#132 Inventory game, assigning tasks to colleagues and work situation, discussing work (15/12/2024)

Product development is essentially an inventory management game. For a long time, Re Pillow Co. basically only had one product: pillows. At most, they might have had a mini and an XL, totaling three products. They also made a few comforters and pillowcases, which were secondary products. Therefore, for a long time, inventory management wasn't a difficult issue or something to worry about. When they first launched new bed sheets, there were only four sizes and six colors, which wasn't a problem either. Out-of-stock items were simply replenished; there weren't too many styles, and the situation didn't feel out of control. But as the variety of styles gradually increased—for example, now there are 20 different fabrics and styles of sheets, multiplied by 13 sizes—managing so many products has become much more meticulous. To be frank, the computer/online store inventory has always been written as 99999. When an item is out of stock, a manual input of -1 is used, and then the inventory is changed back to 99999. Every product has been like this, from a few years ago until now. There was no other way to cope, but as the number of products increased, and with three physical stores now, this method made it impossible to predict which items would run out of stock or which would be in excess. What worked in the past doesn't work now, and what works now doesn't work in the future. Work and life are always about constant change, so this week, we piloted computerized inventory management. Only after the first step—inventing the system and seeing the numbers—can we move on to the second step: how to "manage" it. Hopefully, it will work.

Assigning tasks to colleagues and the actual work situation

This week, the colleague in charge of managing the store proactively came to Kwai Chung to discuss store matters with me, and also held a meeting with other colleagues to help lighten the workload at the Kwai Chung headquarters (i.e., my workload), which is really helpful. Indeed, over the past two and a half years (since I graduated in 2022), as the number and complexity of products have increased, the workload has only increased, and sometimes I feel very tired—for example, this Saturday I had to go back to the Kwai Chung office around 10 pm to do some work, and then I had to get up early the next morning to do some more work before returning to the office, and then that was the whole week. Honestly, no one wants to have a nice weekend and have to go back to the office. No one wants to suddenly cancel a planned weekend activity and then go back to work, but that's how work is, that's how it is. I also understand that this is not something that can be avoided; there will be such situations at different stages, and it's just a matter of adjusting mentally.

Regarding work

Let's get a bit carried away and talk about some more things. I think many people have heard the saying, "The harder you work today, the easier your future will be." The most basic interpretation of this saying is this: If you work harder or study harder today, you'll do better on exams (for example), which will allow you to get into a better school, meet better people, and improve your job prospects, personal qualities, education, and knowledge. This will make your future path easier and your life more comfortable. Another example is in the workplace. If you work harder today, perhaps because you do your job better than others, take a few extra steps, or take on more tasks, your boss will naturally appreciate your work and remember it. You might not be the only one who matters, but the opportunities will be given to you first. While it might seem that you've worked harder and done more than others in the short term, when the time comes, whether it's a promotion or a transfer, you'll be prioritized. In my own business, although I don't know if this applies, I believe the same principle applies. If you work harder today but give the company a good start, I hope things will get smoother and smoother from here on out. It's actually around 12:30 PM now, but I really want to sleep.

I have a personal extension to this principle. Besides the reasons mentioned above, I think the hardship and difficulty of work is a very subjective standard. The so-called "hardship" actually means "it's hard for me at this moment," while it may not be hard for others. Also, note that I said it's hard for "me at this moment," meaning it may not be hard for me in the future. I believe that hardship and difficulty are very subjective and can be changed. Let me give you a real example. In the past, I sometimes needed to move goods, but ironing bedding, especially pillows and blankets, is actually quite large and heavy. However, because I've been working out and doing weightlifting for many years, I've also noticed recently that when I'm bigger and more muscular, the goods don't feel as heavy when I move them. The weight has never changed; what changes is my ability. It's a very simple principle. This leads to another perspective of mine: the difficulty lies in my own inadequacy "at this moment." If I become stronger, then the same environment and circumstances will no longer be a problem.

Friends often jokingly call me Mr. Lai , the guy who says in TV interviews, " My only wish is to go to work ." They call me a workaholic, saying I'm so dedicated to my job that I even sacrifice my weekends to work. But I think that's unavoidable, especially when you're young; it's inevitable.