Time bandits and how to conquer them

So holiday season is here, let’s cross our fingers for at least a little sunshine to enjoy the longer days and give ourselves some well-earned R&R, right?

But now it’s come to it, how many of you are finding that you really just can’t afford to take that needed time off?  Just too many things in your business that only you can do!

I’d like to share with you a blog of mine from around this time last year which looked the one thing business owners just never have enough of….time. 

“On a recent city break to Tallinn in Estonia I admired the city’s oldest clock, which is set into the wall of a 13th century church. It was added in 1433, around a century after building of the church started and is said to be one of the city’s most photographed objects.  Here’s me doing my bit to keep up tradition.

As we spent time leisurely wandering the streets of this amazing city, I reflected on the reasons I was able to take time out of my business to have this break, and the clock got me thinking about time specifically and how business owners never seem to have enough of it.

Business owners spend up to 60% of their week undertaking tasks that are important to keep the business running – bookkeeping, recruitment, marketing for example – but often these activities are not what they are passionate about, not what generates income and certainly not what they got into business to do.  This causes business owners to be unproductive, lose their mo-jo and not take enough personal drawings from the business. Think of these kinds of tasks as time bandits.

• Have you got time bandits in your business? 
• Do you spend hours each week working, but never seem to make a dent in your to do list?
• Are you a busy fool – and are you willing to admit it and change?

The areas of my business that I am not passionate about can run with little input from me because I’ve set up systems, processes and a trusted team to support me.  My team love doing the tasks that I hate. It is important to note that I have delegated responsibility but not abdicated it.  No longer spending my precious time on these tasks means that I am free to take time out when I need to, not undertaking these tasks late at night and on weekends and when I am in work, I am focused on doing what I am passionate about – helping clients to grow through strategy, which generates me income.

If you are one of those business owners who feels like you need to do everything – perhaps because you always have, because you are a control freak, think nobody will do it better than you, or because you can’t afford a team to do it, then you never will have the time you need to grow your business and do the things you love.

You don’t just need a strategy for the right people, but the correct systems too. There’s plenty of software that can automate a wide variety of tasks, from accounting to customer relationship management software. Have you considered what tasks routinely take up your time and whether there’s a better way to get them done?  What takes up the majority of your time but is not igniting your fire?

You might be in a routine of working hard and think that’s a sure-fire way to success. But wouldn’t working smarter be better? The people of Tallinn must have realised they needed a way to keep an eye on the time. And just like the addition of a clock to a 100 year old church, it’s never too late to find a way to measure time in your business so you can do more of what you’re passionate about.  I’ve done it and it has paid dividends.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this article.  If you are time-poor and looking to make a change to drive your business forward please call us on +44 113 897 0900 or email me personally at [email protected] to arrange a call back to find out more about how I can serve & support your business.