What does it cost if things go wrong?

Theoretically, we should have access to every important email conversation that takes place. We should never lose contact information and we should be able to retrieve the latest data in a flash.

But this accessibility doesn’t come for free.

If we want to have every email tracked, we need a flawless system. Whether it’s a file system or a search protocol, we can’t afford to slip-up. Ever.

That means every day, every email, we need to be on our game.

Unless we loosen our interpretation of the word “important” and accept a bit of slack.

Is it better to have access to 100% of the information we might need if it takes up 10% of our working time, or to spend 1% with the understanding that things will occasionally fall through the cracks?

It probably depends on the specific topic. Maybe certain conversations fall in the “must have” categories and others are just “nice to have.”

This isn’t just about email either.

Whenever we put systems in place, there are costs to maintaining those systems – either monetary, time, mental, or otherwise.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t have systems in place, but we need to be conscious about finding the line of “good enough.”

-Brandon