Organizing the Garage and Preparing for the New Year

 

I spent more time at home goofing off than working last week. For Christmas this year, I gave myself some heated riding gear and spent some time in the saddle enjoying the dry weather and  the quiet roads in Utah's western desert. I hadn't been on the motorcycle for a while and it was nice to be back on the bike.

I also spent the better part of this weekend in my garage organizing for a couple of upcoming projects—getting ready for January and February which are usually too cold and wet to ride. I like spending time in the garage. I also like knowing that all my tools are where they're supposed to be when I need them.

I'm looking forward to starting a new year the same way I look forward to riding the motorcycle and working on projects in my garage. I'm not simply hoping for good things to happen this year, I'm setting goals, getting organized and otherwise preparing for a successful 2012. I once had a colleague who set goals and planned every year, but it never seemed to make a difference. Watching him, I noticed it was his unwillingness to roll up his sleeves and get to work. He talked a good game, but when push came to shove, he never got to work.

I talk a lot about empowering the team to participate in the project management process and contribute at a higher level. Most of the people I've worked with over the years responded to the opportunity to contribute to something bigger than themselves, but there are those who just can't seem to get to work regardless of  the environment. Over the weekend, there were things I threw out as I went through my garage—broken grinding wheels, rusted fasteners and other tools that just didn't have it in them anymore. Some of them were easier to throw out than others, but the act of evaluating their value, fixing what could be fixed and making a conscious decision about everything made it easier to map out my personal projects for the year.

I'm not suggesting that the first of the new year is a time to "clean house," but I am suggesting that it's a time to make a conscious evaluation of where your team is—what skills do they have, where are they doing great and where do they need to make improvements? I know it's cliche´but the start of a new year just seems to be a good time for retrospection.

What are you going to do to organize your garage?