Small business owners need to automate unimportant decisions
Imagine the life of a flight captain before the introduction of autopilot, and just how relentlessly stressful every single moment of every single trip would have been. What you’re picturing is the daily struggle of every small business owner, Mark Bouris writes.
Imagine the life of a flight captain before the introduction of autopilot, and just how relentlessly stressful every single moment of every single trip would have been.
What you’re picturing is the daily struggle of every small business owner. Remember, these people are usually one-person productions, and they’re called on to make so many decisions in a single day it would make your head spin.
These days flying is a little easier, of course, with the pilot usually only called on to handle the really complicated stuff, like takeoff and landing, with the easier tasks relegated to an autonomous program that frees the captain up to focus on the things that really matter.
And so one of the big messages I deliver in my Mentor Masterclass is about the power of routine, and how important it is to relegate your unimportant decisions to pre-made choices, freeing up your limited headspace to handle the big decisions that really impact your business.
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And for me, it starts the moment I wake up. My alarm goes off at the same time every morning, and I climb out of bed and put on the same style and colour of gym clothes every single day.
I already know exactly how I’m going to train when I get there, where I’m going for breakfast when I finish, and what I’m wearing to work (it’s no surprise that I wear the same colour and style of clothes to work every day, too).
That’s five decisions handled on autopilot, and the days has only just begun.
I eat lunch at the same place every day, too, go to bed at the same time every night, and travel the same way to and from work. That’s even more decisions I don’t have to waste my time on.
The point is, it’s only too easy for business owners to get frazzled, their brains feeling fried by all the decisions they need to make.
They’re working longer hours, and often for less money, than they ever have in their lives, and rather than having 20 things to focus on, they’ve got 50 or 100 things that always need their attention.
So automating as much of your day as possible — eliminating the decisions that are useless, like what you wear, what you eat, when you eat, when you go to the gym; all the things that don’t really matter — gives you, the captain, more headspace to focus on the things are truly critical, or even just create the time to give your mind a rest.
Because while small businesses don’t come with an autopilot switch, it doesn’t mean you can’t build your own.
* Mark Bouris is chairman of the SME Association of Australia
* Mark Bouris, chairman of Yellow Brick Road, is one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs. He writes a column for The Sunday Telegraph, sharing his extensive business skills and answer your questions about doing good business.
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