Are You Taking On More Work Than You Can Handle?

January 26, 2018

You’re getting a steady stream of customers and business is booming, but what do you do if you can’t handle the workload? Biting off more than you can chew could start to result in poorer quality service, which could damage your business in the long run. Your personal health is also important – chronic stress can lead to all kinds of problems from heart disease to depression, plus you may have little free time that could be affecting relationships with family and friends. Fortunately, there are lots of solutions to being overworked. Here are just a few ways to make your busy workload more manageable.
Don’t try to be a jack of all trades
Trying to offer to many different services could be causing you to spread your talents too thin. Specialising in one area might allow you to perfect your strengths so that you’re always offering better service. If you’re offering too much, you could find certain tasks aren’t being given the quality control they deserve, and customers may decide to shop elsewhere. Try reducing the services you offer. If you advertise yourself as a digital marketing company that does everything from social media management to SEO, consider whether you’d be better off focusing on certain tasks rather than offering the whole caboodle. If you’re a restaurant serving lots of dishes, consider whether you’d benefit from a smaller menu that might allow to churn out meals with more efficiency.
Learn more productivity hacks
There are various productivity hacks that can you faster and more organised at certain tasks. It could be worth taking a course or a workshop such as the Six Sigma Black Belt. Consider the most time-consuming tasks taking up your day and research into how to make these faster.
Hire a helping hand
It could be a case that you need to take on more staff to share out your workload. This could involve pushing up prices in order to cover the costs of these new employees. Another less costly option could be to outsource certain tasks such as bookkeeping and marketing – these tasks might be taking up a lot of your time, stopping you from focusing on the core responsibilities of your job. Always do your research so that you’re hiring the best people for the job.
Embrace the latest time-saving technology
Modern technology might be the answer to your problem. Software such as Xero can digitise many tasks nowadays from accounting to rota building to ordering new stock. There may also be new physical tools that you could be using such as self-service tills or portable card readers. An IT support company might be able to advise you on the most effective and affordable technology to take the pressure off.
Take a well-earned break
If you’re overworking yourself, it’s likely you’re running on less energy, which could be causing you to not perform at your full potential. A vacation could be needed to restore your batteries. Training up someone to manage your business when you’re away could allow you to do this without having to shut up business.

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

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