Accepted wisdom indicates that the harder you work at your small business, the more successful you will become. However, sometimes working harder just leaves you burnt out and frustrated -- with no financial or intangible benefits to show for your exhaustion. If you work smarter -- not harder -- you might experience these undeniable perks.
When tasks seem insurmountable and your work hours extend well after the rest of the world goes to sleep, you're not doing your best work. Instead of pushing yourself to work harder, you can collaborate with a team, outsource parts of the job, or delegate tasks to your employees.
In an interview with Inc magazine, business owner and author Marla Tabaka told Kevin Daum about outsourcing: "Even if a task takes only a few minutes, when you add them up you'll be surprised to see the amount of time you've wasted. In the long run, investing in training is well worth it."
Not only can you reduce your workload by relying on others, but you also benefit from your team members' minds. They can contribute valuable insights and suggestions that might change the way you run your small business.
If you're constantly burning the candle at both ends, you sap your creativity. Your work becomes the minutiae of tasks on a to-do list, eliminating the freedom to consider alternatives that might help you expand or improve your small business.
By working smarter, you free up valuable hours to consult with employees, connect with clients, and brainstorm fresh ideas.
Writing for LinkedIn, administrator Siyana Sokolova points out that creativity also improves your problem-solving capabilities. These two qualities feed on one another, encouraging you to work smarter as you nurture them both.
Have you ever put off a task so long that you forgot to do it entirely? In many cases, you find that the task wasn't all that important anyway. If you prioritize your to-do list and eliminate tasks that don't produce much value, you stop wasting time and start working smarter.
This same approach works for your employees. Don't fill their days with jobs that don't reap rewards. Instead, encourage them to work smarter as well so every cog in the machine of your small business runs for the good of the company.
Don't shift from the computer to the floor to the field and back again. Instead, finish similar jobs in one sitting, then move on to the next. Organizing your workday effectively will help you feel like you're not working as hard, but you'll still accomplish plenty of tasks.
Answer all the emails in your inbox in one fell swoop or conduct interviews with potential candidates back-to-back. If you need to leave the office for several errands, do them all at once instead of in chunks spread throughout your day.
Working smarter -- not harder -- can help your small business thrive. You can also work smarter if you partner with a reliable community bank. Our remote banking options help you simplify your workday, so check out our business checking solutions.
Topics: Grow Your Business
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