Automate, Delegate, Delete. Bonus: Writing a Newsletter with ChatGPT

Automate, Delegate, Delete

As we approach the end of the year, it's time for entrepreneurs to reassess how they manage their daily responsibilities. If you're running a business, chances are you're swamped with tasks that can eat into the time you could be using to plan and grow your business. Let's explore a simple three-step process to free up your schedule and refocus on what truly matters: Automate, Delegate, Delete.

Make a Task List

The first step is to make a list of your daily, weekly, and even monthly tasks. What do you do with your time?

For each task, first consider whether that task excites and energizes you, or is a drain on your batteries. Do you dread the task or look forward to it? To free up your time, we are also going to try and give you more energy. As you go through the Automate, Delegate, Delete exercise, focus on the tasks that drain you. Taking these off your plate will not only free up time but also give you more energy to tackle what’s left.

Now, take your list, and run each task through these steps:

Automate

With the advancement in technology, many tasks that take up your time can now be handled by software. Automating these tasks can save you hours every week. Look at the repetitive tasks that don’t need much human input. Are you spending time sending out the same emails, entering data, or managing appointments? Tools and apps can take over these tasks with a one-time setup. For example, email responses to common questions can be automated, and social media posts can be scheduled in advance. By automating, you’re freeing up precious time to focus on more strategic activities.

Delegate

Delegation is a key skill for any business leader. It's about entrusting tasks to your team members. Start by identifying important tasks that can be done by someone other than you. Do you handle customer service inquiries, schedule meetings, or oversee every order? These are tasks that other competent team members can handle. When you delegate, you do two things: you lighten your own load, and you empower your employees, giving them a chance to grow and take on more responsibility. This not only helps you, it also helps build a stronger, more capable team.

Do you think it will take more time to train someone than it will just to do it yourself? Maybe at first, but if, after training, that person can take the task on for the foreseeable future, consider the training time an investment in your future.

Delete

This step might be the toughest: look at your task list and ask yourself, "Do I need to do this at all?" Getting caught up in tasks that feel necessary is easy just because they've always been done. However, some activities might not contribute to your business’s success and can be cut out entirely. If a task isn't helping your business and can't be automated or delegated, it's a prime candidate for deletion. This might mean saying no to certain meetings, stopping unproductive routines, or cutting out processes that don’t add value to your business or your customers.

By implementing this three-part strategy, you position yourself to enter the new year with a leaner, more efficient approach to business management. Automating routine tasks, delegating appropriately, and deleting non-essential activities will free up your schedule. You'll gain more time to focus on strategy and planning, stay ahead of industry trends, plot the future trajectory of your business, and nurture a company culture that will attract and retain the best talent. So, as the year ends, take the opportunity to Automate, Delegate, and Delete your way to a more focused and effective role in your business.

Writing a Newsletter with ChatGPT

I delegated the task of writing the article above to ChatGPT this month. My team and I thought it would be instructive to show you the evolution of the article as we wrote it. I have been enjoying ChatGPT, and my most significant lesson learned is that the AI functions best when you have a conversation with it, allowing it to iterate its responses and hone in on what you want. Below is my conversation with ChatGPT about the article above. I’d love to hear your thoughts about this.

Me: Write a 500 word essay in the tone of a professional business coach talking to potential customers on LinkedIn. Entrepreneurs need more time to engage in strategy and vision, and to spend less time on the day to day tasks of the business. The end of the year is a great time of year to free up some extra time. Take an inventory of your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. For each task, determine whether it can be automated with technology, delegated to a subordinate, or simply deleted as unnecessary. Doing this will leave you with only essential tasks and free time for more important things like planning, staying ahead of developments in the industry, and plotting the future of the business, and creating and maintaining company culture.

Chat GPT: As the year draws to a close, I want to extend a heartfelt invitation to every entrepreneur reading this: Take a moment, reflect on the months passed, and let's discuss a pivotal shift in how you approach your business.

It's common for entrepreneurs, especially those who have nurtured their ventures from the ground up, to find themselves mired in day-to-day operations. While this hands-on approach is commendable, it is also a double-edged sword. The end of the year is not just a period for holiday cheer but an ideal time for transformation.

Imagine entering the new year with a liberated schedule, ample time to engage with your grand vision, and the mental space to strategize effectively. This is not a distant dream but a feasible reality if you're willing to take a critical inventory of your tasks.

Let's break it down.

Firstly, categorize your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. Examine each one through the lens of efficiency and necessity. In this technological era, automation is your ally. A multitude of tools exist that can handle everything from your marketing campaigns to managing customer relationships and financial transactions. If a task can be automated, then it should be. Your expertise is the driving force of your business—not the repetitive clicks of routine.

