There are two ways you can grow your organization:
- Way #1: Get a blank check from someone very, very wealthy.
- Way #2: Consistently invest the time and effort necessary to grow the funding.
Since the blank-check route isn’t realistic for most of us, let’s turn our attention to Way #2. And when we do, you might feel like groaning the following:
Time, Avraham? I don’t have time. My time is completely devoted to all the other myriad of tasks and meetings that happen daily.
The world being the way it is, however, your organization can’t get to where you need it to be if you just work in it.
You need to be working on it as well.
And you need the time to do that.
That’s why I’m pleased to announce that I’m raffling off: a free extra half-hour per day.
Just kidding.
Skilled as I may be, Hashem hasn’t blessed me with the power to stretch time.
But He has given each of us the ability to rescue time.
Most of us have pockets of time throughout our day that we’re underutilizing. Maybe we’re losing them to unnecessary distractions. Maybe we’re filling them with less valuable tasks better done a different way.
If we can identify and rescue even a half-hour of this underutilized time per day, that’s two and a half more hours a week - we can transform it into “productive time” - and literally supercharge our organization’s growth.
So, how to rescue time?
These two ideas should help you find the right track:
#1: Make a Not-To-Do List
- This is opposite to a ‘To Do’ list since it is all the things you will Not do. This list is of all the things you are currently doing but should not be.
- Some things that might feature on your not-to-do list:
- Not to respond to emails the minute they arrive in your inbox (here’s some handy software to help with that)
- Not to be available at all times to every staff member with a question
- Not to browse news sites or LinkedIn during work time
- Not to answer calls or messages during focused time (that’s what the “turn off notifications” button is for)
- Not to do less valuable and time consuming tasks that could be done by an assistant
None of this is easy. But the time you’ll rescue by implementing just one of these not-to-do’s will revolutionize the way you work on your organization.
#2: SOP it. And then delegate it.
Delegating can be scary. But it gets a lot less frightening when you have a smart process to follow.
What’s the process? Creating simple SOPs (standard operating procedures) - step-by-step instructions for completing those time-consuming tasks you don’t need to be doing.
Hand the SOPs - and the responsibility - to someone else. Chances are you’ll literally free up hours.
It’s always exciting to walk a coaching client through the SOP-creating process. We catalog all their responsibilities across their organization. Then we decide what needs their special touch, and what someone else can do just as effectively. We put together some SOPs for their team, and watch their time expand.
It’s a liberating, empowering process that gives these leaders clarity about what’s holding them back from their most valuable work, and how they can best utilize their time.
And with all that time and headspace saved, they can finally focus on creating - and implementing - serious plans for growing their organization.
Growing your organization will take growth on your part. But that growth is accessible. It starts with rescuing just enough time to get to work.
So - what’s one thing you’ll do (or not do:) this week to rescue that lost half-hour of productive time?
Have a great week,
Avraham
© Avraham Lewis & Co.