Sometimes the little things can add up to make a big difference. For example, for most of us, taking more steps during the day is a good thing in terms of our health. For a business owner, though, reducing steps (and time) for their employees can be a better way to go.
Henry Ford once said that “if I could save every one of my workers 50 steps a day then I could save miles by the end of the year“.
Those miles are hours, and those hours are dollars, so it was a good move. Ford was famous for always looking for tiny ways to improve the efficiency and profitability of his company, and this was a great example.
Nearly 15 years ago I talked about how great Gmail’s “Send & Archive” feature was, and at the time I estimated that using it saved me roughly 24 hours per year, or three days worth of work. The math still seems solid, if not a bit low, so that means this one tiny button has saved me somewhere around 360 hours of effort over the years. For one little button!
Solving big problems should always come first, but if you can continue to refine and optimize, the savings can add up to huge numbers over time.
