It takes a certain personality to start your own business. If you are anything like me I bet those closest to you would describe you as independent, strong-willed, and maybe even a little stubborn. We thrive on the satisfaction that comes with solving a problem or accomplishing something new. Unfortunately, this means we sometimes spend more time on fixing things than they might actually deserve.
My father always jokes with me about how ready I was to be on my own by the age of 11. He says if I could've moved out then I would've. Not because I wanted to get away, but because I was really that independent. This trait has followed me through the years sometimes manifesting in a stubborn refusal to read directions for any new device or furniture build - I think you can see now what I meant about spending more time than we have to solve a problem.
I have always prided myself on my independence and truly believe it has helped me become the problem solver that I am today. It allows me to exercise both critical and creative thinking on a regular basis often coming up with solutions that solve multiple problems when initially focusing only on one. However, as I advanced in my career over the years I began to find myself working more and more. For the longest time, I assumed the higher you go the more hours you must work, but then after months of 80+ hour work weeks it no longer felt sustainable, and the reality was I was the only one who thought I should be working that much.
Something had to change and after some deep digging, I realized it was me. I was operating under a few faulty assumptions that I had never taken time to look closely at.
It’s easier if I do it myself
It will take too much time to teach someone else
I know the fastest way to do this
After taking a step back, slowing down, and really thinking about how much time my work was taking me I realized it was time to reevaluate my assumptions if I was going to achieve some sort of work/life balance. Here’s what I realized:
It’s easier if I do it myself - What did I even mean by easier? It’s easier than admitting I needed help. This assumption was based solely on my pride. I didn’t want anyone to think I couldn’t handle my work - turns out no one thought that at all. Colleagues told me they were happy to help when I finally asked.
It will take too much time to teach someone else - Yes, it does take time to train someone to handle a new task, but once they’ve mastered it the relief of not having to think about it anymore frees you up to focus on the bigger picture. Trust me fewer items on your to-do list will result in better results.
I know the fastest way to do this - Sometimes, but actually, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes we are so locked into a habit that we lose perspective. We can only see the task from one angle. A perfect example of this is when I was handling a lot of reporting by manually collecting data then turning it into the format I needed to report it in. This is how I was initially taught the process and this is how I did it for months. As my responsibilities grew and new projects were added to my plate something had to give. I reached out to a colleague in IT and asked for another perspective. Turns out he was pretty darn good at coding and was able to automate much of the information I needed. I went from around an hour a week of collecting and preparing data, to less than 5 minutes to export and email the reports. Besides the worst-case scenario is you do actually know the fastest way to do something - that is teachable. Train the best-qualified person to take it over and get back to the big picture.
For way too long asking for help felt like admitting defeat, but practicing this more and more has helped me realize letting go actually allows me to focus on the aspects of my business that I am most passionate about - helping others solve their problems.