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There is not enough time in the day to do all you will like to do, however, there is definitely enough time to do the important. As a small business owner, it is easy to get stuck in the rut and believe that you have to be the one who does everything. However, being the one who performs all the work limits the time you can actually spend building a successful business. Knowing what is important for you to do, is vital if you ever plan to grow.

The first step to finding more time is, well, “have a plan for finding more time”. You need to have a plan that clearly states where you want to go. Do you just want to make few bucks or do you really want to build a successful business? If your business model stops earning money the second you stop working, then it becomes really hard to build financial freedom. Financial freedom is not a random act but needs to be planned.

Start by determining where you want your successful business to be in three years. And develop steps to achieve that plan. When looking for more time there are three (3) main areas you need to look at namely automation, delegation and batch processing.

Delegate

If you are stuck in the routine of accepting, completing and then moving on the next project, there is good news for you. Delegation is a very effective way of assigning routine tasks while you focus on the tasks that only you can do to build your business. In the beginning delegation seems to cost more money. But the key is to focus on the long term goal which is your success and financial independence. When you delegate, you can find more time to work on building your business. Delegation is a necessary pre-requisite to growth. You risks becoming irrelevant if you do not delegate. We all know the business environment changes and if you are too busy working on projects, you have less time to work on your skills and to stay relevant in your field.

Automate

Nowadays, there are so many technologies out there than can help automate parts of your successful business. Automation is a great way to be consistent in your business and it also reduces the cost of running your business. With automation, you set up the system with minimal daily input from you.

Batch process

If you cannot delegate or automate a process, look for ways to batch process. Batch processing means scheduling activities so you spend the least amount of time overall. For example, if you receive checks in your business, you can run to the bank at the end of the day to deposit all checks rather than multiple times during the day. The goal of batch processing is to arrange your schedule so like items are carried out at the same time. This saves time overall.

In summary, to grow your business you have to become better with managing your time. Finding more time allows you to spend the time necessary to plan for strategic growth.

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