Wearing Too Many Hats In Your Business? Try These 4 Things.

By Ella Nobre-Watts of whimsicella

Some of us are good at juggling many things at once, gliding from one creative project to another, and dealing with a variety of customers and clients. But we all have our limits, and if we feel too much pressure in our business, mistakes (and overwhelm) can happen.

As a creative business owner, you’re probably used to embodying multiple roles at once: you’re the maker, the admin assistant, the marketer, the accountant… the list goes on. But just because you can do it all, doesn’t mean you should.

Here are some tips to keep yourself afloat if you feel like you’re doing it all, and it’s getting a little too much:

1. Stop multitasking

Many of us pride ourselves on multitasking, but it can actually do more harm than good. And what we refer to as multitasking is simply just task switching. According to Psychology Today, ​​you can lose up to 40% of your productivity when multitasking, because your brain isn’t actually engaged in more than one thing at a time.

Think about it this way: if you can give all of your attention to one task, won’t it be finished faster (and probably at a higher quality)?

Instead of trying to tackle multiple things at once, give yourself allotted parameters for a specific task to help you remain focused to complete it before being tempted to switch to another. You can also try things like the Pomodoro Technique (as we mention in this blog post) to stay on track, and if another task starts to tempt you, give it a start time so you have something to look forward to.

2. Write down everything you do in your business and create priorities

And we mean everything you do. From the small, mundane things to bigger picture future mapping: what tasks do you get up to on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis? 

Once you have everything written down, highlight which of those tasks are high priorities for you. This can mean tasks that are essential in the running of your business, or simply the things you enjoy doing (you are the boss, after all).

Focusing on your most important tasks will help you not feel as overwhelmed when things get too much. As for the other tasks on your list…

3. Delegate to other team members or experts

Simply put, we can’t do it all. Refer back to the list of business tasks and identify what can be delegated to a team member or contractor. Too often, small business owners get caught up in the details of daily work, and when you’re a creative entrepreneur, you don’t want to spend too much time on things that don’t spark joy.

Need help getting your books together but hate math? Hire an accountant. Feeling overwhelmed by your calendar or systems? Hire a virtual assistant or online business manager. Don’t even want to think about Instagram? Get a social media manager on board.

Taking things off your plate altogether will make a huge difference in feeling better about yourself and your workload.

4. Take time for yourself. 

We all need downtime to get away from our small businesses and focus on ourselves, our family, hobbies, and fun! Taking time away to clear your head is vital for staying inspired and bringing new ideas to your business.

As well as scheduling time for longer vacations, make time for breaks throughout the day, too. Keep yourself accountable by creating slots in your calendar dedicated to downtime, whether that’s an appointment at the nail salon, an hour to watch your favorite Netflix show, or even just a few minutes to close your eyes and do nothing.

Remember that it’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed at times. But it’s important to keep checking in with yourself to see if it’s time to start giving away some of those hats you’re wearing. It gets easier the more you do it and see the positive effects on your business.

Here at Daisy Made, we’re always on hand to provide community and support to make life easier! In our Magnetic Makers membership, you’ll have access to over 20 trainings led by experts to help you create efficiencies in your business, as well as regular brainstorming sessions and creative play workshops to keep you unblocked.