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The most underrated business hack for SME’s

Systemising is easily the most underrated tool for SME’s. It’s interesting because most of us know that we probably should have systems in place but still most of us don’t do it! And when we do implement it, we don’t update them. I know we’re all busy, but you would actually be a lot less busy if you systemised! 🙂

 That’s just one of 6 big benefits of systemising your business. Consider these benefits:
1. Managing (and preparing for) business growth
Systemising your business is essential for managing business growth and for creating the business that you really want. As your business grows and there is more to do, you must have the systems to deal with this expansion. Not systemising will result in stress and chaos and ultimately limiting the growth of your business. 

2. Save your time & energy
Time management is essential in business. The more efficiently you run your business, the less time and energy you will need to expend.  Creating a systemised way to do the most common processes in your business will save you many hours! Working within a system is faster. It’s simply easier for our brains to manage small steps in a sequence completing one thing at a time. Up goes your productivity!

3. Reduced costs
One of the most common errors in SME’s is hiring staff too early. This is usually due to a lack of systemisation. If you systemise first, you can avoid unnecessarily hiring staff to deal with the workload.

4. Consistent outcomes
A system can easily create consistent results for you and your business. Once you have documented the steps in your process, all you have to do is follow them. This also means that if you are susceptible to procrastination (most of us from time to time) having a system will help you overcome this! 🙂 It’s easier to get started on a task that has an outline and step by step process. Our human brain is less likely to resist such tasks as it requires less cognitive effort.

5. Improved customer experience
When you systemise your business processes, your customer experience is much more consistent. Customers notice this. They receive their invoices on the same date, the branding is always the consistent, they get a follow-up call at the time you promised etc. And what does all this consistency create? Trust. Lots of trust. We all know our aim is to create the know, like, trust factor for sales, so this is an unbeatable benefit of systemisation.

6. Enjoy your business more
Creating joy in what you do brings a sense of fulfillment and wellbeing. It’s the shift that happens within you and around you when things are organised. When you have a systemised business you are able to focus your attention easier. You move from task to task without having to sift through things. There’s less resistance because there is a path already created. This is when ease is created. This is truly a big benefit of systemisation.

As always, knowledge is not power, implementation is. So my question to you is: Which business process will you systemise this week?

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Define Your Power Priorities

It’s easy to work full, long days. If you’ve got a good work ethic, like I do, you like to “do” things, get a lot done. Preferably as efficiently as possible, but it’s the movement that gives you energy. You like to be always moving forward, growing. And there’s nothing more satisfying than ticking off a number of things on your list each day. Do you relate?

Many of us entrepreneurs already have the drive and motivation. Creating and doing are our strong points. We’re good at getting things done and creating something from nothing. This is what’s really rewarding about the entrepreneurial game and one of the main reasons why we’re in it. But I have to share with you an insight I had a few years ago that shifted this approach to my own work.

I noticed I was getting a lot done but the results did not reflect the hours I had been putting in.

I needed to stop treating all tasks equally. Don’t get me wrong, I knew all about prioritising. I thought I was already doing that and you may be thinking the same thing too. But what I realised was, that to create real results I needed to focus on what I now call Power Priorities.

It’s not about getting it all done, all the time. It’s actually about focusing on the most important things for most of the time. And the key words there are “most important things”. Notably, it isn’t “most enjoyable things”. We can all fall into the trap of doing what’s most enjoyable and what we’re good at, so defining your true business priorities is really important.

Your true business priorities are what I call Power Priorities.  You can discover your Power Priorities by simply asking yourself one question:

What are the top 3 tasks that only I can do, that will drive my business forward? 
Take time to consider the most important things you need to do that will make the difference to your business. Narrow it down to 3 priorities only, your Power Priorities.

Then, treat them accordingly. Power Priorities should go first, above all else on your task list. But even better practice is to create a chunk of time in your schedule that is only for these Power Priorities. How much time can you spend on them in a week? What if you doubled that or tripled it? What would the results be? Put it in your schedule and find out!

Focusing on your Power Priorities will generate a huge amount of momentum and also get you more results. Compounding over time, you will then spend more and more hours on the things that are truly creating results and building your business. 

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Have you set your goals for 2019?

Have you set your goals for 2019 yet?

Yes I’m serious. Have you written your goals plan for 2019? Or will you just wait until January, after you return from a break to then start working on your goals? The answer to these questions impacts your business bottom line. Yes, what you are doing, or not doing, in the next months will show up on your P & L next year.

Planning is invaluable. I can’t stress enough how truly valuable it is to plan ahead for your business. The most common problem in smaller businesses is the time spent (wasted) on fighting fires- dealing with “urgent” things that have come up. Planning is not done because there is “no time” to plan! The irony is, the more you plan, the less fires you have to fight!

If this is you, it’s time to get out of this tail-chasing circle. You need to embrace planning to create results in your business. The other benefits that also go hand-in-hand with planning are: increased momentum , increased productivity and increased enthusiasm. Certainly worth trying out with these added benefits, surely?

