Buried under a mire of paperwork, To Do lists, daily administrative tasks and long range projects can be the crazed life of any entrepreneur. Just how much can one person successfully and effectively manage?

In thinking about all of the various hats you toss in the ring every day, which one is the most important?

• Marketer?
• Sales Rep?
• Bookkeeper?
• Social Media Manager?
• Receptionist?
• Travel Agent?
• Content Curator?
• Graphic Designer?
• IT?
• Event Planner?
• Customer Liaison?

This list is short and probably doesn’t even come close to fully accessorizing your head. While we love colors and fashion, the constant switching on and off of duties is counterproductive, wastes your valuable time and doesn’t represent your core genius. They are the low payoff activities that are necessary to run your business but do they require YOUR attention?

If you made a list of tasks that are associated with each category, what would your day look like?

Pretty overwhelming I am sure.

Have you considered tracking your day? Keeping a spreadsheet or notebook of EVERYTHING you do on a daily basis to keep your business operating smoothly, generating income, grooming current customers and converting leads? It seems daunting, but it is an exercise to make you more aware of your time and energies spent.

Where should you fully invest your efforts?

Here’s your challenge: test out the concept for 3-5 days and see what is on your list.  If you would rather have a little digital help, Rescue Time will show you how you spend your time on the computer. You still may need a pen and pencil or the keyboard, but aren’t you curious where the day goes?

Review and analyze your data. What do you see? Any common themes? Did you miss any deadlines or appointments? Was something only half finished or not really in your expertise? Did you have any time for yourself? Downtime is important to refresh and get clarity but if you are busy flopping hats on your head and watching the clock tick, you forgo some well-deserved leisure.

Consider this: Are you tired and burnout? Is it time to delegate to increase your efficiency and productivity?

You may be facing some roadblocks to delegating but you can easily overcome your objections and learn about the benefits of working with a remote team.

Image credit: profitablegrowth.com