Are there areas of your business where you are working harder instead of smarter?
Working hard is one of the keys to success but only if you work hard on the right things.
Here are four things for you to consider to help you work smarter in your business so you can really get ahead:
1) Stop and evaluate
Sometimes, working hard is an addiction (hence the term ‘workaholic’) or it can be a diehard habit. Stop whatever you are doing and take time out to evaluate the different tasks in your business. Ask yourself questions:
“Hang on! Should I actually be doing this? Could I be doing this differently? Could I get some help to do this? What are some of the other options that I have to get this done?”. Sometimes, it is just about working out some numbers before you make a calculated decision: “Would I still be profitable if I did so and so? If I stopped doing these sorts of jobs would that enable me to spend more time growing my business?”
2) Ask a different question
Often when a lot of things comes on our plate, we will ask questions like: “How will I get this done? What do I need to get this done?”. Most of the questions are typically “How” and “What” questions which are looking at short-term results and involve you doing them.
However, start exploring further by asking yourself a “Who?” question, for example: “Who could help me get this done? Who knows a way to get this done quicker?”. Shifting the perspective of your questions will see a shift in the answers. This will in turn affect the actions that you can potentially take.
3) Break the cycle
Often, as a small business owner there can be a cycle of working really hard and then later not having enough work on. Try and break the cycle and have a look at how do you can put systems, people, and options in place. For example, we have a Biznostics mission on how to recruit people for your business where you’ll hire a person and at the same time create a system that you can use to recruit your next staff. You see, once you have created that recruitment system, you can just run it every time you need a new employee.
By spending some time upfront to put a system in place, you will eventually save a lot more time in the future and increase the efficiency of your business. Think longer term of how can you break that feast-and-famine cycle many businesses can find themselves getting into.
4) Get an external perspective
Finally, when you are stuck in the midst of everything, it can be difficult to see what is actually going on in your business. By taking a step back and getting someone else to look at your situation, it can give you a fresh new perspective that can help you work smarter.
So sit down, and have a look at where you can work smarter this week. Where are you working harder when you could be working smarter?
Remember, do not give up working hard because that is a key to getting ahead. Just work hard on the right things and be smart in how you work on them.
