Where Are You Wasting Your Time in Your Business... And How to Get It Back

As entrepreneurs, we wear MANY hats most days. From customer service to sales to tech support to accountant – chances are you’ve also worn one or two of these hats at some point, too.

And even more so, if you’re reading this, chances are you are still wearing several of these hats! We get it – it’s tough to start a business and we want to do it all. Not only do we WANT it to be successful and have complete control, we NEED to know the ins and outs of #AllTheThings.

But as time passes and your business grows, there comes a time when you need to delegate. As you focus your efforts on product / services, less focus gets put inward and your day-to-day tasks tend to fall wayside. We absolutely sympathize with this and have absolutely been there! We’ll be the first to admit that we’ve tossed our own admin tasks to the bottom of the pile several times – and we probably still will in the future!

This is why we’ve put together a few suggestions of how to not destroy your business, or create such an overwhelmingly long admin task list for you to complete each month. Whether or not you’re ready to outsource any of your tasks, we’ve got your back.

1. Suggestion #1: Line Up Your Priorities + Set Some Goals. Naturally, these are some of our favourite things. Before you can even get started on moving your business forward, you need to know WHERE you want it to go. We suggest taking some time to really map this out (free from distractions!) so that you can get a clear picture of what you want to accomplish. This will also save you a lot of time in the long run, because if you don’t have your goals and priorities set, you’re likely wasting a lot of time in your day scurrying around because you have no clear mindset. Here are two places to start: Set Some Goals and Line Up Your Priorities.

2. Suggestion #2: Learn to Time Block. Especially when you aren’t ready to outsource, time-blocking can be a life saver. Properly managing your time and resources will allow you to stay focused and accomplish more in less time. We also suggest scheduling a weekly “Upkeep Tasks” block in your calendar to save for tasks such as emptying your inbox(es), any filing required, scheduling incomplete tasks for the following week, wrapping up any loose ends, etc. We have ours set for 3pm each Friday so that when we wrap up our day, we don’t have any lingering tasks and then we can fully enjoy the weekend. Want a few tips on time blocking? We’ve got you covered: Click Here.

3. Suggestion #3: Outsource. If you are truly feeling overwhelmed and stuck, chances are you are ready to outsource. We recommend making a list of all the tasks you feel are weighing you down, aren’t your ideal tasks, or while they’re important, they just don’t get done. From there, create a role profile for a VA and include all the details of the tasks and role. It’s important to also include how many hours you’re looking for each month and what your budget is. This will help guide you in selecting the best VA for you and prevent you from wasting countless hours trying to find the right fit. If you want a few more tips before searching for your first VA, head here.

We spend so much time nurturing and growing our business but we end up wasting so much of it on the little things. Implementing some systems and SOPs into your business might cost you time upfront, but it will save you time in the long run when you’re ready to outsource. It’s okay to try out a few VA’s until you find the right fit, as a personality match is equally important, but at least you will have everything ready to onboard your new hire once that fit is found.