Brought to you by STAFFVIRTUAL:
Whether you work for yourself and independently or you’re a business owner with a team, you’ll likely encounter one common problem: not having enough time. We all have the same number of hours in the day, but it can sometimes seem like you’ve got more on your plate than you can comfortably manage, leading to long working hours and a poor work-life balance.
Before burnout or illness becomes an issue, consider whether it’s time to make a change. The time-saving measures below may allow you to lay a healthy foundation for a better work-life balance.
Don’t Try to Do It Alone
You may have started your business from the ground up on your own, but that doesn’t mean you have to continue doing everything yourself. Consider outsourcing customer support, IT, cleaning, accounting, data entry, and any other tasks that take up your time but don’t directly benefit your bottom line.
All of these tasks are crucial for any business to operate like a well-oiled machine, but they also don’t need to be performed in-house. There are plenty of companies willing to take over these tasks so you can shorten your working hours and enjoy time with your loved ones.
Utilize Software
If any of your tasks are process-based and traditionally manual and labor-intensive, see if you may be able to make that a problem of the past with software. Software for accounting, task management, marketing, and more can automate and speed up tasks that may have previously taken up a considerable amount of your time.
Change Your Hours
Sometimes, the problem is the times of the day you’re working, rather than the number of hours. Identify when you’re most productive during the day and create your schedule around those hours.
For example, you might be a night owl who thrives on late-night sessions. In that case, you might decide to keep your mornings free for family and move your work to the evenings.
Limit Meetings
When your days are being filled up with one meeting after another, it’s hard to feel like you’re doing anything productive. Ask yourself how many of those meetings could have been emails and whether your team is as resentful of them as you are.
While some meetings are crucial, not all will be. Take the time to review your business practices and see whether you could save your time and everyone else’s by scheduling shorter or fewer meetings in the average working week.
Avoid the Commute
According to the United States Census Bureau, the average one-way commute is nearly half an hour, which means you may be spending up to an hour or longer each day simply getting to and from your workplace.
If working remotely is an option for your business, consider it as a valid way to save time and enjoy a better work-life balance. Even commuting just half of the time may free up several hours each week.
Time is precious, and as much as you may love your job, you likely spend more time working than you care to admit. Free up time for the things that matter most in life by implementing the time-saving measures above in your business.
