Owning a business is hard work, and as the person most responsible for your company’s success, it can be easy to find yourself working far too hard at times. They may say business never sleeps, but the truth is, leaders do need to switch off at the end of a long day in order to protect their time, and ultimately, their health.
Struggling to leave work at work? Here are four of the best ways to better manage and protect your time as a business owner.
Stick to your schedule
It can be easy to lose track of time when you’ve got a big new idea, and although innovation often happens when you break away from the norm and think outside of the box, some order and structure is needed in your day to ensure you’re able to successfully execute your ideas. By creating and sticking to a schedule, you should be able to strike a balance between creativity and efficiency.
Ensure your schedule is realistic by allocating enough time in the day to each of your work tasks – you don’t want to cram, as this will only leave you burnt out and have a knock-on effect on your productivity.
Outsource and delegate
Many business leaders choose to outsource some of their tasks to a virtual assistant or an AI tool, to free up time for both themselves and their employees. Popular areas are administration and customer service, with many large companies now entrusting their customer communications to AI chatbots.
By outsourcing aspects of your business operations, you’ll be left with more time to concentrate on the core processes that are absolutely vital for you to oversee. Your colleagues and employees will also benefit from having more of their schedule freed up to help with essential and ad hoc tasks.
Understand the importance of downtime
Downtime is important for your physical and mental health, but many business owners can find themselves putting work before their wellbeing if they’re particularly passionate about what they do. What many professionals forget, is that relaxation is crucial for restoring your energy levels, keeping your mind sharp, and ultimately boosting your productivity.
By adding regular breaks into your schedule, you’ll get the rest you need to perform at your best. Plus, you’ll likely find that you have the energy to work on tasks more efficiently, meaning you’ll potentially get more done in less time.
Practice saying no
No matter how efficiently and effectively you conduct business, there will always inevitably be problems to solve and employees who need your assistance. Sometimes, protecting your time is simply about sticking to your boundaries, and learning to say no when you don’t have the capacity to take on a task – particularly if it could be easily solved by somebody else.
The saying goes, “you can’t pour from an empty cup”, and this can be true in business. It might take some practise, but getting comfortable with prioritising your needs will enable you to be a more supportive, hands-on manager and business owner.