There are so many occasions when the business we work so hard to create winds up growing into a chain around our neck. We simply get caught up in the tide of micromanaging things to make certain all is well and that it continues in the intended positive direction.
It is not at all uncommon for the business to sap everything out of us and leave us feeling burnt out and frustrated. Very often, the thought of giving it all up and going out and just getting a job has an attractive appeal as we struggle.
How Successful People Get More Done And Actually Work Less
The truth of the matter is that our loss of freedom is on us and not the business. Blaming everything else is the easy way out but it also takes away any ability to make the necessary changes. There is little doubt that just as the problem lies with us, so do all the solutions.
Here Are Four Critical Keys To Gaining That Freedom We Seek
1) Proper Training
Crucial to gaining that freedom we seek is inconsistent training and improving both employee skill and comprehension. Getting across to the members of the team the best understanding of just why your company does what it does will lead to greater freedom for you.
Each and every task does include both science and art. Very often, a company will put a stop at just what to do or not to do and not continue on into the heart and core of everything. It is vital that you teach the employees the art behind the task they face. Doing so is going to help create employees who will think as they continue to become highly skilled. To reach a new level of freedom, you want those employees to think and act independently without coming to you to make every decision.
2) Personal Finances
We must exercise extreme caution to keep ourselves from ever becoming a slave to our money. It can easily happen that we continue to expand our lifestyle, and before we know it we rob ourselves of our freedom. It is important we slow down and make certain we leave ourselves some room for our extended earnings. We can help to make certain that we ensure our freedom by setting a paycheck for ourselves, which will be attainable even in slower periods.
Keeping freedom of time and freedom of choice prioritized over big paychecks, in the long run, will definitely lead us to greater finances. While we are doing this, it is also important we make every attempt to limit our personal debt as best we can.
3) Set Priorities
When you own your business, the to-do list never ends. It can easily start to feel overwhelming, so one good solution is to start prioritizing smaller tasks with a sense of urgency. Completing these is fairly simple, and doing so will give us a good feeling when done.
However, remember that those more difficult tasks that take up more time also need to be prioritized. You can definitely gain more freedom and time by setting up good systems and training on how to best deal with these tasks.
4) Boundaries
Boundaries can indeed be hard when you love your business. The truth is that our businesses are truly extensions of who we are and can often blur our work time and our playtime. This is why it is vital we set and stick to those boundaries between when we work and when we are off from that work. Proper discipline in this area will lead to a greater sense of freedom.
The truth is that discipline is critical to gaining our freedom. Lack of it is going to lead us to severe problems in the future, making it vital that we make the correct choices and stick with them.
5) Association
We’ve all heard it before, but it’s sometimes difficult to analyze in our own lives: you are the average of the people you hang around. So, if you are around a bunch of other business owners who are also drowning in their To-Do lists or don’t even know any other business owners, it’s going to be very difficult for you to turn your business around. That is why reading, mentorship, and business events are so crucial to your success. Events like the GROW retreat hosted by Stephanie Scheller and discussed on this week’s podcast call put you in direct contact with hundreds of business owners who may have ideas to lift each other up and dozens of speakers who can impart the wisdom of what they’ve already done to take control of their freedom in business. Be sure to check out these events to keep yourself on the right path!
