Episode #136 – Automate Your Systems to Create More Time!
What’s so wrong with giving 110%? Nothing. It just makes me wonder why you weren’t giving your all the day before, and the day before that.
There’s nothing wrong with giving 110% unless it’s giving 110% to the wrong thing. If you are baking a cake and it calls for one cup of milk, will 10% more hurt? If you are following a recipe the extra 10% will hurt the end product. Honestly, I’m not sure how… I buy finished cakes… but it will! haha.
How about if you eat the cake and you eat 10% more what happens then? If it’s the corner piece, YUMMM! But seriously, 10% more, one time, probably won’t hurt, but if you do this every day and you better increase your exercise to 110%. Haha.
Inspirational quotes are funny, taken at the surface level they’re fine… but dig a little deeper and you’ve got to think about them. Because, what happens when you give something 110%? You only have so much time. The quote implies that you are giving 110% of your time. Well, that has to come from somewhere!
That’s where I’ve been having fun this summer. I’ve been working on systems and processes. When you create systems and processes in your business you are creating your most valuable resource… time. Something as simple as an FAQ page on your website will eliminate phone calls that consume time. It’s the reason that when you call the drug store the voice tree lists the hours of operation. It’s the reason that the first thing the cable TV trouble shooter asks you is, “is the TV plugged in”.
Your goal as a small business is to do what you do best and do it. The reason you get bogged down and frustrated is because as the owner you have to do everything. Take today’s inspiration and imagine if you could give even MORE time to the things you do best and less to the frustrating things. It would be awesome… right?
Look for ways to automate your processes. For example, add a vending machine, enhance your FAQ page, install keyless locks, automate your marketing.
Whaaaat?
Yes, automate your marketing. So much of your marketing is able to auto generate that you need to do this! About a month ago I started to include text messages in our auto marketing loop… best thing ever!
Has it given me more time. Yes! My incidents of unhappy “uninformed” customers has reduced because they receive “check list” reminders via text!
Look at your business and focus on the things you are asked over and over, make a list. Take a look at your business and find the areas that are repetitive, make a list. And look to the trouble spots, the places that customers get confused or angry, make a list. Now with those three lists, either automate, farm out, or clarify on your website. This will give you time to focus on what you do best!
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Action Step
1- Find your trouble spots, repetitive questions, and areas of tasks you do over and over…. make the lists
2- Analyze the lists and develop solutions to farm out, enhance the FAQ page, or automate your marketing!
3- Install my free app! (SmallBusinessClubApp.com)
Listen to Episode #136 of the Two Minute Commute audio blog Podcast
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the big problem with me is that I am a massive procrastinator. And when I have time on my hands the procrastinator in my becomes like the #8. It lays down and gets to infinite. I know exactly what I need to do and I have all the resources to do so. And given the circumstances, I should not be lacking in motivation. Yet somehow I am not giving even 10%
I know! Right! Then for me I read all of the things online about “hustle” and feel inadequate… ya know what, I think the “hustle” thing is crap. It’s going to sound lame, but schedule procrastination into your day. Meaning give yourself 30 minutes to do nothing, everyone’s brain needs a rest. There’s a great book called “Deep Work” that shows how unproductive our multitasking society has become. We need uninterrupted time to focus on one task at a time!
My focus is out the window. I tried that and i could not keep up. The only thing I have not compromised on till to date is my workout. Everything else I am not sure why I do not like doing. Perhaps they are so damn hard?