Wearing too many hats? We all do…

Whatever title you may have, it may not be the only position you hold in your company. YOU may wear too many hats. If you’re like most people these days, you are the manager, trainer, HR coordinator, marketing manager, entire sales department and even the cleanup crew – all rolled into one. You aren’t just the boss, you’re the accountant, the IT person and so much more. This may be because your funds are limited or you are an employee in a small organization where wearing many hats is part of the job.

No matter the reasons you’re forced to wear too many hats, it could be overwhelming if you don’t take control and put it all in perspective.

Here’s a list of suggestions to help you get a grip on the tasks overflowing on your proverbial plate:

Define your responsibilities.

You need to know which of your daily tasks are more important than others.  Once you’ve decided this you can prioritize and determine which ones you’ll tackle and which ones can wait or be handed off to someone else. This won’t be easy, but once you’ve concluded what activities and tasks make up your work for the day, you can see where your attention needs to be focused.

Get yourself organized and take control of your time.

Time management plays a big role in managing multiple hats successfully. Decide which tasks will be the most time intensive, then schedule projects that require the most concentration or time for your “peak energy and focus” time of the day. Put everything into a calendar and block out the time your tasks will take to keep your day on track. Stay disciplined and stick to your schedule and you may find that a little organization and planning goes a long way to helping you get control of your time.

Don’t just sit around fretting over your work – do it.

You could sit around, complain and fret about all the work you have to do, but the truth is that nothing gets done until you jump in and get it done. Many of us spend as much time fretting over what needs to be done as we would spend completing the task. Don’t waste the time. When it comes to jumping in to complete a task or project, as opposed to putting it off, Nike put it best – Just Do It.

Know that you can’t do everything.

One of the greatest productivity zappers is wasting time, money and effort trying to do something you’re not good at or don’t enjoy doing. With so many things to do, it’s easy to get swept away in the tasks someone else could (or should) be doing that take up a lot of your time. It helps to determine where your time and energy are best utilized. If you’re best in areas like selling and servicing clients, then delegate the other tasks to someone else to manage.

Ask for help.

Once you’ve decided which tasks you are better at doing and which ones are the best use of your time, it’s time to get some help.  Hire someone who can help you maximize your strengths and fill in the gaps of your weaknesses. This way you’ll get the help you need in your business.

It’s hard to make the commitment to stop wearing too many hats, but it’s the best thing you can do to make sure the important parts of your business are getting the attention they deserve. Time is one resource that, once it’s gone, you can never get back. So… use it wisely.

Are you wearing too many hats? Let’s get together and talk about how I can help.