If you are like the typical small business owner, you never seem to have enough time. Between giving meeting with customers, doing the books, building widgets, going to the bank, and a myriad other tasks, the day seems to be over long before the tasks are.

There can be a lot of reasons for this, but I think one of the primary causes is simply trying to do too much. There are many tasks that can be outsourced, delegated, or simply dispensed with. As a simple example, I used to pick up supplies for my crews. Invariably, I would arrive at the job only to be told that they also needed something else. I wasted an incredible amount of time making multiple trips to the store. Since delegating this responsibility to the crew supervisor, I rarely pick up supplies.

Just as you wouldn’t assign a new apprentice to perform the more complex tasks within your business, you shouldn’t assign yourself to tasks that are better suited for others. Concentrate your efforts on those tasks that truly require your attention and you might be surprised to discover that you have more time on your hands.

Of course, simply delegating responsibilities isn’t enough. If the task isn’t performed properly the result can be even more time consuming to correct. But the solution is not the avoidance of delegating; the solution is to have systems and procedures to guide the employee.

Developing step-by-step instructions for a task provides the employee with clear guidelines. If the instructions are followed, the result is predictable. The employee can do his job without being micromanaged, and you can spend your time on the things that you love doing.