As you work towards growing your business you want to make sure that you are not just working harder all the time. The reality is that at some point you are going to max out on hours  or max out on how quickly you are actually able to work at a consistent pace. 

 When it comes to growing your business you want to start working smarter not necessarily always harder. I firmly believe that there is a time and place for working harder and hustling in your business  but I also do not believe that it is something that should be done all of the time. In my business I choose to work smarter versus working harder. I would much rather have 4 hours of very dialed-in work, then choosing to work 9-5 ( or longer ) every day. 

Plus, the truth is a lot of times if you work smarter you will actually get more work done then you will if you work harder. Working harder doesn’t always mean more work  is getting accomplished, it just means that you’re doing more.

Okay so let’s just dive on into 4 simple ways that you can work smarter in your business instead of harder. 

 Systems

 Creating systems in your business is going to allow you to have more flexibility with your time because you know exactly how things need to get done, when they need to get done, and a good portion of it can probably be automated. Being able to automate portions of your business is going to save you so much time in the long run! 

 One of my favorite ways to create a solid system in my business for my wedding photography clients is through Honeybook.  From automated check in emails, questionnaires being sent out, and invoices being sent- it is a great way for my clients to feel like I am checking in on them often and staying on top of things without actually having to keep track of it all. If you haven’t tried honeybook yet you can click here and get 50% off your first year after you complete your free trial! 

Know what actually moves your business forward

 When it comes to marketing your business not every marketing strategy is going to work for you. If you are currently in a place where you are implementing strategies that you don’t feel like are moving your business forward, then don’t keep using them. I know so many people who continue on with the same marketing strategy for six months to a year without seeing any return on their time or investment. If you are using a strategy for more than 3 to 4 months and you still don’t see traction, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board and figure out what will work.  Continuing to work on something that is not working or it does not show promising results for your business is a waste of time, energy, and resources. 

Work when you work best 

 A lot of times in our industry we see people talking about things like morning routines, starting early in the morning on their work, talking about how you shouldn’t be up late at night working. There’s so many ways that you are or are not supposed to work, but the reality is you need to work in the way that works best for you and your life.  

For me, I know that I can crank out a lot of really good work on a weekend when my office space is quiet. I also know that I can sit down for 2 to 3 hours and work hard and accomplish more than I would by working 8 hours. I also know that I work better when it comes to deadlines late at night than I do during the day. 

Because I know how I work well, I’m able to get more work done on my time than by trying to force myself to fit my work schedule into a normal 9 to 5 timeframe. 

As creative, our creativity only comes at certain times of the day so  scheduling your bigger pieces of creative work around when you know you’re going to be creative is going to allow you to feel more connected and excited about your work! 

Outsourcing

 Consider Outsourcing areas of your business that are a struggle for you to accomplish. If you have a really hard time with social media, then look for someone to help you manage your social media accounts.  If you have a hard time keeping up with emails and getting excited about them, then try to find someone who can help you with your inbox.

 I recommend Outsourcing areas of your business that take you away longer to accomplish than it would for someone else to accomplish them. The reality is, if you spend an hour trying to craft a social media post, you could have hired someone to craft 10 posts in that same amount of time.  Sometimes wanting to keep a grip on every area of our business not only cost us time but money as well.