Small business owners are suckers for punishment … at least that’s what I’ve decided after reading a few statistics on the ABS website. Did you know that almost half of us work at least an extra day a week more than “regular” people? In fact, a crazy 20% cram up to two weeks worth or work into just one tiny week. That’s serious double duty and, to be honest, I’m as guilty as the next person.
The problem is, like the majority of small business owners in Australia, I don’t directly employ staff, which means there’s no one to share the workload — put simply, if there’s a job to do, I’m the only one. Plus, almost 7 in 10 of us run our businesses from home, which means our work is always on hand. I don’t know about you, but I’m often at my computer well after 11pm. This year, however, after having time and space to reflect on a few things during my recent holiday, one of my goals is to seek balance. I know I can’t survive long-term in overdrive mode, so I’ve been looking for smarter ways to keep growing my business while taking better care of myself.
Manage Your Time
Being busy doesn’t always mean you’re achieving anything. In fact, sometimes it’s simply a sign that you need better time management skills. What can you do to get your daily tasks done in less time?
- Write a “to-do” list everyday and prioritise the most important items. It’s okay if you don’t get them all done. Realistically, you can do no more than five significant things each day.
- According to Pareto’s Principle, 80% of results come from just 20% of your effort; so determine what you really need to do and forget the extraneous stuff.
- Beat procrastination. As Angela Booth says in Better Time Management in 21 Days, no task is so onerous that you can’t do it for just 20 minutes. It’s amazing how much you can achieve in short blocks.
- Play to your strengths. Delegate the tasks that can be done by other people (dare I say it, perhaps more efficiently than you).
Get Organised
Studies show being organised saves you up to an hour a day. What’s more, it promotes creativity and helps keep stress at bay, so why not try one of these this week:
- Spring clean your office. You’ll see huge results from even 10 minutes a day.
- Get a big wall calendar (the kind that allows you to see the whole year at a glance), and use it to mark important dates, set deadlines and make goals.
- Schedule a regular time to do your accounts, and reward yourself when you keep it.
Keep Work and Home Separate
When you run a business from home, the lines between work and leisure blur all too easily and you run the risk of working too hard or not hard enough. Find your equilibrium by creating physical and psychological boundaries.
- Dress every day as if you are going to a meeting. Track pants and pyjamas may be comfy, but they’ll make you feel unprofessional and unmotivated.
- Don’t share your workspace and equipment. Have a desk, computer, email address and phone line that are only used for work.
- Turn your computer and mobile phone off at a set time each day so you won’t be tempted to answer just one more email or call.
