need a Six Sigma Black Belt to know that eliminating waste is critical to improving any process, even the seemingly routine tasks we engage in each and every day. Eliminating these small pockets of waste from your work life can pay big dividends in improved concentration, enhanced creativity, and the satisfaction that comes from greater productivity.

The three main components of my job are writing, speaking, and facilitating, all of which involve a lot of words. Fortunately for me, I love words, but as Dan Roam reminds us we can sometimes use words that unintentionally obscure our true meanings, and thereby impair our ability to communicate effectively. In this practical book he instructs readers to employ "Vivid Thinking," a method of combining both the verbal and visual elements of an idea. Basically, if you can draw it (and it could be anything!), you are in a better position to share your ideas and have your audience be receptive to your message. In addition to teaching us about the power of visualizing our ideas, Roam fills his pages with interesting historical anecdotes and informative lessons on the latest brain science.  

This little book, just 165 pages, is one of the most powerful I've ever had the privilege to read. Steven Pressfield identifies, describes, and ultimately provides the tools for overcoming one of the most insidious forces known to mankind: Resistance. If you've ever set about to create something (a special project at work, a book, a painting, a sculpture, anything!) you've undoubtedly come up against the force of resistance. It's that little voice in your head that says you're not good enough, the procrastination that leads you to thinking that at this moment sorting your socks is more important than starting that novel you'd like to write, the fear of the great unknown. But recognizing resistance is the first step in conquering it, and Pressfield provides the tools for both recognizing and combating this powerful enemy. This is a book I've read and re-read several times and would recommend to anyone pursuing creative goals, and really isn't that every one of us?