Lately I have been taking a more serious look at the things that I have on my plate and asking if those are things I should be doing? There is only so much time that each day and spending time on the things that aren’t adding value is not a good use of the time. But if you are really trying to accomplish the goals that you have set for this year, then it is time to review the non-value added things.
Review the things that you are working on each day and see if they make sense for you to do anymore. Can you stop doing them, delegate them or outsource them to someone else to do instead? This was a bit easier to do when I was in my corporate job because I had a great team and vendors that I could leverage to help me. Now with my own business, I have been the one and only person doing things. That isn’t sustainable and so it has forced me to take some of those lessons that I learned in corporate and apply them here as well.
How many things are we doing just because we always have? The question to ask for each one is “are you getting a return on the time investment that you are putting into it?” It is so easy to keep your head down and just keep trying to get them all done. It is time to pick your head up, look at your list, review it, and make some decisions. Here is an easy way to break the list down into three categories: Start, Stop and Continue.
- The Continue list has things that still need to be done. Maybe you can find a simpler way of doing them if you try looking at them differently or consider delegation or outsourcing as other options
- The Stop list has items that just don’t make sense anymore and aren’t adding value. Stop them completely and free up some time.
- The Start list can now include items that are adding value that you didn’t have time for before
This is about being aware of how you are spending your time each day and are you doing the most with it. There is a quote by Charles Broxton that says “You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” Going through this exercise might provide you some insight into how you spend your days and give you back the time you need.