No one ever said it was easy, but sometimes entrepreneurs could be forgiven for wondering how exactly they’re supposed to keep all those plates spinning. From pitching for new clients to tidying the office, working on the marketing to improving the service offer, there’s always something you should be doing. Sometimes you feel like you’re struggling to find the time to do what you set your business up to do in the first place! But you could be making it a little tougher on yourself than it needs to be. Getting support with certain tasks and reducing the administrative burden doesn’t have to mean taking on a full workforce before you’re ready for it. There are ways to help you manage those tasks without an unaffordable wage bill.
Get Comfortable With Outsourcing
Outsourcing certain parts of your operation can make life a lot easier. There is a cost attached, but you should weigh that up against the loss to your time – could you be focusing on other areas and actually bringing more money into the business if you weren’t tied up with some smaller tasks? Equally there are some areas where it makes sense to recruit some specialist help from outside if you aren’t an expert yourself – Website design, IT security, marketing or recruitment – and where getting it wrong could prove a costly mistake. Outsourcing these tasks is usually fairly affordable and also scalable, as you can do as much or as little as your business needs.
Automate What You Can
It makes sense to automate as many of the routine admin tasks as you can, and this is where technology can really come into its own. Looking at a service like https://employeradvantage.com/payroll-services/ to streamline payroll tasks, setting up automated email responses for common incoming queries that you find yourself answering frequently, using billing software which auto generates an invoice and chases anything unpaid up, or using an app to schedule social media posts in advance – there are lots of little technology hacks that can free up more time on a daily basis.
Forget The Multitasking Myth
We’ve all been sold the idea that we need to multi-task in order to get things done, but actually that’s not true. It’s far better to focus on one thing at a time – not only do we generally do a better job, but we also experience less mental overload. Get into the habit of using tools like a prioritisation matrix to filter incoming tasks, write out a plan for each day and then turn off email notifications when you need to get a task done.
Learn What’s Good Enough
Being a perfectionist is a recipe for burnout when you run your own business. Instead, accept that it’s okay for things to be ‘good enough’ in some areas instead. Knowing which tasks to give your all to is also about knowing which tasks are less important in the scheme of things, and conserving your energy for where it can make the most impact.
