Are you taking on too muchand sabotaging your creativity? It happens. Take a look at your time scheduletoday. Is it so jam-packed that you don’t have room for lunch or even abathroom break? Something is wrong if you answered “yes.”
You are part of an elitecorps of business managers who work long hours, take little or no vacation timeand work during your time off. In a recent study of tire dealer owners andmanagers, more than 50% of those polled said they worked more than 40 hours aweek. While that is not necessarily unusual, the line between company andpersonal time is fuzzy. Check out these statistics:
• One in five (21%) workwhile eating dinner.
• More than a third (37%)couldn’t remember their last vacation.
• One in five (18%) admit toreading work-related e-mail and documents while in the bathroom, and nearlyhalf (49%) work while driving.
Can you relate? Withincreasing demands from consumers, the Internet and globalization, a long dayevery once in a while is almost a guarantee for most successful businessowners. With the 24/7 nature of our society, everyone is trying to do more withless time. Even children, whose schedules are so full with extracurricularactivities, don’t seem to find the time to go outside and play.
It’s true that packing yourschedule to the hilt may offer a short-term solution to getting work finished,managing responsibilities and handling growth spurts, but it can and willgenerate diminishing returns for you and your business. You will undoubtedlyfeel rushed, cranky, distracted, forgetful or simply burned out.
Here are some suggestions tohelp tame the beast:
• Delegate. Hand off some ofyour responsibilities to your most trusted and qualified employees. Even if notknowing every detail of what is going on in your business drives you crazy, youmay still need to let go.
• Just say “no.” If you wantto grow, you must take advantage of new opportunities. But, unless you setpriorities, you stretch yourself so thin that you will eventually ‘deep six’your productivity. Be willing to say “no” sometimes to extra work that won’tenhance the bottom line or to goals that don’t match your own. Throw out workplans that drain you and your staff and are no longer useful. Update or trashthem.
• Practice balance.Sometimes marathon days, even marathon weeks, are necessary to wrap up abusiness plan. We already know that Americans spend more time working thanpeople in any other industrialized country.
But, being a workaholic,while necessary in your youth, will soon take its toll on your passion andcreativity. Make room for other interests and people in your life besides yourbusiness and employees. As you schedule your day, allow some flexibility forinterruptions, surprises, rejuvenation and relaxation.
• Take a vacation. Aweeklong vacation on the beach or in the mountains can be an invigoratingescape that will give you the clarity of thought and inspiration you need toreclaim your productivity. Sometimes the best ideas come when you’re doingnothing. If you can’t afford to get away, take a mini-vacation. Often, a longweekend helps. Don’t take your Blackberry, and don’t call the dealership. Beunreachable.
• Hire or ask for help. Ifyour business is growing, and you have the budget, hire more employees tohandle your schedule. Yes, you’ll have more staff to manage and people to pay,but you’ll thank yourself down the road when you feel comfortable enough totake a long lunch with a business prospect or spend a few days at a workshopyou’ve always wanted to attend in another city. This is all about stayingfresh. Come back to your people ready to brainstorm, have fun and make money.
– Source: Tire ReviewBusiness Toolbox
