When nobody else sets the boundaries.
WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT
There is no manager deciding priorities, no fixed hours, and everything is ultimately yours.
WHAT THAT PRODUCES
Working constantly Doing whatever arrives Neglecting work that only you can do
WHAT ONLY YOU CAN DO
Setting direction Decisions requiring your authority Key relationships Deciding what the business stops doing
WHY THAT WORK IS NEGLECTED
Nothing forces it, and operational demands are louder.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Protected time for it, scheduled.
WHY SCHEDULED
Unscheduled intentions are not honoured.
WHAT TO EXAMINE
How much of your time is spent on work someone else could do.
WHAT THAT USUALLY REVEALS
Most of it.
WHAT TO DO
Delegate deliberately, over time.
WHY OVER TIME
Capability must be built before work can be handed over.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
What you will stop doing, and by when.
WHAT TO ACCEPT
That handing over work means it is done differently.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT AVAILABILITY
When you are contactable and when you are not.
WHY
Continuous availability prevents any sustained work and it is unsustainable.
WHAT TO PROTECT
Time away from the business.
WHY IT IS A BUSINESS MATTER
Exhausted owners make poor decisions, and the business depends on their judgement.
WHAT TO TEST PERIODICALLY
Whether the business functions without you for a period.
WHY
It is the measure of whether you are building a business or a job.
