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Running your own business can be very time consuming and requires a lot of work. In the beginning, you’re going to have to work day and night to get your idea off the ground, and then once you get established, you are going to have to work even harder to ensure that your business continues to be successful and continues to grow and expand. It goes without saying that you cannot work yourself into the ground all day long and for the rest of your life, so there is going to have to come a time when you are going to have to simplify things for yourself so that you can balance your life with both work and your personal endeavours. Here are some ways you can simplify running your business so that you can have more time for yourself.
Get an Answering Service
The best way to clear up some time for yourself is by utilizing virtual reception. A lot of small business owners think they have to be available twenty-four hours a day because customers are going to want to contact you whenever they wish. As a result, a lot of people stay awake, don’t limit their hours, and run themselves into the ground in order to appease their customers. The way to get around this is by having a virtual receptionist take your calls and collect your messages. This way, you can take some time off and rest and relax, and when it is convenient for you, you can return those messages and start helping your customers right away.
Hire a Team You Trust
This will take some time, but when you hire and work with people you trust, you can take time off and time away from your business with peace of mind that everything is running the way it needs to run. Sometimes, it’s hard to leave the business you worked so hard to build in the hands of the people to run. There is always the fear and anxiety that everything is going to go wrong and your legacy will crumble into dust. Overtime, when you hire a group of people who share your vision and you have true faith in their abilities, you can take time off, spend time with friends and family, and you can work a schedule that works with how you want your life to look. Being surrounded by people that elevate you and your vision is essential to work life balance.
Work On a Schedule That Works
Many will believe that you have to work around the clock to be successful. The truth of the matter is that you have to work smart. Working smart takes many forms, and one form it takes is managing your time to be as productive as possible. A lot of work can be done in a relatively short amount of time if you focus and give yourself the space to work. From the onset, you need to have a schedule where you have time off built in. You are not going to be of any use to anyone if you are constantly working, irritable, and burnt out. Creating a schedule for yourself where you know there is going to be down time is going to carve out some much needed mental breaks where you can reset and come back to your business refreshed, fully charged and ready to do your best work.
Keep Yourself Organized
Organization is the key to success. If you can keep yourself organized you will never waste precious time trying to find things, go through paperwork, or try to keep your employees in line. By having organized files, you will know where all of your forms are, and when tax time comes, you will have everything in order for your accountant. Scheduling for your employees will be streamlined, and you will know where everyone has to be at all times making running your operation smooth and free of hurdles or hiccups. The more organized you are, the more simple everything will be for you, and you can focus on making your business a success and maybe even finding some free time 100% free of anything work related.
Stick To the Rules
When you establish your business, you are going to establish rules on how you conduct business and how you run your business. When you hire your team, you are going to teach them all about your methods and ethics. Do yourself a favor, and never stray from those established rules. Rules will keep everyone in line and will keep everyone on the same page. The minute you start changing the way things are done is the day then everything has a higher potential to get disjointed and your team will wind up on various pages instead of the same page. Methods will ebb and flow with the growth of your business, but your hardcore foundation of rules must stay the same. When everyone is working together on the same level, you will be more likely to be successful and your team will always work as a solid unit that is always heading for the same goal.
Have Your Priorities In Order
When you start with what’s most important and work your way down to what could potentially wait until tomorrow, you will never be behind schedule. When you get all of the most important things out of the way, your workload will lighten and so will the pressure of making sure you stay on course. By doing the most important things first, you will have less to do as the day goes on.This alleviates stress and gives you more free time.
Don’t Have Unnecessary Meetings
If it can be an email, make it an email. Time is of the essence. If you don’t have to have a meeting, don’t have one. Give everyone the time to get important work done, and give everyone the time to get home or leave work with all of their tasks completed.
Sarah x
