A week into the year, we find ourselves starting to repeat difficult tasks and question why we are doing this. Believe us when we tell you that is normal. First, let us answer the question about how we ended last week. “Practice excellence, and it will become habitual”. This is the challenge we have to face, and the challenge is the same regardless of whether it is in our personal or professional lives. Starting to repeat activities builds up memories; in the world of physical training, we talk about muscle memory. Similarly, mental repetitions improve neural pathways; this may be as simple as doing Wordle every day or The Times Crossword. These will build memories that will make it more natural to complete the same task in the future.
The practice of excellence is the same. Remember, excellence is something that we are all being asked to deliver. Excellence has become synonymous with everything these days: “Our new product will give you excellence in…”, “Follow our new method, and excellence is in your grasp”. Many, including us, believe in the 10’000 hour rule; simply put, you need to invest 10’000 hours in something to become world-class (or dare we say… Excellent). The rule is simple and misses that excellence also requires quality. Like every journey, though, it starts with that single step or hour.
Making a start and taking the first small step is the most important thing you will ever do.
For your first data step in a traditional business. Step one is always difficult; however, steps two and three can be more difficult in many ways with Excel; step one is starting to look at how to move from x-lookups, pivot tables, and cube formulae to Power Query, often still using manual tables and manual steps. The results are good, but it will not be automated. Steps two and three are then often related to the response from management. Step two and step three will always be to extend what has already been completed and make it do more, be more automated, or make multiple versions of the report tailored to different teams or departments. Take it slowly, and know that you are not alone. We are all on the same journey. 10’000 hours is only five years, after all.
Advancing your skills in the world of data by taking slow and steady steps is rewarding. Still, those first three steps will always be the hardest; by now, if you started the first day back in January, how you are either just completing step one or nearing completion of it – little steps, remember. Even a partially automated solution will save you time. Being able to go from spending an hour a day producing that mission critical report to spending 30 minutes a day is an improvement you will see, but your manager likely will not. After all, they don’t do it, so keep at it. We believe in you!