Now is the time to think strategically, to take the time to write down your ideas and goals that you want for yourself and your business in 2019. Now, before the party season kicks in and you get swept up in the busyness. So, can you commit to taking an hour or two this week to put pen to paper or open up a doc and start typing?

What you commit to doing now will bring you rewards next year. When January comes around, you can hit the ground running. You can walk into 2019 with a clear vision of what you will be creating and working on. Wouldn’t that be a great start to the New Year?

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Time boundaries and your values = wellbeing

How you use your time shapes not only your productivity levels but also your wellbeing and ultimately how fulfilling your life is. Knowing that your choices about time create such an impact, are you ready to look at your time choices more closely?

Have you ever been in a space where, for a day or a month or so, you felt really great? Things flowed along and you felt an inner experience of peace and calm. You were not on holidays, rather, you were doing your normal workload but things just felt “easy” as if they were just falling into place. If things came up they were dealt with. You were productive but not stressed. It could be called a joyful process in many ways… Have you ever been in that space? It is an experience of  wellbeing and accomplishment without drama or stress. Want some of that?

Well it’s very doable if you can design your time boundaries well. Creating specific time boundaries will help you to be more productive without the stress. It will also create an inner sense of fulfillment because you are ultimately living according to your own values and priorities.

Here’s how you can get started with creating time boundaries and implementing them into your life right now:

1. Understand that the way you spend your time impacts the quality of your life

2. Accept that you are responsible for how you spend your time (No blaming work, your boss, your kids, your spouse)

3. Discover what is important to you. You need to understand your personal values as they will direct you to the activities that are the most fulfilling for you. These are activities that give you energy and you experience that sense of aliveness. This is very personal and each of us is different. Here are a few questions to get you started:
When did you feel the happiest? Consider what you were doing, who you were with.

When were you most proud of yourself? Consider WHY you felt that way and if anyone else also shared in your pride.
What was a peak experience you had? ie. an experience that made you feel fulfilled and satisfied? Consider how this event gave your life meaning.

What do your choices show you about your values? Consider the people you choose to have in your life, how you treat others and how you respond to hardship. In these interactions, you act according to your values. Which values are you acting upon?

4. Highlight which of your current activities or ways of spending time align with these values

5. Prioritise these activities by creating clear allocated times for each activity

6. Honor your decision of what is important to you by respecting these time boundaries

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How to enjoy your work more

running-man-1149787_1920I recently discovered something very powerful that totally changed my experience of working in my business. When it dawned on me I was shocked at the simplicity and also at my own internal resistance against it. Why would I be resisting something that worked for me or felt great? After some reflection I realised that underlying my resistance to this idea was actually just some good old expectation issues. You know, the “should” statements that your mind can make? I should be doing it this way. I should have more clients. I should be getting more done.

I was unconsciously should-ing, much more than I realised. I really was not aware that I had these expectations and so I want to share this realisation with you, in case you can relate too. It has helped me so much and really opened up a space to truly enjoy and be present with my work and my business.

I started to notice that while I was enjoying my work some of the time, there were many times when I would find the to-do list overwhelming. And the goals that I loved and really cared about, were not inspiring but actually intimidating. Then one day I noticed a shift. I had a day where I was absorbed in my work. I felt calm and I was really enjoying the process of what I was working on. At the end of the day I had not only been productive but I had truly enjoyed it all. Without rushing on to the next thing to do, I had taken my time to embrace each task, to be present with it. The result was amazing to me. I had never felt so good, so accomplished and working on “purpose”.

So what had actually happened?

I took the time to look at what I had done differently that day and here’s what I found: When I work at my own pace, it allows me to relax and focus on what is right in front of me. Instead of trying to rush through to maintain some other pace that I think I should be working at. If I actually work at the pace I feel comfortable at, it feels like joyful work and I get plenty done.

It’s simple, right? If you’re already doing this- hats off to you, well done! For some reason I had not put it together. Then I wondered, where did this idea come from? This idea that I had to be working at a certain speed, to be going at a certain pace? I’ve concluded there are a number of influences, some being an inclination to perfectionism, expecting instant results, being influenced by the latest personal development ideas on productivity and the old favourite- fear. All played a part in me feeling that I needed to be working at a certain pace. Of course the key is not to disregard everything that you have learnt to date about time management and productivity, rather it’s a matter of applying it in a way that works best for you and implementing it at your own rate of production.

After discovering this idea I realised I just needed to allow myself to slow down, to work at the pace that I enjoy. Having a plan is important, with a step-by-step process laid out. Then it’s just a matter of taking it one step at a time, in your own time. Working at a pace you feel comfortable with will totally change your experience of your work. Not only will you feel better but you will feel more engaged in what you’re doing and as a result, feel more “on your purpose”. And who doesn’t want more of that?