Being overcommitted might not be beneficial to your small business
As a small business owner, you have probably tried to handle a hundred things at one time, not realizing until it is too late that you have said “yes” to one too many clients or projects. Being overcommitted can actually harm your small business, cause you to miss deadlines, hurt your reputation and leave you no time to create new leads. If you identify with any of the following symptoms, you may have stretched yourself too thin:
Your To-Do List is Never-Ending
Your daily agenda keeps growing because you never have enough time to finish anything and you are overbooked for meetings. Instead of adding more and more to your exploding list, make a “not to do” list instead. Write down all the tasks that distract you from your core responsibilities and have little effect on your bottom line.
You are Distracted
People have to repeat themselves constantly when communicating with you because you can hardly focus. When your mind is filled with too many ideas, worries and tasks, you cannot give your full attention to anyone or anything. Take a breather to clear your head.
You Have No Time to Be Efficient
It is tough to be efficient when you keep wishing there were more hours in the day and you start to wonder where your time actually went. Start and finish your day with a brief assessment of your workload, then do the same at the start of every week and month. Consider how efficiently you are working and consider hiring a new staffer or working on your delegation skills if needed to stop yourself from overcommitting again.
You Never Say “No”
“No” is actually one of the things good leaders say often [3]. Instead of being a constant “yes” person, run all new projects by someone else to stop a knee-jerk acceptance.
Are you overcommitted to your work? How do you find a balance [4]? Let us know your best advice in the comments section below!