Everyone’s heard the saying but it really does stand the test of time. Every hour you’re investing in something that doesn’t make money is time wasted and it’s probably on something someone else COULD have done.
The best way to look at it is by looking at how much you charge for your time per hour. If, for example, you charge £50 per hour and an administrative task which could be automated takes up 10 hours per week that’s actually costing you £500 per week, £2,000 per month!!!! It really does add up when you start breaking down those numbers!
So what are the best ways to maximise your time and use it efficiently?
When it comes to organising my week I always sit down on a Sunday evening/early Monday morning and plan out what my week is going to look like. The trick then is actually sticking to your plan. Letting people know when you have to stop doing certain things and ensuring that whatever is on that to-do list for the week gets done. If not, it’ll just end up getting backed up and you’ll end up getting overwhelmed. I see it time and time again, for the first 3 weeks of the month people have 10-15 things on their list for the week but by the end of the month this is around 40 due to pushing stuff down the road. If it’s on the list, it gets done because don’t forget, you sat down and worked out that task was important and you needed to get it done that week!
This is a difficult one because we often try to work within a system that’s already there but by evaluating your current systems and processes you may find there are better, more streamlined ways of working or infact the system you’re using doesn’t actually help you achieve any of those goals and doesn’t speed things up for you. If this sounds like something you’re dealing with on a daily basis, you’re not alone!!! My best advice is to take some time and write down, in an ideal world, what a system would do if there were no limits. Once you have that list, approach companies like us and see if we tick the items on your list. Some will do more than others and some may do none at all but the main thing here is making sure the system fits your practice, not your practice fitting into a system that just doesn’t really work for what you need!
This is the number 1 factor that contributes to burnout. Someone not being honest with themselves about how long tasks actually take or taking on too much and not delegating or actually realising that isn’t getting done and making appropriate arrangements to move it to a date it will be done. When you’re doing your weekly plan don’t set yourself up to fail. Map out how much each task will take you and give yourself more time that you know you need. That way, if something unexpected happens you’re not behind simply because you didn’t factor it in.
My final thoughts are this, don’t be too hard on yourself. Running a business is not easy!!! Sometimes it can be extremely rewarding and other times it can be the most difficult thing in the world to do. Remember, you’re not alone!!!! Plan out those tasks and keep moving forward and you’ll hit those targets and find joy in your practice simply by following those simple steps!
