Especially when you have the working hard part covered!
I first became a business owner when I was 25.
When I first started, I was as a part-time sales consultant and I worked long hours to become an owner of Border7.
I LOVE owning a business. I have a type A personality that thrives on brainstorming ideas and solving problems.
When I first became a business owner, I was naïve.
I didn’t fully appreciate how tough running a business would be. The long hours, working on your budget and balancing the books, employee reviews, motivating the team, AND still trying to find time to work on the business (not just in it)!
I didn’t have a life outside of work, and when I was already exhausted and felt like I was playing on “hard mode,” life decided to throw another curve ball…
Dealing with Burnout & Family Emergencies
2018 was a tough year. A close family member was diagnosed with an aggressive type of cancer.
My family was shaken by the news, and looking back, it was such an out of body experience.
I chose to take time away from the business (I had been working 60+ hours a week), and accompany her to all of her appointments, treatments and stay with her in the hospital for her surgery.
I was scared. I worried that my team would need me in the office and that the business would suffer.
But more than anything, I was worried about what my family was facing.
Did we have the best possible doctors helping her? Would she respond to the treatments? How would we get through this? What did I need to do to support her more?
BUT, I soon learned when I forced myself to reduce the time I spent in the business, I became more efficient and had clarity.
I wanted to share my experience and these time saving tips because I know what it’s like to put so much of your time, heart and soul into your business and feel ABSOLUTELY exhausted.
I also know what it’s like to have a family emergency and have to try and run your business from a tiny hospital couch.
So, if I can save you some time that can instead be spent on your hobbies or with your family, then the time it takes to write this post is worth it.
Here are my 7 tips on how to work smart in your business
(when you’re already working hard enough)…
7 Tips to Work Smarter
1) Get a Planner & Prioritize
Use a planner to block out chunks of your day for meetings & 3 things you need to get done that day.
I prefer mornings for meetings and I block out Friday to work ON the business – or enjoy a long weekend).
Being able to look back at what I’ve accomplished each week is a huge motivator in keeping my momentum going.
It also serves as a useful way to record my progress with the business, so I can look back and see when specific things were completed.
I now use the digital version of the passion planner and I’m all about it. They sometimes offer free downloads. Click here to check them out.
2) Stop the Back & Forth Emails
I used to think that I was being accommodating when I’d say, “let me know what time works for you."
I realize now that emailing back and forth or playing phone tag is inefficient for both sides.
I respect my client’s time, as well as my own. Save a huge chunk of your day by getting a scheduling app to help you set meetings without the back-and-forth emails!
(I use Calendly because it integrates with my Outlook calendar, so I get reminders and can make sure I don’t have overlapping appointments).
3) Set a Schedule & Stick to It
Decide what you want your week to look like and set your app’s availability around that time.
(Do you want time to work on the business instead of in it, or do you want to attend a networking event?)
As the owner of your business, it’s important you keep enough energy up, and keep some thinking power in reserve for when you need to make important business decisions.
If you let your schedule fill up, or allow yourself to get exhausted, you won’t be your best and it can hurt your business.
4) Use Tech to Streamline
Once you’re in the habit of recording your daily & weekly activities, you can now see what areas can be streamlined.
You might also notice that some tasks could be delegated to other team members, or automated by technology.
If you find you or your team is doing a repetitive task manually, chances are that you can use technology to automate it.
5) Get Optics on Your Business
Create a business dashboard spreadsheet that details the key optics you need to gauge the performance of your business and the availability of your resources.
If you don’t know how to read your business dashboard, you don’t really know how well you’re performing, so take the time to learn and track performance.
Some of Mine are:
# of New Sign Ups
% Conversion Rate of New Projects
Total Monthly Revenue
Total Monthly Expenses
Total Monthly Profit
# of Active Projects
Average Time Spent per Project
6) Trim the Fat
Even when your business is doing well, consider if you can downgrade a monthly subscription or get rid of it altogether.
(I realized we were paying for several apps that we either didn’t use enough to justify paying for them, or, we used features that were available in a free plan).
You might also have employees that are nice people, but they aren’t profitable. It’s important to assess if everyone and everything is helping to generate a profit for the business.
Cutting back the unnecessary allows you to focus on your vision for the business and your main goal.
7) Use Data to Make Important Decisions
Stop using “your gut” or feelings to make your decisions.
Schedule a block for “Thinking Time” and write down an important question you are considering.
Make sure you don’t have any distractions and spend 20 minutes writing down what pops into your head.
Some of it will be random thoughts like “why am I doing this, I could be doing xyz”, but you will get some new ideas you had not yet considered.
Make sure you then refer to your optics dashboard to support your decision, and if needed, schedule more thinking time to consider what the data is telling you.
Bonus: Take time to Enjoy Life & the People Who Matter to You
Although many of the months in 2018 were filled with doctors appointments, infusions and surgeries, I enjoyed getting to spend time with my family.
It also reminded me a big part of why I became a business owner in the first place: to have control over my own schedule and have the freedom to take time away from work when I needed/wanted to.
This experience also taught me the importance of working smart, not just hard.
As a business owner, chances are that you feel responsible for EVERYTHING. And the truth is, you are responsible for a LOT.
BUT, if you have a good team, optics on your business, and a personalized road map on how you plan to realize your vision, you can be happier, more productive, and have more time to enjoy life!
Want Our Help?
Schedule a free strategy session with my team to chat about your business, what might be holding you back, and how our programs can help.
