1. Get someone else to do it for you (delegation anyone?)

Ask yourself:

Do I ever have to do this again?
Who can do this for me?

This may seem elementary, but a lot of people don’t ask themselves these questions and end up doing something over and over when someone else could do it instead.

And If you do pass on the task, remember not to sabotage the process or outcome by not delegating well.
Ensure you do the following:

a. Give extremely clear expectations of what is required including time frames (Maybe put it in writing.  This clarifies in your mind what is required as well.)
b. Let go of unrealistic expectations. It probably won’t be done as well as you could have done it. If it doesn’t change the outcome, then that’s OK. Come on, in many cases 80-90 % as good as you would do it is good enough and gets you the outcome you need.

2. Be clear about what you do, and what you don’t do  (for yourself and others)

If you haven’t thought about this much, maybe you could write your own job description (even if you’ve been in business for years). This can be a very thought-provoking exercise and helps you get clear about the things NOT in your job description that you still do.

3. Negotiate
Maybe negotiate how something is done so that you can do it in a style that suits you but you get the same outcome. I often take everything a client says and try and give them exactly what they want. However, I now try to negotiate to lessen the work for me but still give them what they need.
e.g. 10 page proposal v 2 page brief
e.g. A zoom call instead of a face-to-face meeting

4. Say no
An oldie but a goodie. (And one people don’t do enough)
You have choices. When I worked on multimillion dollar projects in the UK, people said no all the time. Was a bit strange at first but actually liked it because there were no broken promises and I always knew where I stood. If they did not have time to meet with me, then I would always find someone who did.

It is also very common for people in small businesses to say yes to doing something outside their area of expertise (especially when starting out). If you don’t want to do it, don’t like doing it, and don’t have the expertise, you probably aren’t the right person for the job. Do your customers a favour by recommending someone who can do it better. They will respect that. (And you might set up a great referral relationship in the process).

5. Give an alternative solution
It’s like saying no but you still helping them find a solution even if the solution isn’t you. Give an alternative contact or suggestion to help them which doesn’t involve you actually doing it for them. 

6. Change the shape of it so it is something you do like – See it from a different perspective (Pull those rose-coloured glasses out of the drawer!)

Here are some  client examples below so you know what I mean….

Cold calling – Hate because I get nervous and am not myself
Suggestion – How many people can I build rapport and help with during these calls? Set a target.

Customer follow-up – Hate because I feel like I am annoying them or asking them for something
Suggestion – Look forward  to chatting to amazing, interesting, different people you can learn from.

Meetings with staff – Hate it because they are always on edge and I’m always reprimanding them for something.

Suggestion – Make it a lunch meeting, do it more often and make it about progress rather than problems only. Build great energy and get to know your staff.

Customer complaint – Hate because it’s a mess and they will give me a hard time.

Suggestion – How can I help this poor guy out who’s been stuffed around, or who has had it tough (no matter who or what was responsible)

7. Only do PART of the process yourself
Maybe you hate doing it because it appears to be a “big job” and takes too much time. This is not about passing it all over, just some of it. (And you can automate some of it too!)

So, for example, you may have done ALL the steps in your sales process, but now you come in at the end for the sales conversation. You may have people setting up times in your diary or setting up calendar software, changing meetings, writing notes on potential clients etc., and all you do is turn up for the sales meeting on zoom.

8. Find out or decide whether it really needs to be done in the first place.
Try and avoid the statement, “I really should…” Should you? Who says?
e.g. I used to say that I really should re-structure my email folders. Should I? Nah, they work for now and it’s just not that important to me.

What are you still doing that’s really no longer that important to you?

So now you have some ideas, hopefully one of two will resonate with you so you can STOP doing things that just don’t do it for you and free up your time to do the good stuff!