Work Smart Not More

Work smarter or work harder? The question is an easy one to answer but for so many entrepreneurs getting caught up in the day to day running of their business, it isn’t always easy to see the wood for the trees.
Perhaps your 9 to 5 has become your 7 to 7 and it’s hard to take a moment to breathe and see what’s going on in your business. One thing’s for sure, if you are feeling overwhelmed and trapped, then it’s time to review where you are and where you’re going. You may need to start doing more than just surviving the day.
Review Time
How to go about this? Well, ask yourself what it is that you’re looking for. If it’s just a case of seeing your profitability mounting up, then pull your accounts for the last couple of years and see what trajectory you’re currently on. We suggest, however, that all small businesses need to revisit their original business plan, at least every couple of years, and conduct a proper review.
Dust off those documents and take a look at what it was that you originally set out to achieve. Those goals and the objectives you created to reach them – are they still in date, still applicable to where you find yourself now or has your business started heading in altogether different direction? So many entrepreneurs find themselves working harder and harder to keep their business focused on their original plans where it naturally finds a position elsewhere in the market. Rather than fighting to stay on course, the smart thing to do might be to re-evaluate and adjust your objectives for less resistance and great profitability.
Starting from your original plans is the most efficient way of achieving this, so update those goals and create objectives that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable/Agreed, Realistic and Timely).
New Goals, New Ways Of Working
Having a clearer idea of where you’re heading and how you’re getting there is, in itself, going to make your daily task list more defined and more realistic to achieve. Think about cutting aside all the extraneous tasks that don’t fit into meeting these objectives. Be ruthless and clear about what you choose to pick up and what you choose to drop. Cutting down on the work that doesn’t count towards your objectives will help you achieve a shorter working day but packed full of far more substantial outcomes.
At this point, it may seem glaringly obvious that you need to hire someone in to help you. Going it alone is no longer an option and you need someone or some people to help take up the slack. While working on your own can be easier, hiring a team is going to take your business into whole new heights as your productivity and potential for profit increases. Take your time in the recruitment process and make hires that are absolutely right for the ethos and culture of your company.
Be clear and specific about the roles they’re to take on and you’ll have made a significant step forward in creating a more streamlined, smart working business.
If you have a team working with you already, now might be the time to empower them with more responsibility and perhaps some training. Have them ready to pick up the work you’re no longer focussing on. Whether you’re a Truck Accident Lawyer or a business blogger having a great team behind you helping you to focus in on your objectives is a sound investment.
Don’t Fear Investment
You might also want to look at some software that helps you and your team stay on track with tasks and planning. There is plenty out there to choose from but something that can be accessed by remote workers, as well as those in the office, is a great way for everyone to know what they’re doing and where they stand.
Setting up on your own is quite a journey. Sometimes it feels a fairly easy one, but the frustrations and pressures can, on occasion, become overwhelming. If this is the case the majority of the time, then you need to act. While it might not seem like you have the time, taking an afternoon to review your current position and making some strategic changes will start to have some seriously positive impacts. You stopped working for others because you wanted to be your own boss and set your rules. Start making some new ones and take back the power of your working day for a smarter, more profitable future.