Anyone who has run a company, worked for an HR department, been a manager, been in the military, or worked for the government will be really familiar with Standard Operating Procedures (“SOPs”). In fact, if you’ve worked anywhere, you’ve encountered SOPs whether you knew it or not. In case the name doesn’t give it away, an SOP is a formal codified consistent way to carry out a regular process or procedure. It is a way to guarantee that a task is completed the same way every time. When you call a company, and the administrative assistant picks up and says, “Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam,” that is an SOP. Every time Pam picks up the phone she says the same thing. Companies love SOPs because they keep new employees from reinventing the wheel, they standardize productivity, and companies can constantly measure the efficiency of the process. The military has an SOP for EVERYTHING. Why? Because they work.
SOPs For Your Life
So, if SOPs work so well for companies, why not use them for your day-to-day life? On our Podcast, the Stronger Revolution, we talk about improving your life by 1% every day. We talk about morning routines, evening routines, and living consistently. What are morning and evening routines? They are SOPs for your life. Every morning, you wake up, and you do the same thing. Why not write it down? Then, once it is written, it is right in front of you. You can analyze it, change it, and optimize it. There is no guessing game on a daily basis. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every morning when you get up at 6am. If something isn’t working, you simply rewrite the SOP.
You Already Have Routines
This may seem extreme to some. However, we guarantee that you already have a routine you do on a consistent basis. Taking the step to write it down is simply codifying that routine. One big issue we hear from clients, especially this time of year, is that once they get off of their routine, it is really hard to get back on. That’s simply because the routine isn’t formal enough. SOPs at work remain intact this time of year, your SOPs at home can as well.
Later this week, we are going to talk about how to use SOPs to stay on track with your fitness goals. Holiday parties, time off work, vacations, they are all routine destroyers. But, not for you because you will have a standard operating procedure for your life.
