Business
Owning and running a business is no easy task, as we already know. There is a lot to do every day, and odds are good that you find yourself feeling overwhelmed from time to time. With everything that needs to get done, it can be very easy to get bogged down. Looking at a to-do list for the month might discourage you, especially when you consider the fact that there are simply a LOT of things on that list that nobody else can really help you with! So, what do you do in situations like this? How do you go from being overwhelmed to easily accomplishing everything that you need accomplished? That is a very good question, and it is the exact topic that we are going to cover today. Let’s now explore the 5 simple steps that you can use to get from the ‘overwhelmed’ stage to the ‘easy’ stage. Some of these tips might sound familiar to you, but I’ll bet that if you try these steps in order, you will find your over-filled to-do list MUCH easier to deal with! Step #1… Break It Up Breaking your to-do list down into smaller sections can often make it much easier to handle. Instead of looking at the entire list at once, make it a point to separate it into smaller sections. For example, instead of having a week’s worth of tasks written down and marking them off as you complete them, try breaking this week into days. This will make it that much easier to avoid getting overwhelmed. Your list should always be in priority order with the highest payoff activities at the top. Step #2… Get Organized Once you have broken your task list down into smaller sections, it is time to get organized! Make sure you have allocated appropriate time on your calendar to complete your tasks. At the beginning of every new task, take a minute to gather what you will need to begin the next task on the list. Getting everything together in the beginning will streamline the process and keep you from having to take breaks to fetch things. Spending the time to completely prepare will pay for itself in the short and long run. “Discipline is doing what you know you should do at the time you should do it, even if you don’t feel like it.” – Rowena Szeszeran-McEvoy Step #3… Determine Whether or Not to Delegate As a business owner, you undoubtedly have employees who can help you to perform some tasks. While some things on your to-do list might be exclusively for you to tackle, take a minute or two each day to evaluate what you might be able to delegate to others. Delegating can save you time if it is done right. It can also give you the opportunity to get more accomplished than you could if you tried to do everything by yourself. Delegate parts of a task or a whole task with clear instructions and an agreed to due date for completion. Just keep in mind that delegating can also work against you. Make sure that your employees know what they are doing, and make sure that they are all committed to getting the job done right. You should also check up on them to find out how the project is progressing, especially if it is an important project that would be difficult to fix it were not done right. To help you be even more effective and efficient, so you can achieve your goals at an accelerated rate, you can delegate even more to your team members than you have or might think possible. Stop holding on to things that can be done by someone else and do only those activities that you can do and can’t be done by anyone else. Stop doing revenue generation / business development avoidance activities and delegate more! Successful people are excellent delegators so work at being an even better delegator and be even more successful. Download a Free Delegation List Sample to help you identify more activities to delegate, by going to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/delegation-list-sample/. Step #4… Make a Plan Regardless of whether you are going to delegate or not, make sure to make a plan before jumping in. Try to look ahead to any obstacles that may get in your way, and mak