Boss wanted me to follow the 'standard process' instead of the efficient one? Fine, I’ll follow it until the work piles up.
I used to work in a role where I had a very efficient way of handling my daily tasks. I had built a simple personal tracker that saved me about 2 hours every day, which I used to help other departments.
Then, a new manager came in and told me that my 'unofficial' tracker wasn't standard. They insisted I use the slow, manual company spreadsheet instead. I argued that it would double my workload, but they wouldn't listen. 'Just do it the standard way,' they said.
So, I did. I dropped my tracker and spent all my time on the slow spreadsheet. Within two weeks, I couldn't help other departments, my output dropped, and I stopped finishing my own work early. When they asked why I wasn't as efficient anymore, I simply showed them the 'standard' spreadsheet and reminded them of our conversation.
They told me to switch back to my tracker the very next day.
It really taught me that sometimes, people focus so much on the 'rules' that they forget to focus on the actual results. Now, I’m obsessed with creating systems that actually work for the person using them, not just for the manual.