How To Cut Down on Working
Hello, my name is Lauren and I’m a workaholic.
Yup. Guilty as charged.
When I started reading this contributed post, it felt like it was written just for me. Especially as it’s 8pm and I’m here, back at my desk after putting my son to bed for the night.
Have a read and let me know if you relate too.
How To Cut Down Those Long Days In The Office
Think about the phrase: Burning the candle at both ends. Does this apply to the way you operate within your business?
Do you start work early in the morning and finish late at night? If so, you need to manage your day better.
You aren’t superhuman, and no matter how much work needs to get done, you still need to find me-time to get a positive work-life balance.
You see, those long days in the office will not serve you well. You will become exhausted, your family time will suffer, and your business will not flourish if you get to the point where you’re approaching burnout. Of course, you probably understand this already.
Your body and mind may already be alerting you to the fact that you are working too hard. You get it, but your overriding concern may be the work that is piling up on your desk.
You want your business to succeed so you may be going the extra mile to please clients and customers. And let’s be honest, you may be a little bit addicted to what you are doing, especially if you are getting a buzz from your business. And that’s fine, but your business will suffer if you overwork yourself, as will the other facets of your life.
So, it’s time to make things easier on yourself. To deal with the mounting workload, consider shifting the responsibility for some of your tasks elsewhere.
Delegate
If you have somebody to delegate jobs to, then do so. If you don’t have a team of people at your disposal, then consider outsourcing.
Especially when you are spending too long on tasks that aren’t a priority, or that aren’t up to your skill level, then it makes sense to pass them on to people with more time and a greater ability than you.
Technology is your Friend
There are technologies available to help you as well. On your computer and smartphone, you will be able to find an app to help you manage some of the more time-consuming tasks within your business.
Here are some examples:
- Quickbooks will help you streamline the financial side of your business
- Trello can help you manage your schedule
- Buffer can help you with your social media marketing.
Business Process Analysis
You should also consider business process analysis. After analysing your business processes, and identifying gaps and weaknesses that are affecting your productivity, you can use the supported software within the linked article to automate some of the more time-consuming tasks within your business.
Just Say No
And remember the art of saying ‘no.’ . You want your business to be successful, but you don’t have to take on every project that comes your way.
Rather than disappointing a client, you may be able to refer them to any small business owner you know who would be grateful for the extra work. And besides, while you could take on every project that drops on your lap, you may not have the time to complete them effectively anyway.
It’s in your best interest to pace yourself, only taking on the jobs you can comfortably complete without having to rush through them, and without placing you on the path towards burnout.
By doing some or all of these things, you will both alleviate the pressures facing you in your working day and you will finally be able to close down your computer at a reasonable time, rather than spending longer than you should within your office space. And remember what we said at the beginning; while there will always be work to do, you are only human, so make your health a priority regardless of the needs surrounding your business.
So are you working too hard? And is your family life and health starting to suffer? I know I need to start applying these tips… and you?
