If you talk to any Small to Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) owner, one of the most common complaints you’ll hear is the notion that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to stay on top of their jobs. The pressures of running a business are many and varied but when you fall into the SME bracket, they can be even harder. 

Through a combination of lower staff levels, often higher running costs and that all-too-common feeling that you’re best-equipped to handle all aspects of your firm rather than those around you, it can often feel like an uphill battle as an SME entrepreneur. 

Tips to make life easier as a small business owner

While no one would claim running a business is ever easy, there are some time-saving hacks you could employ that could lighten the load. If you’re looking for ways to increase productivity while also lessening the amount of work you do, have a think about some of the tried and tested tips listed below that have been a godsend for small business owners just like you. 

Learn to delegate

Unfortunately, SME owners frequently bear the weight of the world on their shoulders, believing that they alone are capable of handling the most important tasks in their company. However, if you have taken on staff, it’s important to remember why you employed them in the first place. 

More than likely, the reason you employed a new member of staff was you noted a shortfall or gap in your skills or those of your company. You’ll have advertised the post and probably interviewed multiple applicants in an attempt to find the very best person for the job. Why then would you subsequently be hesitant to trust them enough to do the very job you hired them to do?

Learning to delegate is a vital skill to learn for all SME owners if your firm is to succeed. As a company grows, inevitably the number of clients and the amount of work increases too, and you simply won’t be able to handle this extra workload on your own. If you look at successful businesspeople, one of the skills that unites is their ability to delegate and lead.

Get into a morning routine

No matter how motivated you are to run your company, very few of us are at our best when we first wake up. However, if you can establish a solid morning routine where you run through your daily tasks quickly, you’ll have already saved yourself a huge amount of time – plus will ensure you’re ready for the day’s upcoming challenges. 

Try to get yourself used to performing the same tasks in a set order – for example, making the bed, brushing teeth, showering, having a cup of coffee. If you work to a routine in the mornings, you’ll have a clearer head with fewer things to worry about. 

Make to-do lists

While it’s often easy to kick back and relax at the end of each working day, what you’ll normally find is you’ll just end up with multiple points buzzing around your head about the forthcoming day. Instead, try taking 10 minutes at the end of each day to work out what needs to be done next – and in what order. 

Creating to-do lists at the end of your working day helps you focus on what you achieved that particular day, plus what still needs to be done tomorrow. Once you’ve got your list prepared, you’ll be able to properly relax in the knowledge that you’re already on top of the next day’s duties. 

Identify tasks that are limiting your productivity

When you’re running a business, it’s all too easy to become sidetracked by the daily flak that bombards you each day. From incoming emails to messages and phone calls, there are multiple sources of distraction that can severely impact your overall productivity and put a drain on your day. However, there are ways around this problem. 

For example, if you find you’re constantly being waylaid by client calls, why not try using a virtual call service that can handle your calls for you, redirecting only the most important ones to you as required so you can reply to less important inquiries later. Modern phone services can even set up virtual numbers in different countries for you, meaning you can expand your global reach without stretching your resources. Using these systems, your virtual phone number will feel like the client is making a local call in any country while your dedicated receptionist will field inquiries when they come in, allowing you to get on with more important work. 

Take regular breaks 

It might seem rather counter-intuitive to take more breaks when you’re supposed to be increasing your work output, but in reality taking regular time out helps revitalize you and will give you more energy. It’s simply not possible to work at optimum levels all day without taking at least some short breaks. Stopping once in a while will give your brain a much-needed rest.

Study your own patterns to find when you work best 

There’s a slightly cliched view that we’re all either better in the morning or at night where, in truth, you’ll likely find you’re a mix between the two. Also, you’ll probably find you perform different types of work better at different times of day (for example face-to-face client meetings in the mornings, writing emails in the afternoon, and so on). Try taking the time to work out when you do particular jobs best and then design a schedule to capitalize on these times of increased productivity. 

Automate where possible 

Today’s software is more advanced than ever and using enterprise apps can have a hugely beneficial impact on your overall productivity. Using a combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), modern apps can perform many of the tasks that likely provide a sinkhole for your time during the working day. 

Software to look out for includes scheduling, team working, accounting, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and emailing apps. Here’s how to reduce your workload with these tips.