What would make your work easier?

Michael Stephens Lee LeBlanc recently wrote a thought-provoking post on Tame the Web, asking us all a question with its title: What would make the work you do easier?  As he admits in his introduction, "This is a whole can of worms."  He posts anonymous responses from several people who talk about some of the common time-wasters and work-impediments to library work: inefficient procedures, silo-ed information, unexpected IT upgrades, and endless meetings.  They also talk about what would help: creative coworkers, competent leadership, more training, etc. 

I second Michael's encouragement to take a moment, stop, and think about those things that are barriers and then follow up with some hard thinking about what could remove them. 

I always keep a "stuff I'd like to change" list, and go back to it when I have the needed go-gettery attitude and want to feel like I'm making a difference.  Most of these things are changeable to a point, but just require some thoughtful planning as to procedure and a people-centered political approach.  Gah...politics.  My least favorite part of the job.  But when you want to change something, knowing how to walk over those hot coals is necessary, as is knowing how to get other people to follow you.

So stop, think about three things that would make your own work easier (usually starting with something that's wrong and what the "right way" would be), and write them down.  Come back to them another day, one at a time, and think about how you can get from where you are to where you want to be.  That, my friends, is how the world gets better.