Ever wondered how to get your PSA fighting fit? It is, after all, the most important tool that you use. If there’s a lot of dirty data in your PSA, that’s going to impact your efficiency, decision-making, more areas than you think.
So to help get your PSA in shape, try our 10 day data cleanse, which will take you through a couple of work weeks.
Here’s how it works.
Day 1: Get started
The hardest thing for any workout program is just getting started, so let’s do this now. If you haven’t done so already, sign up for Gradient Tidy, and walk through the onboarding process.
Once that’s done, you’ll receive your data health score that explains the state of your dirty data, relative to the size of your MSP.
Days 2-4
One of the most important aspects to any quest for improvement is to build the habit of repetition into your data cleaning practice. After all, one of the reasons for the cleanse is to break old habits that no longer serve your interests, and replace them with ones that do.
So for days 2-4, focus on cleaning up records for a set period of time. If you’re only comfortable with cleaning records individually at first, not a problem at all. You can undo individual records, so it won’t be long before you’re cool doing larger bulk deletes.
Day 5
At the end of the first week, reinforce your success. Look at the dollar value of dirty data costs you’ve saved using Tidy. That’s good, solid work, right? And let’s really feel good – clean a few more records and get that dopamine hit. I mean, really feel it so that every time you clean a record you remember just how good it feels. Trust me, if your PSA had feelings, it would feel that good, too.
Day 6
We’re starting the second week now, and the data cleanse is in full swing. But this is a key juncture, because it’s easy to lose momentum. The data cleaning project isn’t just last week’s thing; it’s an everyday thing.
With that in mind, Day 6 is going to be a day to set a focus for the coming week. Set your intentions. Do you want to focus on the same data as last week because that’s the most important stuff? Or is it better to clean up different types of dirty data this week? This data cleanse isn’t a boot camp, you’re in charge, so make the right call for your MSP.
Days 7-9
These are the days that count the most. Maybe you think you’ve cleaned up all the stuff that matters. Or maybe you’ve had the same PSA for 20 years and the task is overwhelming. Either way, the second week is when habits are either formed for real, or the opportunity to set yourself on a better course is squandered. These are the days when getting a good, solid data cleaning habit will be formed. Just fifteen minutes a day works.
Or better yet, hire a student to do this part-time. Most MSPs we’ve talked to have trouble hiring good people. Get them in now. Start them with simple data cleaning in Tidy, maybe some light documentation, password resets. This kind of routine, mundane work is still important, and you can definitely get value from having a junior person come in and learn the ropes this way. They can’t break anything because of our undo button, and if you look at them as Tier 0, well, that’s where your next Tier 1 comes from, right?
Day 10
By now, you’ve got the hang of this. You’ve build the habits. It’s part of your rhythm. Heck, most people find that simple, straightforward tasks are a great way to start their day because it gets them into a groove, or a flow state, right away.
After this, you’ll have everything you need, both technically and mentally, to never allow for your PSA to get bloated ever again.
Now that’s a powerful cleanse.
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