I have a confession to make: if I didn’t co-own the bookstore, I suspect I would have been fired years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very good at my job, I tend to play well with others, but I’m horrible at systems. I’m internally organized in a way that makes sense to me and not necessarily to others, and I have a pretty good memory. This combination makes for some frustration with co-workers. I find systems to be one extra step in a process that I’ve already finished. It’s almost like making a list at the end of the day to cross off all the things you’ve accomplished. I’d much rather just move on to the next task, or take my dog on a walk.

The problem is I work with people. People who need to know where I’ve left on a project, or receiving or calling special orders, etc. I had a nickname from my married days: Little Bits of Stuff. I had little bits of stuff everywhere. Notes, random lists, things I thought I should save but wasn’t sure why, receipts, tax bills, insurance cards, etc. The problem with me is everything gets treated the same way regardless of its level of importance. This apparently frustrates people I work with.
In March, Elizabeth posted a blog about the new event notebook she designed. It’s a thing of beauty. And I don’t really use it. This is a great notebook. Everything we need for event planning is here in one tidy place. So clear, so easy for anyone to see what someone else has done. This stands in stark contrast to my system of half-assed notes scrawled illegibly on Post-its scattered on the back of things by the register. Here’s the thing, I usually get everything done that needs doing, but I don’t document it. And, occasionally I do forget if I’ve done the calendar listing for an event. But my post-it system seems to work well, for me. And not many others.

It’s not just events where my lack of systems integration comes into play. It’s also the other notebooks. The invoice book, the returns notebooks, the damages notebook, etc. All of these feel like one more step in a process I’ve already completed. Isn’t it enough that I’ve printed out the invoice and given it to the teacher? Now, I need to print out another one and put it in a notebook? Well, yes, yes I do. It’s not that hard, but when I feel done with something, I just feel done and don’t understand the extra steps, except when we get payment for the invoice that I didn’t print out and put in the book. Then I’ve got to take 10 minutes and reprint the invoice instead of turning the exact page in the invoice book and finding it.
I don’t care where things are stapled. Apparently, I’m the only one with such a lassez-faire attitude. We are in the process of organizing 300+ school orders, and when Laura asked Elizabeth where she would like the receipt stapled to the order form, I swear, I could see a small tear forming in Elizabeth’s eye. That someone else cares about these things is lovely, but now that there are two folks who care about where the staple goes (I thought we could just paper-clip them), now I have to care. Well, I care, but now they won’t let me process these orders because it didn’t occur to me to think where the staple should go. Also, I rush through these things. Here’s the thing I know: without all of it, nothing would get done. Yes, I’m horrible at systems because my brain doesn’t work that way, but I plan ahead and am cheery and bring snacks every day to work.
I might not really care where the staples go but I always keep us stocked in staples, so that’s something, right?