Secondly, delegation is not a relinquishment of control but an act of trust and leadership. It empowers your team and cultivates a sense of ownership. Assess which tasks can be entrusted to capable hands. This not only lightens your load but also helps you identify potential leaders within your team who can drive your business forward.

Lastly, let's address the elephant in the room: Not every task is essential. As difficult as it may be to acknowledge, some activities are remnants of past necessities or products of habitual comfort. If a task does not add value or advance your objectives, it's time to let it go. Simplification is a form of innovation.

By following through with this, what you are left with is the essence of your role as an entrepreneur: Strategy, Vision, and Culture.

Strategy requires space—mental space that is cluttered when you're bogged down with the operational minutiae. Engaging with strategy allows you to anticipate and lead, rather than react and follow industry developments.

Vision is what distinguishes a leader from a manager. It's not just about seeing the future of your business but also about plotting the course to reach there. This cannot be done in the scraps of time left over from daily tasks.

Lastly, company culture is the embodiment of your vision and values. It cannot be cultivated passively. It requires your attention, your time, and your authenticity. A positive company culture is a catalyst for innovation and loyalty, both internally and in the eyes of your customers.

As we approach the year's end, I urge you to make a commitment—not to me, but to your business and to yourself. Pledge to embrace the necessary changes to refocus on what truly matters. The time you free up today will pay dividends in the future success of your enterprise.

Let's step into the new year not just with new goals, but with a new approach to achieving them.

Me: Rewrite it to take out cliches and buzzwords and make it more authoritative and professional.

Chat GPT: As the fiscal year concludes, it’s imperative for entrepreneurs to evaluate their operational engagement critically. Often, business founders become deeply entrenched in the minutiae of daily tasks, which, while vital in the early stages of a business, can become a hindrance to growth over time. The year-end presents an opportune moment to recalibrate and realign your focus towards strategic leadership rather than operational management.

Conduct a thorough review of your tasks across all frequencies: daily, weekly, and monthly. This exercise is not about trimming your workload for the sake of brevity but about optimizing for efficiency and impact. Automation should be a strategic choice, not a mere convenience. Identify processes that can benefit from technology — the criterion for automation is its ability to enhance accuracy, reduce redundancy, and save time without compromising the quality of output.

Delegation requires a strategic approach. Evaluate which tasks necessitate your expertise and which can be transferred to your team. The objective is twofold: to unburden yourself from tasks that do not require executive decision-making and to empower your team by entrusting them with greater responsibilities. This process should be undertaken with a view to developing your team’s capabilities and preparing your organization for scalable growth.

In assessing your tasks, it’s critical to identify those that do not contribute to your business objectives. Eliminate tasks that no longer serve a strategic purpose. This is not just about cutting out the superfluous; it's about streamlining your operations to ensure that every activity is aligned with your business goals.

This disciplined approach to task management refines your focus on three essential elements of executive leadership: strategic planning, future-proofing your business, and cultivating organizational culture.

Strategic planning is not a sporadic activity; it demands continuous and thoughtful engagement. It involves evaluating market trends, identifying opportunities for innovation, and developing robust approaches to challenges. This level of planning cannot be conducted effectively in the fragments of time left between operational duties.

Future-proofing your business is an exercise in foresight and adaptability. It involves understanding potential industry shifts and preparing your business to navigate or lead these changes. This proactive stance is only possible when you have the bandwidth to analyze long-term market trajectories and plan accordingly.

Cultivating an organizational culture is a deliberate and ongoing process. It entails establishing, maintaining, and evolving the values, behaviors, and practices that form the backbone of your business environment. A strong culture is a competitive advantage that attracts talent and loyalty from both employees and customers.

As the year winds down, I encourage you to take decisive steps to recalibrate your operational involvement. Transitioning from a task-oriented to a strategy-focused approach is not merely a managerial adjustment but a strategic imperative. The time and mental space you reclaim should be redirected towards strategic endeavors that foster long-term growth and sustainability for your business.

Enter the new year with a firm resolution to elevate your role from operational overseer to strategic architect, ensuring your business not only endures but thrives in the coming years.

Me: What is the reading level of this essay

Chat GPT: The reading level of an essay is determined by several factors, including vocabulary complexity, sentence structure, and the conceptual difficulty of the topic. The essay provided uses formal language and complex sentence structures and discusses concepts that are likely to be understood by individuals with a good grasp of business management and strategy, making it suitable for an audience with a higher level of education or professional experience.

To quantify the reading level more precisely, educators and linguists often use standardized readability tests such as the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, the Gunning Fog Index, or the Coleman-Liau Index. These tools analyze text and provide a grade level that corresponds to the number of years of education an average person would need to understand the material.

The essay given might be rated at a higher level on these scales, likely suitable for college-level readers or those with some post-secondary education, which would correspond approximately to the 12th grade level or above in the U.S. educational system. However, without running the exact text through a readability formula, it's challenging to provide a specific grade level.

