One way to become more profitable is to spend most of your time on the activities that make you money. But, what about all that other stuff you’re doing? There are three choices for handling tasks that are more profitable for you not to do: Elimination, Automation or Delegation.
I find there are many tasks that can just be eliminated. When it comes right down to it, there is very little impact (if any) when we remove some items from our list. So, look at your list of activities while asking yourself, “Is this important to the success of my business?” If it isn’t, cross it out. If you’re not sure, cross it out. Try not doing it and see if anyone even notices. If it is important, it will become clear.
Now, eliminate those activities from your life. Doesn’t that feel good? You’ve created more time and energy for the things that matter already!
Once you’ve shortened your list, it’s time to look at how the rest will get handled. Often, there are things you can automate. With advances in software and web-based technology, there are so many things that can be automated. Do you have clients who pay monthly? Set up automated billing. Do people go to your website for information? Set up auto-responders. You can automate bill paying, to-do lists… any number of things. It’s great because it’s out of your hair, and the cost is usually minimal.
Chances are good that once you eliminate and automate, there will a few things left on your list that aren’t ideal for you to be doing. That’s where delegation comes in. In today’s market there are so many options for delegating: employees, virtual assistants, temporary help, friends, family, etc. Your imagination is the limit. The important thing to remember is to choose the right person for the job. Be sure you know the qualities of the ideal person to do the work you have in mind, and then go out and find him or her. Once you’ve found them, take the time to train them properly to ensure success.
Once you’ve eliminated tasks that don’t matter, automated where you can automate, and delegated appropriately, you’ll have more time and energy available to do the work that is most important to the success of your business. Jump in with both feet, hang on and enjoy the ride!
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