4 Life-Hacks for Your Business

We thought we could do it all: drop the kids off, pick up Starbucks for the office, kick corporate ass all day to make it in time to salvage something edible from the fridge for the family. And then have the energy and patience to not pass out at 7:30 before the bedtime stories.
We thought we could do it all. But we can’t. The world becomes significantly lighter though when you streamline what you can in your business. Here’s what you can do to make it as easy as you always hope it looks:

1. Explore your tech options- Living in the digital age isn’t just defined by email, office G-chat, and Skype conferences. Services designed to simplify daily office tasks are varied and extensive; you can convert pesky voicemails to emails easier to pass along to others with VoIP, set up bills to pay automatically, and keep track of productivity and schedules for yourself and employees. However, don’t let tech run your life. Having at least one hour unplugged to accomplish tasks uninterrupted can keep you on track. To help deter interruptions (including just that “quick peek” on Facebook), Google Chrome offers the app StayFocused, which allows users to block use of the internet (or all websites except for a business-related list) for a designated period of time. You might hate yourself when you just really have the urge to take a Buzzfeed quiz, but your status reports will thank you.




2. Delegate what you can- Keeping every component of your business in-house is old fashioned and often counter-productive. By outsourcing easily transferable departments, like human resources, marketing, IT, and more, you can streamline your resources to accomplish what you truly set out to do. Outsourcing companies also have the experience to perform in that particular sect at extraordinary levels, allowing you to not only remain competitive, but excel. There’s much less risk than the missteps that come with you (or your division head) having less experience. Sales Outsourcing Pros can teach you what you can gain from passing the torch.




3. Share the glory…and the work- By offering a position with a prestigious title and appealing salary, you’ll have greater collateral to ask for more from a particular employee. Letting others shine and rewarding them for their help might be hard for type-A personalities at first, but asking for what you need will help you A) prevent your business from becoming stagnant and B) help you maintain a sense of balance between work and home. However, relinquishing some control comes with boundaries; people must be held accountable with completion dates for tasks and follow-up protocol.




4. Provide clarity- Ensure that employees know your expectations for their tasks and results. Stopping for five minutes to examine all sides and possible questions applicable to an assignment before issuing it will save you time and frustration by ensuring that you get what you want. However, maintaining realistic expectations is also necessary; ask employees to keep you within the loop if unexpected complications arise. Having an easily accessible manual for both general and specific company information can also save you from countless email chains with banal questions.