Running a business and a busy family can be a bit hectic. Trying to get everyone up, dressed and off to school in time for you to dash to work is no mean feat, but there are a few things you can do to make life a little bit easier for yourself.
Navigating your way through all the potential pitfalls of the business world takes time, agility and the ability to learn fast. Luckily you are already practised in all of these skills raising your family! Just as you know that an afternoon nap will prevent overtiredness, you can learn simple tricks for organising your business for smooth sailing.
Here’s how.
Buy the Best Software
You could try to keep track of your business yourself, but as you know, juggling lots of information inputs and trying to analyse them all at once is near impossible. Instead try using Enterprise Asset Management Software.
EAM Software will help you to collect and analyse data, produce quarterly reports to track your progress and streamline your business operations to be more efficient and save money! Finding the right software will require a bit of research but once it is up and running, the time you took looking into it will be well spent.
Delegate
When your business is young, handing over the reins to someone else feels risky. You have put everything into getting this far, and even just an hour away makes you feel nervous. Actually, it’s just like handing your baby over to a babysitter for the first time!
Finding the right person to delegate tasks to can be nerve racking to being with, but equally having someone else who understands the running of your business will be a real weight off in the long run. Start small with simple tasks that you are around to monitor before you take the plunge and have a day off. As you give up more responsibilities, it will get easier to do the things you really need to be doing as the business owner and you certainly won’t regret it!
Prioritise
When you have a list as long as your arm, you need to prioritise which tasks to do first, what can wait and what should be delegated. Just as delegating can be difficult, knowing where to focus your attention is a skill worth learning.
Try colour-coding your list using red for the most urgent tasks, orange for the ones with deadlines looming and green for things that can wait. Delegate as much as possible. Once you have a finalised list, work through the reds first, then the oranges and finally the greens. Bear in mind that the colours may change as deadlines loom, so don’t be tempted to ignore those greens and oranges until they turn red! Tackle them with plenty of time to spare.
Being a parent and a business owner is a lot of hard work but the rewards for both pursuits are amazing and make it all worthwhile. Hopefully with these three tips, you will be able to manage your work/life balance a bit more effectively and reduce your stress. You might even find time for a holiday!
Image: Aphalight