Professionals familiar with business strategy and organizational management, regardless of their formal educational background, would likely find the essay within an appropriate range of understanding.

Me: Rewrite the essay lowering the reading level to 10th grade and above.

Chat GPT: As the year comes to an end, it's a good time for entrepreneurs to think about how they spend their time at work. If you started your own business, you might find yourself stuck doing everyday tasks that keep you busy but don't really help your business grow. The end of the year is the perfect time to make a change.

Here's what you can do: look at all the things you do every day, every week, and every month. With each task, ask yourself if you can use technology to do it for you, if someone else on your team can do it, or if it's not really needed at all. What you want is to end up with only the things that are really important for you to do yourself. This way, you'll have more time for the big-picture stuff like making plans, keeping up with changes in your business area, thinking about where your business is going, and building a strong workplace culture.

For starters, you should use software or apps to take care of tasks that are simple and repeatable. These tools can do things like sending emails, organizing customer information, or keeping track of your finances. If a machine can do it accurately and save you time, let it.

Next, you should give more responsibility to your team. It's not about losing control; it's about trusting your team and helping them grow. This not only takes work off your plate but also helps you see who is ready to take on more at your company.

Sometimes, you'll find tasks that don't need to be done at all. These might be things you used to need to do but not anymore, or things you do out of habit. If a task doesn't help your business, it's time to stop doing it.

By doing this, you’ll be able to spend more time on what really matters. Planning is not something you can do in little bits of spare time; it needs your full attention. You need to be able to look at trends, think of new ideas, and face challenges with well-thought-out plans.

Also, it’s important to think ahead about where your business is heading. This means being aware of how things are changing in your industry and preparing your business to handle these changes. This is much easier to do when you're not overwhelmed with everyday tasks.

Lastly, the culture of your company — the feel of the workplace, how people behave, and what values you all share — needs your attention. A good culture makes people want to work for you and stay with you. But it doesn’t grow on its own; it needs you to guide it.

So, as we say goodbye to this year and get ready for the next, take a moment to make a plan. Move away from doing everything yourself and start leading with strategy. By focusing on these bigger tasks, you’ll set your business up for a better future.

Me: Use the title "Automate, Delegate, Delete" and use those headings to craft the essay.

Chat GPT: Automate, Delegate, Delete

As we approach the end of the year, it's time for entrepreneurs to reassess how they manage their daily responsibilities. If you're running a business, chances are you're swamped with tasks that can eat into the time you could be using to plan and grow your business. Let's explore a simple three-step process to free up your schedule and refocus on what truly matters: Automate, Delegate, Delete.

Automate

With the advancement in technology, many tasks that take up your time can now be handled by software. Automating these tasks can save you hours every week. Look at the repetitive tasks that don’t need much human input. Are you spending time sending out the same emails, entering data, or managing appointments? Tools and apps can take over these tasks with a one-time setup. For example, email responses to common questions can be automated, and social media posts can be scheduled in advance. By automating, you’re freeing up precious time to focus on more strategic activities.

Delegate

Delegation is a key skill for any business leader. It's about entrusting tasks to your team members. Start by identifying tasks that are important but don't necessarily need to be done by you. Do you handle customer service inquiries, schedule meetings, or oversee every single order? These are tasks that can be handled by other competent team members. When you delegate, you do two things: you lighten your own load, and you empower your employees, giving them a chance to grow and take on more responsibility. This not only helps you, it also helps build a stronger, more capable team.

Delete

This step might be the toughest: look critically at your task list and ask yourself, "Do I need to do this at all?" It's easy to get caught up in tasks that feel necessary just because they've always been done. However, some activities might not contribute to your business’s success and can be cut out entirely. If a task isn't helping your business and can't be automated or delegated, it's a prime candidate for deletion. This might mean saying no to certain meetings, stopping unproductive routines, or cutting out processes that don’t add value to your business or your customers.

By implementing this three-part strategy, you position yourself to enter the new year with a leaner, more efficient approach to business management. Automating routine tasks, delegating appropriately, and being ruthless about deleting non-essential activities will free up your schedule. You'll gain more time to focus on strategy and planning, stay ahead of industry trends, plot the future trajectory of your business, and nurture a company culture that will attract and retain the best talent. Remember, it's not about working harder but working smarter. So, as the year ends, take the opportunity to Automate, Delegate, and Delete your way to a more focused and effective role in your business.

I thought this was pretty close to what I wanted. I edited this version for the final article you read at the top of the article.

About the Author

Scott Pfeiffer is a business management consultant who helps his customers engage in rigorous strategic planning and implement those plans with operational excellence. You can visit his website at www.fscottp.com for more information.